Before she could think twice, Meredith blurted out everything that had happened yesterday—from the dinner-that-wasn’t, to meeting Major’s mother, to Major’s reaction this morning when he learned she’d discovered his secret.

“I had no idea.” Jenn whistled. “It’s pretty rotten that he didn’t tell you a long time ago.”

“It’s not rotten. He was just protecting himself, I’m sure.” With several hours’ distance from their encounter, Meredith’s anger began to abate.

“There’s protecting yourself, and then there’s flat-out lying.”

Jenn’s vehement defense of her brought Meredith’s first real smile of the day. “You know, I’ve replayed every conversation I’ve tried to have with him about his family, and he’s never actually lied to me. He’s always just hedged, changed the subject, or told me part of the truth.”

“You’re going to stick up for him?”

The image of Major lying there in the hospital bed, bruised, scratched, and utterly distraught brought Meredith around full circle. “I love him, Jenn. Yeah, I’m upset that he didn’t trust me enough to tell me the whole truth, but it’s something we can work through.”

“I still think he’s a jerk for not telling you.”

“Let me ask you this: Do you tell the guys you date everything about our family when you start dating them?” Meredith picked up a pen and started doodling in the margin of her notepad.

“Are you kidding me? If I told guys I’m one of eight kids, they’d immediately think that all I want is to marry them as fast as I can and start popping out babies.” She paused. “Oh. I see what you mean.”

“Major said he learned a long time ago not to tell people about his mother, or they thought he might have problems, too. I imagine that some of the people that happened with were women he dated. I’ve heard that some forms of mental illness are genetic.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard, too. Hold on.” A rustling sound followed by tapping came through Jenn’s end of the line. “What did you say his mom has? Paranoia?”

“Schizophrenia.”

“Hold on.” More clicks. “How do you spell that?”

Meredith spelled it for her.

“Okay, this Web site—which shows that it was written by a panel of psychiatrists—says that there’s only a 10 percent chance that a child can inherit schizophrenia from a parent with the disease ... condition.” Jenn paused for a long time.

The lull gave Meredith time to think—and to listen to her heart. Her shoulder muscles began to relax; her head stopped throbbing.

“It says here that if someone has schizophrenia, they start having problems by their teens or early twenties. So Major’s, like, way past the age for you to be worried about him having it.”

Meredith laughed. “That was never really a concern for me.”

“Just the lying part.”

“Right—even though he didn’t lie to me.” She tapped her pen against her chin. “The truth of the matter is that I love him. I’ve loved him for a very long time. I’m not going to let something as simple as the fact his mother is ... a little different from ours, scare me off.”

* * *

Major looked up from the old copy of Gourmet magazine one of the nurses had scrounged up for him. “Hey, Forbes.”

Dressed in his expensive suit, Forbes looked every inch the lawyer. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better now that most of the anesthesia has worn off.”

Forbes shrugged out of his coat and started loosening his tie. “Pain?”

“Some. Actually, my ribs hurt worse than my leg right now. But they tell me that won’t last long.” Using his arms for leverage, Major pushed himself into a more upright position—and grunted at the pain that wrapped around his chest.

“Have they told you yet when they’re going to release you?”

“Tomorrow morning, if all goes well.”

Forbes pulled one of the visitor’s chairs closer to the bed. “You’re going to come stay with me until you’re up and about.”

“No, I can’t—”

“How long have we been friends?” Forbes removed his cufflinks and rolled his sleeves up to mid-forearm.

“Since high school.” Major narrowed his eyes, pretty sure he knew where this was going.

“More than twenty years. And in all that time have you ever known me to back down or not do something I say I’m going to do?”

“No. But in all that time have you ever known me to rely on anyone but myself?”

“No, but I’ve always thought you should every once in a while.” Forbes waved his hand dismissively. “Besides, the doctors have already told you that you shouldn’t be home alone until you can get along on crutches by yourself, haven’t they?”

“Let me guess—you talked to the doctor before you came in here.”

“Fraternity brother.”

Major rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll come stay. But you can’t make me like it.”

Forbes’s booming laugh filled the room. “I won’t try to make you. Did you ever get in touch with your health insurance company this afternoon?”

