“Don’t want to.Which is why I’m praying that it’s a great time for Bella to feel like she has family who cares.”
Offense reared.Did he mean to suggest—?
“Morefamily who cares,” he added quickly.“Sorry.I didn’t mean it to sound like you don’t.I know your mom and you, of course, have been awesome.Bella really is a lucky girl to have you as her mom.”His tongue clicked.“What am I doing saying lucky?I mean blessed.”
Blessed.A word she rarely used, but it fitted.
Because maybe if this God stuff was real then God had given Bella to Gen for a reason.
And that reason might still be something of a mystery, but she’d take the fact that it had helped her to feel blessed.
“Thanks, Kyle.”
“I mean it.I’m… I’m grateful that you’re the mother of my child.You’re a blessing.She’s amazing.Just like you.”
She batted away tears.He was only being kind.She knew that.But still her heart hungered for the words.
A blessing.Amazing.She’d take it.
And with words like that to fuel her, maybe she could face his parents and this meal wouldn’t be completely awful after all.
CHAPTER20
Why had he thought this dinner was a good idea?
Tension rippled around the table, just as it had from when he and his parents had first sat down.Mom had agreed to be on her best behavior, but Dad’s upraised brows suggested he’d wait to see if that was possible.
Mom had dressed up to the nines, like she thought this was a charity gala extravaganza.He was pretty sure she had done that to show off and make herself look better in comparison to Minnie and Gen.
And yep, they now entered the restaurant dressed far more conservatively, although Gen’s outfit of a black-and-white dotted dress looked fancier than her usual attire.
He stood, waved at Bella, who gave him a nervous-looking smile, as she gripped Gen’s hand.
“Hey Princess.You look very nice tonight.”
Bella’s smile poked out again.“Mom said we should dress up.But I didn’t know your mom would dress like a movie star.”
His mother’s laugh tinkled behind him.Oh no.Had she heard?
But when she stood and moved to Bella, he caught an expression on her face that he’d never seen before.There was a softness, a kind of wonder.
“Bella, this is my mother, Philippa Tinker.Mom, this is Bella Rivas.”
“Rivas, not—?”
“No.”Please don’t say anything.They’d talked about this.
“Hello, Bella.”Mom’s smile looked edged with tears.
“Bella, say hello,” Gen prompted softly.
“Hello,” Bella said, before twisting halfway behind Gen’s leg.
“Oh my.She looks just like you,” Mom murmured.
Hmm, he didn’t think a little girl would appreciate that comparison particularly, but he knew what she meant.
He glanced at his mom, who still wore that starry-eyed expression.“Mom, you remember Gen and her mom, Minnie, don’t you?”
