Sure enough, he didn’t.He showed up an hour and a half later, looking like he’d had the most restful night imaginable when she knew he couldn’t have slept more than a couple of hours total, if that.Her couch wasn’t long enough for him and to her horror, he’d made a pallet on the dirty carpet, laughing when she pitched a fit.He came in with bags of food—healthy stuff like fruits, vegetables, easy-to-fix meals.And lots of liquids.
“I wasn’t sure if you drank Gatorade but if you don’t, I’ll take it home with me.I also bought lemonade and orange juice.And milk since I know you like it and put it in your coffee.”
He remembered how she took her coffee.It shouldn’t have made her feel good, but it did.“Thank you, but this is too much.I can handle things from now on.”
He looked at her critically.“You don’t get over the flu in a couple of days.Even with Tamiflu.I have today and tomorrow off so there’s no reason for me not to help you.Besides, I like taking care of Sophie.”
At least he hadn’t asked to take Sophie to his place again.She must have looked skeptical because he said, “What?You didn’t think I’d want to take care of my own child?”
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from you.”
His gaze hardened.She’d only spoken the truth.She hadn’t meant to piss him off, but clearly, she had.To be fair, maybe she had harped on that a bit too much.
“Let me get this straight.You don’t trust me.Hell, you don’t even like me, yet you told me about Sophie and brought her to Marietta so I could meet her.”
“I didn’t say I don’t like you.Of course I like you.You’re Sophie’s father.”
“All that means is you liked me back then.”
Before he could add any more, she said, “Letting you meet Sophie wasn’t the only reason I came here.It wasn’t even the main one.”Which was a big fat lie, but she was going with it.“I wanted to move to a good place to raise my child.A good place to start my business.Denver wasn’t it.I’m sure I could have found a good place to live and raise Sophie, but I didn’t think I could make a go of my nursery.I’m hoping Marietta is the best place for both of those things.”
“I don’t understand how you can trust me with Sophie, feeling the way you do.”
“I trust you with her.But I don’t trust you to stay.”
“You trusted me before, didn’t you?What changed?”
Aria stared at him.“For starters, you walked away from me without a single regret.”
“You’re wrong.I had a lot of regrets.”
She parked a hand on her hip.“Oh, really?I guess that’s why you called me so much.Oh, wait.You didn’t.”
“That’s why you don’t trust me?Because I left?Because I didn’t call?I wanted to call but I was afraid it would make things worse.That it would just make me miss you more.”
She rolled her eyes.“Sure.”
“I told you if I’d known you were pregnant, I’d never have left you.”
“I didn’t want a man who was only with me out of obligation.”
“I’ve never felt like you were an obligation.”
“Of course you didn’t.But I wasn’t pregnant with your child then.”
“A child is the responsibility of both parents, not just the mother.”
“We never talked much about our families,” she said.“I know you’re an only child and your father was army.But that’s about all I know.”
“Not much else to know.My father’s still alive, but my mom passed several years ago.”
“Do you see him?”
“Not often.We’re not that close.”
“Why?”
He shrugged.“Nothing bad.We just don’t talk that often.He’s retired.He remarried a few years after my mom died.He and his wife live in a gated community that’s heavy with retired military.He does a lot with his friends there.Golf, poker, crap like that.”
