Free Fortune & Fame: A Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray, Reshonda Tate Billingsley

thought this was a good idea was mind numbing. Mary had been the submissive, obedient wife since she’d gotten out of prison, but he’d gone too far with this move and the minute he set foot off the pulpit, she would let him know. Mary had worked too hard to grow as a woman. Rachel was taking care of her child now and Mary had prayed long and hard to get over the hatred she felt for that woman. God had answered her prayers, so she needed to leave well enough alone. Rachel brought out the worst in Mary and she’d come way too far to turn back into the conniving, scandalous chick she once was.
    After service, Alvin went with his grandmother and Mary headed straight to Nathan’s office to wait for him. Twenty minutes later, his door opened and he must’ve known that she was about to go clean off, because before Mary could utter a word, he said, “Babe, hear me out.”
    “How could you do that?” she said.
    “Look, I told you, everything I do, I’m doing for us.” He took a step toward Mary and took her hands. “For the betterment of us and our family.”
    “Nathan, a reality show ?”
    “First of all, we need the money. Do you know how much money those people make?”
    “Yeah, but at what cost?” Mary replied. “They’re getting money to make themselves look like fools on national TV.”
    He dropped her hands like he was disappointed in her. “This isn’t about you, Mary. This is about building up our church.” He removed his robe and draped it across the chair. “I thought that’s what you wanted.”
    “Don’t do this,” Mary said.
    He pulled her close to him. “Come on, sweetie, you told me how you wanted the nicer things in life.”
    “Yeah, but I’m perfectly content now.” Something else she never thought she’d say.
    “But you don’t have to be. You have a golden opportunity right here knocking at your door.”
    Mary let out a long sigh. “How’d this even come about?”
    His eyes started dancing again. “I heard about the show, and I worked my magic. I had a friend make some calls. He knows the executive producer, Natasia something, and he got me into the studio. Once I met with her, told her our story, she was in.”
    Mary folded her arms and glared at him. “So, you gave her my history with Rachel?”
    He smiled as he nodded. “I did. That’s what sold her on it.”
    “Nathan, putting Rachel and me together is going to be toxic.”
    “And toxicity makes for good TV,” he said matter-of-factly.
    “But I’m not the same person. I’ve grown,” Mary protested. “And Rachel, she’s the mother of my child now.”
    Nathan pulled back, then walked around his desk. “I’m glad you brought that up.” He reached in a folder on his desk andpulled out what looked like a Christmas card. “Here,” he said, handing it to Mary.
    Mary took the card and her heart dropped. Happy Holidays from The Adams Family was embossed across the top of the card. Below those words was a picture of Lester, Rachel, their two daughters, their son, and Mary’s precious baby boy. Seeing Lester Jr. brought tears to her eyes.
    “They’re touting that baby like he’s theirs,” Nathan said sternly. “He’s not. He’s yours. ” He stepped closer to her. “He’s ours. And he belongs here with us.”
    Mary didn’t look up from the card. “I signed away my rights.” She sniffed, touching a finger to the image of her baby’s face.
    “There is nothing the right amount of money can’t undo.” Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist. “Do this show. We’ll drum up support, get people behind you, make some money for a good attorney, and make it a public relations nightmare for the Adamses. Then, we will convince a judge to return Lewis to you—his mother.”
    That gave Mary pause. Could it be? Could she really get her son back?
    “You paid for your mistake. It’s time for our son to come home,” Nathan said.
    “How are we going to get him back?” Mary said, her voice soft and filled with