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“I’m not okay with you exposing Izzy to the media,” she said, afraid of what might happen if the news team came sniffing around. Political scandals were all the rage in election years.
“Not at first,” he agreed. “Although I could say I’m a family friend and no one would think anything of it. Eventually though, I want to be part of her life, and that means coming clean.”
“I won’t have you dragging her into a media circus.”
He sighed. “Trust me, in these situations it’s best to put the true story out there before someone discovers a thread and spins it into something different.”
Bex snorted. It would be difficult to make things look worse than the truth. She’d bet his plan wasn’t Briggston-family approved. “Have you discussed this with your parents?”
He shrugged, and shoved a hand through his perfect hair, mussing it. “My parents don’t always agree with me, but I don’t let that rule my actions these days.”
“Right.”
“You’re skeptical.” His lips formed a thin line. “You have every right to be. It never sat well with me how things ended between us. I’ve often thought about you, and considered reaching out, but I believed it would be easier for you if I stayed away.”
“I’m not going to pretend I didn’t feel deserted,” she said. “But if I’m a hundred percent honest, I’d hoped to never see you, or any of your family, again.”
Beside her, Michael stiffened, but he didn’t move his hand from her thigh. While she’d been honest with him about all of this previously, hearing it again must be difficult.
“Nothing personal,” she murmured to him, while Wesley watched the exchange with interest. Thus far, he’d refrained from asking about their relationship, and she appreciated that.
“I’m trying not to take it that way,” he replied.
She turned back to Wesley and studied him for a moment, trying to gauge where his head was at. Seeing beyond his carefully crafted mask had been challenging even when she lived with him, but trying to do so now was nearly impossible. She should tell him to get lost and hope that he didn’t want the negative publicity of a custody lawsuit. But if he was being serious about fighting for the right to see Izzy, then she’d be better off not to test him. He had far more resources than she did. Besides, if Izzy’s father wanted to meet her, wouldn’t she be doing her daughter a disservice by keeping them apart? How on earth could she justify that to herself? A girl had the right to know her dad. Hell, hers was one of the most important influences in her life. It was one thing when she’d theorized that Wesley might reject Izzy or want to keep her secret, but that didn’t seem to be the case. There were no excuses to hide behind. She drew in a deep breath, hoping she wasn’t about to make the worst mistake of her life.
“How about we aim for next weekend? I need time to think about how to do this.” Preferably time when her mind wasn’t whirling with a million thoughts and unable to focus on any of them. “I’ll let you know the details. Does that work for you?”
He nodded, his expression softening with something that resembled relief. “That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Bex. I’ll give you my number.”
She grabbed her phone and entered the digits as he recited them, then passed it over for him to check. When he’d confirmed it was correct, she pushed her chair back and stood. Too much had happened in a short period of time and she needed to process it. Alone.
Bending, she kissed Michael once on the lips, then straightened. “I’ll see you at school on Monday.” She clasped her trembling hands together and tried to still them as she nodded to Wesley. “Bye, Wes.”
Chapter Nineteen
She’d seehim on Monday?
Michael blanched. What did that mean for their relationship? Had she officially uninvited him to Sunday brunch, or had she merely forgotten? Perhaps Izzy wouldn’t be back from her friend’s place by then, and if that were the case, it’d be a prime opportunity for the two of them to be alone. But maybe she didn’t want to be alone with him.
Sighing, he buried his face in his hands. Why did relationships have to be so complicated? He raised his head and glowered at Wesley. Everything had been going well until he showed his face in town.
Wesley held up his hands. “Whoa, what’s that look for?”
“You know.”
“I already apologized, but honestly, I don’t think you have the right to throw shade. You kept my daughter secret from me for weeks, and with how long you were gone earlier, are you really going to tell me you’re not intimate with my ex?”
Guilt flooded him. Damn, Wesley was right. Who was he to be angry at having the honeymoon phase of his new relationship interrupted, given everything else?
He stood, went to the kitchen to get the bottle, and returned to pour them both another whiskey. He slid one across the table to Wesley. “I’m sorry. What she and I have is new and I’m a bit sensitive about it.” He gulped his whiskey, wincing as it burned a trail of fire down the back of his throat.
Wesley raised a brow. “How long have you been seeing each other?”
“Technically, we’ve been on one date. The second was supposed to be tonight.”
“Oh.” At this, he looked sheepish. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get you settled in my spare room, and then I’ll give you a rundown on the local situation.”
