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I want to hold her and tell her that no matter what she’s feeling, or what happens with us, it’s going to be okay.
She swipes the tear away and shakes her head. “At first it's because I was married to Chase. He was wealthy and charismatic, and he was interested in me. He said he wanted the same things I did. A family was at the top of the list. He promised I could stay home with the kids and he’d take care of us so I could do play dates and PTA and soccer and ballet. But the baby never came. And he spent more and more time at work, trying to climb the corporate ladder. I wasn’t allowed to get a job because I needed to be at his beck and call whenever there was a party or a last-minute dinner with clients. During our divorce, Dad got cancer, and it was my excuse to get out of Dodge. Freddie wasn't willing to help out, and Hilloria—Dad's wife, refused to care for him. She was gunning for hospice right out of the gate. Me and Dad wanted to do chemo.” She leans her head against my shoulder and sighs. "Since I didn't have a job, and I was about to be out of a marriage, it seemed natural for me to move in and be his caretaker."
Babs presses her eyes closed and pulls in a shaky breath. “Once I got there, it quickly became a Cinderella experience with Hilloria. But I couldn't leave. If I did, Dad would be neglected, or worse. Hilloria wanted his life insurance, and the sooner he died, the sooner she got her money.”
“So you stayed and endured the abuse?” I say, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and tucking her closer to me. I grit my teeth, trying hard not to give my two cents. She doesn’t need me to fix this, and Chase is gone anyway. For whatever reason, Babs chose to confide in me. Don’t screw this up.
She shrugs. “With Pancreatic cancer, there's really no remission. I knew that life was temporary. For Dad, I was willing to put up with it.”
Anger slowly seeped into my veins, increasing with each word. How long was she tethered to her evil stepmother?
Bab’s lips quiver and she pulls in a shuddered breath.
If I don’t do something fast, she’s going to crumble and curl into a ball of tears.
I pull her into a hug. “I’m so sorry.”
The dam breaks and Babs buries her face into my chest, knocking her baseball cap back off her head. It's still attached to her head by the ponytail threaded through the hole in the back. Her body shakes with silent sobs. I slowly pull the hat from her head, releasing her silky hair, then I rub my hand up and down her back, trying to soothe her. How long has she been this way? Held onto this secret? How long did she feel as if she couldn’t leave, that she was imprisoned? Why didn't her brother step in and help her?
I press a kiss to the top of her head and hold her long after her body stills, and the sniffling stops. My mind wanders back to her ex-husband, and my hackles raise at what she told me.
When Babs slowly pushes off my chest and puts enough distance between us to gaze up into my face, I stare into her eyes, red-rimmed and moist. Still the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen in my life.
Don’t say it.
Now’s not the time.
Give her a chance to heal.
Ryan. Don’t.
I press my forehead to hers.
This is a really bad idea.
“I would have loved you. If you’d given me a chance. I would have taken such good care of you,” I whisper.
Fantastic. Now it’s out there. I’ve ruined everything.
Babs pulls away, her eyes searching mine.
Here it comes. The freak-out.
She reaches up and presses her palm to my cheek.
My heart stills, but my pulse quickens.
“I know you would've,” she says, forcing a brief smile. “I just didn’t know it back then.”
Then, out of nowhere, she presses her lips to mine. My mind barely has a chance to register what she’s done. I reach out to pull her close, but she pulls away and bolts to her feet, heading for the tent.
“G’night, Ryan.”
I stare after her, my hands reaching into the darkness toward her retreating body.
I taste chocolate and marshmallow. My mouth still hums with the realization that I’ve kissed Carrie Babson.
And I totally want to do it again.
