AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I shouldn’t have come over unannounced,” I said, hiding behind my glass.
“I’m not complaining.” He studied me with those astute eyes. “And I certainly don’t object to that greeting.” I felt as hot as if I’d drank the coffee he’d offered instead of water. “But why don’t you tell me what brought you by.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “I had a bad day. I thought—I thought you could help me forget it.”
Understanding dawned on his features. “You don’t know how happy it makes me that when you had a tough time, you came to me.”
When I stopped to think about it, I should’ve wanted to sort things out with Baker. She was a great listener and knew everything about me. Or even a phone call to Lisa would have made more sense than my rash decision to run to Andrew. But I didn’t regret being here.
I looked down at my lap.
“Bright Side?” I lifted my gaze to his. “Make no mistake. I very much want what I think you were trying to tell me you want too. But I’m not in a hurry.”
I thought all men were. Huxley had pushed for something physical early in our relationship. I’d given in sooner than I wanted, but he’d made me believe he loved me. I’d been so starved for affection that I didn’t know what real love looked like.
Andrew was beginning to paint a very different picture of how caring for someone should be.
“Thank you.” I fiddled with a button on my jacket. “I’m not sure how to put into words how much I appreciate that.”
He reached for my hand across the island. Without hesitation, I placed my palm in his. “A day at a time, okay?”
“Okay,” I whispered hoarsely.
“Let’s talk about something easier,” he said. Relief swept through me. I wasn’t afraid to be open with him, but communicating about feelings was new territory for me. “Where’s Baker? Do you babysit this little flower a lot?”
I stiffened. He didn’t realize it, but we’d moved from one difficult topic to an even harder one.
“I-I see why you think Ella is Baker’s daughter. She treats her like her own, and when we went to Dino’s, I guess it looked that way.” I swallowed hard. Even though Andrew and I were slowly building a certain trust, I still hesitated to tell him the truth. “But Ella . . . she’s mine.”
His hand went lax in mine. He glanced toward Ella and then back at me. His face was a blank mask. I neededsomethingfrom him. Some sort of indication of what he felt.
“I have to be careful.” And here I was opening myself up for more questions. I wanted to make him understand why I didn’t advertise to just anyone about Ella. Yes, I’d brought her around his entire family, but—I’d made a huge mess of something that didn’t have to be.
He clutched my fingers. “This changes nothing.”
“It doesn’t?” I asked incredulously.
“No. I just assumed she was Baker’s. That’s on me.”
“You’re not upset I didn’t tell you sooner? It’s a big deal. To date someone with a child.”He said it didn’t matter, Trish. Why give him an out?Maybe deep down, I thought he might want one.
“It would’ve been nice if you’d told me sooner. Not from the standpoint that it makes a difference in how I feel or what I want. But from a trust aspect, it stings.”
I blinked at him. This was the last reaction I’d expected. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” And I hadn’t wanted to. “There are things I’m not ready to talk about.”
He gave me an understanding smile. “And I don’t want you to before you are. But please don’t keep anything like this from me again.”
Nausea rolled through my stomach. I pulled my hand back from his. He’d been good to me. Better than good. If I was serious about trying to move on with my life, about learning how to be in a real relationship, I couldn’t continue to hide things. Especially not important ones.
I searched for the right words. No matter how I said them in my head, they were horrible.
Andrew stared at me with concern. I didn’t want to lose whatever this was we had. But I didn’t want to lie to him anymore. He deserved better.
“I’m still married.”
He stumbled backward and knocked the glass of water over. The remaining contents dripped off the counter, but Andrew didn’t seem to notice.
The softness I’d come to expect when he looked at me had disappeared. If I thought I’d hurt him by not being honest about Ella, this was something altogether different. Anger didn’t begin to cover this expression.
