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“Yeah, I thought about you,” she whispers as her spare hand grips my waist, lighting me up inside. From the moment her lips first touched mine, Lucy’s every touch has awakened me, and this is no different. Being without her is not an option anymore. In fact, it’s never been an option, so why the fuck did I take so long to realize that?
Letting go of her hand, I lift her up and seat her on the counter before stepping between her open legs. Her breath hitches as I brush a lock of hair away from her face. “You’re so beautiful, Lucy. And while I may always wish things had turned out differently between us, I’d never want you to change a thing either. Katie’s perfect; you’re perfect. And I want to get to know both of you properly. Catch up on the last few years. I want to know everything. At least, anything you’re willing to share.”
Lucy nods as a lone tear escapes, running along her slightly flushed cheek until it hits her lips. She wipes it away and then shocks me by pushing me back and dropping her feet to the floor. “I’m sorry, I know I said I’d bare my soul if you did, but I can’t. I…I don’t want you to think less of me.”
“What?”This took a turn I didn’t see coming. “Lucy, that’s not going to happen. Unless you’re about to tell me you’ve been lying about Katie’s paternity and she reallyismine.”
That gets me a tiny laugh, but I can tell she’s still nervous.
“No, she’s definitely not yours. But I have been lying about her, just not to you. Don’t you hate liars in general?”
Fuck! I’m not at all happy about my truths making her panic about her own. “No, I don’t hateliars. I hatelying. There’s a difference and it all depends on context.”
Lucy blows out a breath and closes her eyes. When she opens them again I see the moment she decides she’s going to tell me. And the pain that comes from that breaks my heart. I can’t stand seeing her upset like this.
“I was—”
“Lucy, stop.” Reaching out, I clutch her shoulders and pull her into a protective hug. “You don’t have to tell me anything. It’s okay.”
She mumbles something into my chest until I move back and give her some breathing room.
“You’re right; I don’t. But I want to. You stripped, and now it’s my turn.”
Swallowing a lump in my throat, I nod, suddenly nervous. Maybe I’m not ready for this.
“When you found me in the parking garage that day, I’d just found out I was pregnant,” she begins, unaware of my worry. “Something you already know. But what you don’t know, and the reason I wasn’t handling it so well is because…” She pauses and an unease takes over me, fearing what she’s about to say. I have a feeling I know, but fuck I hope I’m wrong. My heart thuds in my chest as I wait for her to continue, but when she doesn’t, I step forward and pull her into my arms once more, silently rocking her back and forth until she takes a deep breath and steps back.
“My ex and I had a complicated relationship. I recognize now that he was really good at emotionally mistreating me but then building me up enough that I never noticed, even when people were pointing it out. And I hate that. I’ve always thought I was a strong woman but I let him…” She trails off and I feel like the air’s being squeezed out of my lungs, as I watch this beautiful soul break in front of me.
“Anyway, we had broken up a couple of months before Katie was conceived.”
She pauses again, and her gaze drops to the floor.
“I swore I’d never sleep with him again, but I…”
My heart lodges in my throat. Her posture and expression—well, the features I can see—scream guilt, and though it pains me to think she went back to that manipulative asshole, we’re all allowed moments of weakness.
Stepping forward, I lift her chin until she looks up at me, and my world stops when her eyes once again well with tears.
“Lucy, you did nothing wrong. You—”
“I didn’t want to.”
“What?”
“I said no.”
“What!”
Grabbing her face in my hands, I sink down until we’re eye level, my gaze locked on hers. “Lucy, did he force himself on you?”
“No, no. It wasn’t like that. It wasn’t rape if that’s what you’re thinking. We’d slept together many times before. I just didn’t want to do itthattime.”
The fuck?
“Lucy, that’srape.”
I want to fucking murder this guy, but I also never want to leave Lucy’s side.
