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With that, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.
* * *
What was she doing? Chrissie wondered for the hundredth time. She shouldn’t be kissing Trace.
Yes, she should, an inner voice argued. She should be kissing him every day for the rest of her life. Not that that was what he wanted.
He must not even want her anymore because he wasn’t returning her kiss.
Then he was.
Not just returning her kiss but taking control of the kiss. Kissing her hard and full and with need.
A need she welcomed because she needed him.
Between kisses, he shook his head. “I’m no good for you and Joss.”
She palmed his cheeks, making him look at her. “Why would you say that?”
“Because of what happened.”
“Trace, his appendix ruptured. That wasn’t your fault. I’m sorry for what I said at the hospital. I was scared, and wrong, and shouldn’t have said any of those nasty things because they weren’t true. I know that now. You got Joss the help he needed. You got him to the hospital. You did what needed to be done and our son is in there in his bed, healthy and sleeping.”
“I’m his father. It’s my job to protect him. I didn’t.”
“Ha. I second-guess myself when it comes to raising him every single day. I do the best I can, but I know there are so many things that I just do the best I can and hope it’s enough. Now I know it’s not. Like when I said I didn’t want him to stay alone with you. I was wrong, Trace.”
“This isn’t the first time this has happened, Chrissie. I let Kerry die, too.”
Horror gripped her. “Bud and Agnes’s daughter? I thought she died of cancer?”
Raking his fingers through his hair, Trace then massaged his temple. “I was the last person with her before she slipped into a coma. She never woke back up.”
Wondering at the pain inside him, Chrissie sank onto the sofa with a plop. “What happened?”
“She was on hospice, was dying. Someone sat with her around the clock. One minute she was talking with me, the next she closed her eyes, and never woke back up. I thought she was sleeping but she was dying.”
“That wasn’t your fault, Trace. No more than what happened to Joss was your fault.”
“He told me his belly hurt and I thought he just wanted you so I kept trying to distract him. I forced him to leave here and to go with me. I never gave credence that his belly might really hurt.”
She grimaced. “You didn’t know.”
“I should have. You would have.” He paced across the room, turned, gave her a pained look. “I’ll give you money.”
She felt sucker punched. “I don’t want money.”
“What do you want?”
Time for the truth. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she had to do it. Had to say it.
“You.”
He just stared at her.
“Did you hear me, Trace? I want you. In my life, my house, my bed,” she continued, letting her emotions pour out of her. “I want you. All of you.”
“I...” His voice trailed off. “Why?”
