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“Really?” her tone dripped with sarcasm, and she arched a brow smoothly. “You seduced her, is that what we’re going with?”
I combed my fingers through my hair, then rubbed my chin. “I didn’t know you were coming home,” I said instead. “If you had called then maybe …”
“Just stop it, Dad. I know all about your preferences … I know that you left Mom for some young girl you picked up at Bella Rows. How did that end up for you?”
“This isn’t about your mother, Danielle,” I cautioned and shook my head. “You know what, I’m leaving you two ladies to talk this out, but I …”
“Yes right, walk away. It’s what you do best.”
Danielle’s words cut deep, and I flinched because of that. She held my gaze and didn’t say a word as she held my gaze and hiked her chin.
I sucked in a deep breath, and recollected my raging hormones, then turned to Leah who was still pale and stricken. “I’m sorry about this Leah,” I said to her, and tried to touch her shoulders, but she slithered away from my reach.
“Just go, Tommy,” she whispered in a broken voice. I didn’t want to leave just yet, and I hoped they would talk this out. The deep-seated ache in the pit of my stomach.
I turned to see Danielle still glaring at Leah, and I wished there was something I could say to get her to cool off. “Danielle. I’m sorry that you had to see that. I’ve thought about how to tell you, and …” I began again.
“You know what? You two should go at it … I’ll leave you.”
She gave us a stiff smile, then made a hand gesture, turned away and picked her guitar and bag from the ground then stormed out of the house.
Leah rushed after her while yelling. “Danielle … Danielle, please wait …”
She sounded close to tears as she dashed out of the house, but Danielle had gotten in her car and driven off before Leah could stop her. Leah crumbled to the porch stairs and buried her face in her hands.
I heard her sobbing, and it made the already tight reins in my heart even tighter. “Leah …”
She jerked to her feet before I could finish and walked past me. “You shouldn’t have said a thing. I could have spoken to her, and … I don’t need you to defend me!”
“I wasn’t just trying to defend you,” I answered in the same edgy tone that she used. “I was trying to defend us, Leah. I know Danielle … She’s in shock and she’s hurt, but she wants what’s best for you and I want the same thing. I just thought that maybe this was …”
“What are you saying? There’s no us …. We’re …” she trailed off and hiccupped. “Oh God, Tommy. I don’t even know what I’m doing with you. You’re Danielle’s dad and you’re …”
“Older?” I interrupted. “Is that what you’re going to say? That I’m older, and that you think what we have is nothing, simply because I’m Danielle’s dad?”
“You don’t understand.”
“No, I don’t … Up until a moment ago, you were okay with this.” I gestured a hand toward her as I spoke, and realized my heart was hurting because I hadn’t thought of the possibility that age would be a factor for Leah.
The truth was I hadn’t thought of anything at all.
“It’s not that you’re old, it’s just …This is wrong, Tommy, and we shouldn’t have.”
She hugged herself tight and sniffed hard before wiping her tears away.
“You’re probably right,” I said to Leah then took a step back, not knowing what else to say. I nodded, walked past her and into the cottage to pick up a few things, then drove off without a word to her.
What hurt the most wasn’t that Leah thought we were a mistake. Danielle too would never forgive me for this, so maybe Leah was right. Maybe I never should have touched her or let myself even think about her.
I knew all this from the start, but I didn’t let it stop me.Why should it now?I was a man who always went after his heart and Leah was in my heart.
How did I not realize it until now?
Chapter Eighteen
Leah
TwodayspassedandI kept trying to reach out to Danielle. I found out she was staying at a nearby inn when I dropped by Belly Rows the previous afternoon, and I decided to drive by there to visit, but she wasn’t in.
