Protecting the Presidents Daughter

Chapter 11

Braden stared at Emily, her emotions were in turmoil. "What have I told you about eavesdropping?"

"Don't do that, Bray." Emily's voice was quiet. "Just tell me what's going on."

Braden wiped a hand over her eyes and gestured for Emily to sit with her. "I need you to listen, to all of it, before you storm off, or ask me questions. And I need you to know, that nothing you say can make me feel more guilty than I already do. "Tanner and I knew each other first." She began and told Emily everything from the start to where they were now. "The last people who should have been hurt were you and Tanner. We made a mistake, and it cost your mom her life, and you both moms. I could never make up for that, nothing anyone does will ever make up for that. Please, Em, believe me, I never wanted to hurt you." She touched Emily's knee, she sat with her hands clenched in her lap, and her eyes full of tears. "If I could go back, I'd change almost everything." She would never give up her time with Tanner, but maybe they could have handled it better. "And I would fight harder for you to stay with Tanner."

"Tanner didn't want me."

"Baby, whoever put that idea in your head, they are so wrong." Braden squeezed Emily's knee. "Braden fought every step of the way, she wanted you, she was wronged that day too."

"You... I..." Emily stood. "Can I go?"

"Don't you have questions?" Braden stood too, wanting to keep Emily with her, wanting to know what she was thinking.

"Not now." She turned. "So the argument at the gate the first night, was that because Gran took me away from Tanner?"

"I don't know," Braden said. "She didn't tell me either."

"Okay." She left. Braden sunk down on the chair.

"What have we done?"

"Miss Roberts?" Tanner stood in the doorway. She'd never seen Braden look so upset, no, broken was a better word. "What happened?" She'd done her rounds of the ground, taken longer than she usually would, she'd needed to think, to clear her mind. The fight with Emily weighed on her. When Braden looked up at her, she could clearly see that Braden had been crying, and was still crying. "What's going on?" She'd also seen Dylan sprint to the barn, and rush to saddle a horse as Emily rode out a few seconds before Dylan. She'd thought it was because she was still upset with Tanner and wanted to go after her, but she trusted Dylan and knew she would take care of Emily.

"I told her everything."

"What?" Tanner stepped forward and stopped. "What did you say?"

"I told her everything. How we met, how things went wrong, how Amanda died, why she died. And how we took her from you." She wiped the tears angrily. "She heard me and Dylan talk, and I just couldn't lie anymore. She had a right to know what happened. And she needed to know it was not your fault."

"Jesus." Tanner sat when her knees wouldn't hold her. "We never talked about that night. It all happened so fast, I felt like I was in a tornado and had no control over what was happening." She looked at Braden. "What did you tell her?"'

"I told you."

"Just tell me what you said."

"The night we met at that party your mom hosted. We were still so young. But we connected almost immediately." A small smile played on her lips as she thought back. "It has been us against everyone since then. But you had to carry my demons too, being locked in a box of my father's making, then later my mother's. I was never happier than when I was with you." She waved that away and sat up straighter. "I told her why we broke up. You said you couldn't handle the pressure from my family anymore, and that it was unfair to me to keep taking risks. Yes, my mother got to you, but she was right. We were never going to be more than what we were at that moment, and it wasn't fair to either of us. I told her how you went away, trained, and got pulled back to us, that you and Amanda connected. That I was married. That you two had Emily and were happy together. I told her that one night, at a party, we got stuck in an elevator, we both had too much to drink, and things just happened. I told her about the two-year affair we had. And the night that Amanda confronted me, I told her that it had been a mistake that you loved her and that she should go home and talk to you. I told her I wasn't sure what happened when she left my place, but that you called me and told me she knew, and I said I knew she did, and hung up on you. I never answered your calls again. And not two hours later, mom called to say Amanda had died in a car accident." She stood and paced. "She told me, to pull myself together, and get ready to be a mother, because there was no way she was letting you have Emily. I said that I told her no, Emily was yours. But she never listened to me, or anyone. I told her that you were not given an option. That Emily was taken from you, and you were forced to leave." She shrugged. "I'm not sure what happened there, I just figured mother showed up and threatened you somehow." She looked at Tanner. "Because I knew there was no way you'd let Emily go without a fight. Unless she had something on you."

"Yes. You, and Emily."

Braden spun around and stared at Tanner. "What?"

The knock on the door was unexpected. Why would Amanda knock? Tanner stood and went to open the door. She stepped back instinctively when the two Secret Service guys pushed inside and Amelia stepped inside. "Amanda is dead." She'd felt the shock of it in her bones. "I'm here for Emily. You are done making a mess of this family." She held up a hand when Tanner wanted to speak. "These guys will escort you upstairs, you will pack what you need and you will leave." She'd shaken her head when Tanner started to argue. "You will do this, or I will make sure, Braden never sees the light of day, and Emily will grow up knowing what a slut her mother and aunt are. I will make her hate you both. I will make sure they blame Braden for the accident, and Emily will see the two of you for what you are. Or, you walk away, right now, and Braden will raise Emily and I'm sure she will make sure that Emily at least knows you loved her, but had to leave." She'd looked at Tanner with the same hate she'd had when she'd chased her from Braden's life. "Those are your options." She'd chosen to leave. She'd thought about Braden and Emily. She'd be fine. She'd survived loss before.

Maybe if she'd not been in shock at the news of Amanda's death, she'd have fought harder. She scoffed as she left the room. So many f*****g maybe's and if's. None of them deserved Emily.