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Anyway, I’m going to tell Addison the truth now. Or, the edited highlights, at least.
‘Chris loved you — well, he was obsessed with you or whatever,’ I say, ‘but the real season he asked you to marry him after your father died is because he was already in massive debt. He knew you were getting an inheritance.’
‘My inheritance wasn’t that big… and I thought you implied the gambling and drugs started after I broke up with him.’
‘He was involved in other stuff too. All that stuff he bought you, while you were together —’
‘Don’t tell me. The gold necklace. The pearl earrings. They never belonged to his great grandma.’
‘Bingo. He was buying everything on credit — and not just for you, either. For Tanya, and a couple other girls.’
Addison rubs her eyes, as if trying to erase all the new information she’s just learned. ‘So… that guy… the one in the car tonight. Who was he? I haven’t even told you yet. He had a camera. He took a picture of me.’
I consider this for a moment. ‘Sounds like a private detective to me. I’d suspected as much from his vehicle. Had that sort of bland, undercover look. I’d been half-expecting something like this to happen. Didn’t think Chris would track you down you so easy, but… at least he’ll find out you’re married soon, I guess.’
‘If Chris’s so obsessed with me, how come he’s after all those other girls too?’ She looks totally bereft.
‘Jealousy don’t guarantee loyalty, I guess,’ I say with a shrug, then I stand up, and take the frozen peas off her ankle. ‘Reckon that should have helped the swelling come down by now. Better put these back in the freezer before we start making pea soup right here on the couch.’
She smiles weakly, as I take the packet back to the kitchen and put it back where I found it. Now that I’m standing on my own, I begin to worry that I’ve done the wrong thing. Telling Addison all this. She seems like she can handle it right now, but what if she’s like a duck on a pond, appearing calm enough on surface, but underneath, those legs are just kicking away, desperately trying to propel her forward? I promised her sister. And her father. I can’t let anyone down. Not now. Not ever again.
I take a beer out of the fridge and carry it over to Addison, but she shakes her head. ‘You don’t drink,’ she says. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t either. I’m just as happy with water.’
I don’t say anything, but I’m pleased to hear this. I don’t have a problem with alcohol exactly, but it’s not exactly a good way to stay calm. I smile and leave the beer on the counter, then I pour a glass of water from the tap and bring it over to her.
'If you want a divorce right now, I can arrange that,’ I say.
I don’t sit back down on the couch. This Little Girl needs some space. I can sense that.
‘Before I met you, you were just a stranger, you know?’ I tell her. ‘Just an idea of someone, rather than a real person. I thought I was doing this to help you, but until I actuallymetyou, none of it felt real. When I saw you at that party, I started to panic. You weren’t anything like I imagined you were going to be. The way your family talked about you… well, you seemed so much more sure of yourself in real life. And so much morereal. I realize now that you should have been involved in the process.’
She snorts. ‘Idefinitelyshould have been involved.’
‘You’d never have agreed to it, of course.’
She downs her water in one and then smiles. ‘Not in a million years.’
Hmm, she could probably do with a sippy cup.
‘I’m sorry it came to this. I’m sorry for deceiving you, and I’m sorry about Chris too. I’m sorry that your boyfriend became so deranged.’
I'm not going to tell her about my past, but believe me, I know all about the things you'll do when you owe folk money and you've got people hounding you for cash.
I know how dangerous prison can be too.
Who knows what kind of crowd Chris fell into while he was there? What schemes he got involved in?
Hell, if I get into allthatright now, it'll completely destroy the poor girl. She's had enough for one day, hasn't she? I don't want to scare her off loving this world forever.
‘I’m tired,’ says Addison, yawning. ‘Can we talk about this some more in the morning? I’m going to need you to carry me to bed, Finn.’
‘Am I gonna have to carry you three times in one day, darlin’?’ I say, sniggering. ‘A husband’s work is never done.’
Addison pouts. ‘Too soon for that kind of joke,’ she says, with what I hope is onlymockindignation. ‘Come on, then. My chariot, please.’
‘Certainly, Little Miss,’ I say, bending down and scooping her up, in as slapstick a way as possible, so that she doesn’t think there’s any possibility I couldactuallybe turned on by this. Hell. I’d managed to forget about my damn hard-on for five minutes, but now it’s back with a vengeance.
Her skin is so smooth beneath my palms. I can feel the dimples in the small of her back, the curve of her shoulders, the milky soft skin of her thighs. The way her diaper is pressed against me, crinkling and plasticy.
