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Pushing her worried thoughts to the back of her mind, she got out of her car and went up the front walkway. The door opened and Aidan was standing there with a huge smile on his face, making her heart tumble in her chest.
He moved toward her…then stopped. “You’re here.” He sighed out the words. “Come on in. Do you want coffee?”
She glanced around at the smattering of toys lying about the front hall and the pink hoodie hanging on the newel post at the bottom of the stairs. “Is Emma here?” she asked, not wanting to have the little girl overhear their conversation.
“No. She’s with Lisa, running errands.” He smiled again, a smile so warm and inviting she wanted to walk into his arms.
“I was pleased to hear my fabric had arrived,” she said, glancing around the living room, seeing the dollhouse at the end of the sofa and the Lego blocks on the coffee table.
“I’ve put the parcel right here.” He pointed to the long flat box propped near the door.
“Thanks. I’ll get it on my way out,” she said, going down the hall to the kitchen.
The kitchen area was in disarray with the piles of files and the laptop on the counter, toys scattered everywhere. The sun caught the edge of the table where coloring books were spread out. Everything looked so lived in, so much the home of a child who was loved and cared for. “Emma must keep you busy.”
“She does. She’s basically taken over most of the house with all her stuff. And today I have a bunch of files that are in the way.” He glanced at her anxiously. “Let’s go to the living room. It’s probably the least cluttered part of the house,” he said, placing his hand in the small of her back, the heat of his fingers, the ease of his touch so familiar.
They faced each other, their eyes locked, the air between them charged with unanswered questions and emotions that neither could express.
Finally, Aidan said, “Grace, I’m so glad you’re here. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am that I messed up our date. I never considered that being in a bar would be so difficult for you and my thoughtless remark…” He glanced away. “I don’t seem to get anything right with you anymore.”
Seeing the anguish in his eyes, she reached for him. “You are having as much trouble with this whole thing as I am. I came here wanting to see if we can work through this somehow.” She gave him a wry grin. “Lucas read me the riot act the other day.”
His expression brightened and he reached for her hand. “Me, too. But he was right about everything. I need to listen to you.”
“And I need to understand where you’re coming from.” Her breath seemed to be stuck in her throat at his touch, the encouragement shining in his eyes.
“Why don’t you start? I promise to listen.” He led her to the sofa.
She eased down beside him, acutely aware that he still held her hand, his touch so warm. “I am having trouble accepting what happened, but you already know that.”
He sandwiched her hands in his. “The time I spent with Deidre was wrong and disrespectful. But I wasn’t keeping it from you for any other reason than that I didn’t see any point in hurting you over something that was done before it began. It was never anything more than a working relationship that got out of hand.”
“But finding out about Deidre, then being left out of your plans for Emma, made me feel worthless, not really part of our marriage anymore. As long as we’ve been married, I have supported you, been there for you during all your business ups and downs. Yet, when it came to the most important part of our lives, you decided to go it alone. You made me feel as if you didn’t need my support, not as your wife nor as your friend,” she said, feeling the rise of resentment in her chest. “I really wanted you to allow me to be part of the decision.”
