Secret Son, Convenient Wife(32)

He was serious about coming with them. “All that for a short walk?”

“A short walk could turn into a nightmare if the reporters discover us.”

Thoughts of cameras being pushed in Nathan’s face turned her cold. “On second thought, it’s probably best not to go.”#p#分页标题#e#

“We’re not prisoners, Gemma. We’ll go out and get our son an ice cream if we want. No one is going to stop us.”

Understanding dawned. She had to admit, when she thought about it some more, she felt the same. This was Australia, for heaven’s sake. Surely they were entitled to some space to themselves? Still, she’d feel better with Tate there to protect them.

After that, considering everything between them, it was quite an enjoyable walk in the sunshine. Tate hadn’t worn a hat, but he seemed to relax more with each step, and so did she. They even stopped at a local park next to the small strip of shops so she could feed Nathan some ice cream.

It was Saturday, so there were quite a few people in the park. A couple of children playing with a small puppy caught Nathan’s attention, and he started to laugh at their antics. The children, a girl and a boy around seven or eight, heard him and brought the puppy over. Before they knew it, the puppy was licking drops of ice cream off Nathan’s T-shirt.

Gemma actually felt happy—seriously happy—as Tate asked about the children’s names and the age of the puppy. He was really good with the kids.

A nice-looking man strolled toward them from the direction of the shops, carrying a loaf of bread. “I hope they aren’t bothering you,” he said, smiling as he approached.

Tate smiled back. “Not at all. They’ve been keeping us quite entertained.”

The man blinked, and Gemma knew he’d recognized Tate. So much for their sunglasses and her sun hat!

“If you want to wear your kids out, just get them a puppy,” the man joked.

“I plan on it, when my son’s a little older.” Tate proudly glanced at Nathan.

A short time later, the other family left and Gemma couldn’t help saying something. “Did you mean it about getting Nathan a dog?”

“Sure, why not?” Tate lifted a brow. “You don’t want him to have one?”

“No, I think it’s a great idea.” She shrugged. “It’s just such a…family thing to do.”

An odd expression flickered across his face. “We are a family now,” he said, as he turned away to push the stroller.

Her vision blurred and she was thankful for her sunglasses. She didn’t want to acknowledge how much his words meant to her, but his comment warmed her all the way home.

On their return, Gemma carried Nathan into the informal living room while Tate put the stroller away. She vaguely heard Peggy’s voice, but she didn’t take much notice as she placed Nathan down on the carpet and let him crawl around the now-childproof room.

About ten minutes later Tate came through the doorway, sheets of paper in his hands, his face tight. He held them out toward her. “Someone’s just posted these on the internet,” he said, keeping his voice low. All his earlier softness had disappeared.

She frowned as she read what was in her hands, then gasped, her eyes widening. On one page was a photograph of her old apartment minus the furniture. The place looked like it needed a coat of paint and seemed a little shabby. On another was a picture of Tate’s house, with its magnificent gardens and luxury cars parked in the sweeping driveway. Farther, on the next page, someone had put the two together with the caption, “From This to This in Two Weeks,” then there were some derogatory remarks, not about Tate but about her becoming pregnant on purpose so she could marry into money.

She lifted her head in bewilderment, trying to get her head around it all. “This is on the internet?”

“Yes.”

“But why?” She swallowed hard, her mind whirring. “How did you even know these were there?”#p#分页标题#e#

“One of Bree’s friends rang to tell her about it, so naturally my sister rang here. She left a message with Peggy.” Something brutal entered his eyes. “I printed them up to show you. I’ll get my lawyer to investigate the website.”

The thought of this being all over the internet turned her stomach. “Investigate?”

“I’ll find out who’s done this. They’ll pay.”

She took a shuddering breath. “God, I feel violated.” Not only was her reputation being ripped to shreds in a public forum, but the place—the home—she’d tried to make for her and Nathan had been held up for everyone to see—and judge.