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“I wasn’t pretending.”
“But you’re not a mother, are you? So there’s no way you’d understand the things I said.” Sally shakes her head. “I should have known it. I thought it was weird that Lara didn’t look like you, that you were so slim, that you were so clueless about taking care of her even though you’d supposedly been doing that for six months already. As a mother, I should have known.”
The dismay in her eyes and her words lash at me like a whip. I look away.
“You did more than just lie to me or make a fool of me, Triss. You made a mockery of something as sacred as motherhood. That’s why I don’t think we can be friends anymore.”
She turns and walks out of the room. As soon as she’s gone, I hold Lara tighter to my chest, which trembles as I try to hold back tears.
I’m about to lose Lara. Now I have to deal with losing the only friend I have as well? And she’s not just a friend. She’s like a sister to me. My best friend. I realize that now.
I’ll be going with Antonio to the city in a few days. Why do I suddenly feel that there won’t be anything waiting for me in Summerset when I return?
~
“Don’t worry about Sally.” Antonio pats my lap without taking his eyes off the road. “She’ll come around. I’m sure of it.”
Will she?
Sally hasn’t spoken to me since she said we were no longer friends. She didn’t even show up today to say goodbye to Lara, even though she may never see her again.
I glance over my shoulder at the back seat where Lara is strapped into the car seat Antonio got her, busy playing with one of the toys attached to it.
After tomorrow, I may never see her again. I’ll never get to hold her in my arms and rock her to sleep. I’ll never get to hear her cry or her laugh or see her smile. All those thoughts feel like thorns pricking my chest.
I tried not to get attached to her but she snuck into my heart before I even knew it. Even though she’s not my daughter, we’ve developed a bond that I know will be difficult to sever. I’m going to miss her.
“Triss?” Antonio calls my attention.
I look at him. “I have a favor to ask.”
“What?”
“I know we’re supposed to meet Ned’s friend tomorrow, but can we postpone it for a day?” I ask Antonio. “I just want to spend one day in the city with Lara.”
“Doing what?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Just going to a park or something.”
“I don’t mind, but are you sure that’s okay? What if one of Jim’s friends sees you?”
I haven’t forgotten about that.
“Jim lives far away. So do his friends. Just because a newspaper made its way to the city all the way from Indianapolis doesn’t mean Jim has. Besides, like you said, he may have already let me go.”
There’s still no warrant for my arrest.
“But we don’t know that for sure,” Antonio tells me.
“I know, but I don’t want to live in fear of him.” I glance again at the back seat. “And I want to spend one more day with pretty little Lara. Can’t we?”
Antonio meets my gaze for a second. Then he squeezes my hand.
“Of course.”
Chapter Eighteen
Antonio
It’s a beautiful day in the city.
The sun is high up in the sky, sometimes hiding behind one of the gossamer clouds scattered across the blue canvas. There’s a wind, just slightly stronger than a breeze, not enough to send kites or hats flying but enough to tickle one’s cheeks and blow pinwheels and bubbles to incite laughter from children. In short, it’s the perfect day to go to the park.
No wonder a lot of people are here – families on a picnic, couples on a date, people walking their dogs, teenagers just chatting and laughing in between taking pictures with their phones.
As for Triss and Lara, they’re sitting on the grass watching the bubbles drifting in the wind – yes, Lara is sitting up for the first time, which is why Triss looks incredibly proud. If I didn’t know any better, I would think they were mother and daughter. Their matching outfits just about make up for the difference in their looks.
“Is that your wife and daughter?” A raspy voice comes from beside me.
I turn my head and see the old woman sitting a foot away from me. I’ve been so caught up watching Triss and Lara that I didn’t notice her sitting on the bench.
“She looks just like you,” the old woman adds before I can answer. “Your daughter, I mean.”
So I’ve heard. It makes me want to meet her real father.
“They are beautiful. You must be a happy man. People try to chase after so many things in this world, thinking they will make them happy, but the truth is only family can make you happy.” She turns her head to meet my gaze and give me a smile. “I hope you will take good care of them.”
