Oh, she should’ve known her smart daughter would soon piece things together.
She had the choice to lie, or deflect.But there’d been too much of both lies and deflections for far too long.She swallowed, bracing herself for the inevitable fallout.“He is.”
Bella shifted away.“But… but you told me he wasn’t around.”
Had she?Or had Mom?It was hard to remember exactly what had been said.Regardless, “He wasn’t.”
“But he looked like he would’ve liked to be.”
Yeah.He had.Tears welled again.
What had she done depriving Kyle of the chance to know his daughter?He’d missed so many significant milestones, all because she’d let fear—and Mom—keep him away.
“Mom, is he going to take me away?”
“Of course not, Bella.You’ll always be safe with me.”
But Bella was shaking her head, her mistrust in Gen obvious.“I… don’t think so.”Her eyes filled with tears.“Mom, I’m scared.”
She wasn’t the only one.“Come here, sweetheart.”
Gen clutched Bella to her.“You don’t need to worry.”But as for herself…
What would happen now?What would Kyle do?What would his parents do?Oh, she didn’t dare think about that.As soon as Philippa Tinker found out she had a grandchild, she’d be likely to spin things one of two ways.Either one, blaming Gen—justifiably so—just as her son had done for keeping Bella’s existence a secret.Or two, blaming Gen for being so reckless and making her only son a father way before it was time and trapping him into responsibility he didn’t want.
Exactly what both Gen and her mother had feared.
Now it felt like the world she lived in was made of cards and the precarious tower she had built for herself was starting to tumble down.Just like she feared.
And the thought that she’d failed on so many fronts—she, who had tried for so long to keep it together—made her inner wail loud as silent tears dripped down her face.
CHAPTER16
He had no words.Nothing.Anger had stolen them all.Shock had left a void of endless questions, circling like a whirlpool that would suck him under.
How could Gen—straightforward, honest always, Gen—have lied to him?How could she think he hadn’t wanted to know about his child?
Hischild.Hisdaughter.
Just the thought that he was half responsible for that small creature sent tingles up his spine.Bella was obviously intelligent—she got that from her mother—but there’d been an open curiosity too, that contrasted to Gen’s wariness.
Gen wasn’t naturally demonstrative, and he’d always appreciated that as it differed to his mother.But perhaps a little less reserve might’ve helped her own the truth to him.
He leaned his forehead against his living room window, staring down all the many floors way below to where people scurried like ants on the sidewalk.Had anybody else in this city today received such a huge shock as he had?He doubted it.He didn’t know what to do.Didn’t know who to speak to.He could bet a million dollars that nobody else in the Northwest Ice posse had experienced such a thing.
“God, what are You doing?”he prayed.“This wasn’t supposed to work out this way.”
No answer.Maybe God had given up on him after all.
“Is that it, God?Is this the ultimate payback for my sin?I don’t know what to do.Please, help me.”
As if his legs had given up on him too, he slumped to the carpet, curled fetus-like, staring out the window as the sky changed to deepest blue.
He lay there for a while.A long while.Long enough to watch the moon appear and trail slowly across the sky.It was pretty, sure.After a normal day, he might even get the telescope out and try to find the Sea of Tranquility.But today had proved to be no normal day.Today had changed his life.
“Everything is going to change,” he muttered in the darkness.
Everything had to.Now he knew he had a daughter, everything in his life would need to take her into consideration.His life wasn’t just about him anymore.He’d have to think about Bella, and by association, also consider Gen.His fingers clenched.There was nowayGen was going to keep him away from Bella.