Major told him everything he’d managed to do since their earlier phone conversation. “What I want to know is how am I supposed to get the ambulance, emergency room visit, and surgery preapproved? I mean, come on!”

Brows raised, Forbes leaned forward. “Are they refusing coverage?”

“No, I just had to go over the head of the gal who answered the phone and talk to someone who wasn’t just reading off a script.”

“If you have any more trouble with them, just tell them your lawyer will be calling.” He relaxed again.

“I will. Now, I’m tired of wallowing in my own issues. Tell me about an interesting case you’re working on or something. I’ve spent too much time in my own head today.”

Forbes obliged. Major zoned out a bit, listening to the ramifications of some statute or other that was keeping Mairee and Lawson from moving forward with getting the area around the old warehouse district declared eminent domain, or something to that effect.

“Your dad told me that the groundbreaking had been pushed back six months. Is that why?” Major readjusted his pillow.

“Yes. Apparently some of the property owners out there are putting up a fight.”

“I thought you didn’t represent your parents—that everything for B-G was handled by one of the senior partners.”

“I don’t. But I keep up with everything that’s going on—because my folks expect me to know about it. Speaking of, Dad told me you turned down the restaurant deal.”

Major told him about his mother’s accident the night of the Hearts to HEARTS banquet. “It made me realize that as long as my mother’s around, I’ll never be free to do something like that.”

Forbes crossed his arms, his expression hardening. “Did you ever tell Meredith about your mother?”

And here they were—on the very subject Major had hoped wouldn’t come up tonight. But if he was going to be staying with Meredith’s brother, he’d have to tell him sooner or later. “I was going to tell her last night. I cooked dinner for her at her house but was running out to the Pointe to see Ma when I got in the accident. Apparently Ma had an episode when I didn’t show up. Meredith answered my phone and went out to try to get Ma to calm down.”

“I see.” Forbes’s jaw worked back and forth. “I would imagine she was pretty upset finding out that way.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t want anything to do with me again.”

A flicker of anger twitched Forbes’s expression. “Once again, you’re underestimating my sister.”

“You didn’t see how mad she was.”

“I don’t have to. I know her ... better than you do.”

Anger—at himself, at Meredith, at Forbes, at Ma—boiled in Major’s chest. “Look, I appreciate your concern for Meredith. I really do. But this isn’t any of your business. It’s between me and Meredith and no one else.”

“If you had a sister, you’d understand why I can’t let this go, why it is my responsibility to make sure she isn’t hurt.”

“Like it was your responsibility to get George Laurence to lie to Anne for weeks about his real identity?” Sure, it was a low blow, but Major wasn’t going to be the only one in this room being accused of not treating someone fairly.

“You don’t know anything about what happened. Besides, that’s a totally different situation.” Forbes raked his fingers through his hair. “I think the real issue here isn’t Meredith. It’s you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean you’re a coward.” Forbes stood, posture stiff.

Major tried to push himself into a straighter position and ignored the sharp pain in his side. “I beg your pardon?”

“You never told Meredith about your mother because you’re a coward—you were afraid that if you told her, she might not love you anymore just because of your mother’s condition.”

No words came to mind with which Major could defend himself.

“I’ve known you, watched you, listened to you talk about your mother for more than half our lives. The truth is that you’re ashamed of her. You didn’t keep her a secret from everyone—especially Meredith—because you were protecting her from them. You kept her a secret because you’re embarrassed by her condition, mortified that someone might think that you’re the same way she is.”

Guilt pelted Major like hot grease splattering from a fryer.

“If that’s the way you truly feel, you are not the kind of man I want my sister spending the rest of her life with.” Forbes gathered his coat and tie and started toward the door.

Through the overwhelming pressure in his chest, Major caught his breath. “Wait.”

Forbes stopped, arms crossed. “Well?”

“You—you’re right. I am embarrassed by my mother. I always have been. But you don’t understand what it was like growing up with a mom who might throw a tantrum in the middle of Sears with everyone watching. You don’t know what it’s like to be called out of Algebra class and told that your mother set fire to your apartment and she’s being taken to the state mental hospital and you’re being put into foster care. You don’t know what it’s been like to have every woman you’ve ever dated break up with you as soon as they find out about your mom because they’re too scared to listen to the facts and find out that I’m not going to be like her.”