Chapter Twenty-One
Every time I walked into the cottage, I had to remind myself this wasn’t mine to keep.
It was going to be hard to leave the cozy home with shiplap walls, stone hearth, and sweet little window nooks with built-in benches for reading or drinking morning coffee.
The designer furniture was dreamy as well.
So was the girl who sat on the couch in her PJs doing her homework.
For a moment, I reasoned I shouldn’t tell her while she was studying.
I knew she wanted to do well on her math test tomorrow.
But what if we ran into Leland again? I knew I couldn’t keep this from her, as much as I wanted to.
I sat next to her on the couch and brushed back her wet hair with my hand. “You were looking fierce this evening on the field at practice.”
She set her pencil down, relieved to have an excuse not to study. “That new drill Miles showed me was awesome.”
I thought back to an earlier scene today in the backyard after school and before Chloe, Henry, and I headed to soccer practice.
Miles skillfully showed Chloe the blind shot drill.
He didn’t go easy on her, but he was kind and he worked with her until she was blocking everything he sent her way.
My favorite part was when she got a few shots past him.
My next favorite part was seeing Miles in athletic wear playing the sport I loved.
“I think you’re ready for the game on Saturday.”
“Do you think Miles can come?”
“Um . . . we can ask him if he’s available.” I was finding myself conflicted about him coming, especially given what I had to tell her. I didn’t want another man to disappoint her. Maybe he won’t, Emma seemed to whisper to me. That scared me.
“I’m going to ask him tomorrow.”
I nodded, giving her my approval.
She picked her pencil up and went back to staring at her textbook.
I placed my hand on her book. “Baby girl, I need to talk to you.”
Her cute button nose wrinkled. “Did you forget to order my new phone?”
I wished that was all it was. “No. That should be here on Friday.”
“Yes,” she squealed.
Great, now I got to crush her in her moment of joy.
I took her hands, remembering how they were once tiny and kissable.
I didn’t think she would appreciate me kissing them now.
Instead, I held onto them tight. “Honey, there is no easy way for me to say this, so I’m just going to say it,” I rushed my words. “I saw your dad today,” I half mumbled.
Her trembling chin said she’d heard me loud and clear.
“He’s moved back to Colorado,” I added.
Her eyes began to water, making mine do the same. I pulled her to me and stroked her damp hair. I could feel her tears wet my shoulder.
“Do I have to see him?”
“Not if you don’t want to.”
“Does he want to see me?” her voice quivered.
“Yes,” I said quickly to soothe her aching heart.
Her shoulders relaxed against me. “But I can choose?” she needed me to reiterate.
“Yes, baby girl.”
She nestled into me like she was little. I loved it, but my heart ached for her.
“Why did he come back?” she begged to know.
I so badly wanted to tell her it was because of her, but I wasn’t sure.
I hated Leland more than ever, but I knew I could never let her know that.
Despite how awful he was, my little girl was half of him.
I couldn’t tell her I despised part of her.
But I knew I had to tell her the truth because odds were Leland would hurt and disappoint her again.
And the higher her hopes got, the harder they would fall.
“He got a job with an old friend of his.” That was the truth. There was some other truth I needed to let her know too. “You should also know that you have a baby half-sister.”
She pulled away from me. Her red eyes were blinking rapidly, trying to process this unexpected piece of news.
I felt guilty that I hadn’t told her sooner, but the way Leland told me had crushed me.
He basically told me he loved his new wife and daughter more than he ever loved Chloe and me.
But he lied. He loved no one but himself.
Now my heart profoundly broke for his other victims.
“Is she here too?”
“I think she lives in Texas with her mom.”
Chloe’s eyebrows squished together. “How come?”
I struggled a bit to find the right words because all the words that kept coming to me were riddled with four-letter words. “Your dad didn’t say.”
“Oh.” She looked down at her lap.
“Honey, tell me what you’re feeling.”
She fiddled with her hands that were graced with multiple shades of bright fingernail polish, a different color for each fingernail. “Why did he leave me and his new baby?” It wasn’t the first time she’d asked this question.
I took her fidgeting hands in my own and held onto them for dear life. “Look at me, Chloe.”
Her wet eyes drifted up. I peered as deeply into them as I could, hoping she would believe what I was going to say.
“He didn’t leave because of you. He didn’t leave because of me.
” I needed to believe that more than anyone.
“He didn’t leave his new wife and daughter because of them either.
His choices are his own. I don’t know why your dad does the things he does.
But I know that despite his choices, we can be happy.
You are the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me and I’m so happy you’re mine.
” I kissed her forehead and lingered for a moment.
She wrapped her thin arms around me. “I love you.”
“I love you more.” I held her as tight as I could.
“Can I meet my sister?”
Oh. I wasn’t ready for that one. I leaned back. “I don’t know,” I responded, dazed. “Maybe?”
“I think I would like that.” She gave me a small smile.
“Then I’ll see what I can do.” I swallowed hard. “You should get back to studying. Do you need any help?”
“I’m good, but . . . Mom?” She paused. “You won’t make me see him, right?”
“Not until you’re ready,” I promised.
“I want to think about it.”
“Take as much time as you want.”
She nodded, relieved.
I was glad if one of us got to be relieved it was her, but what had I gotten myself into?
Even if I did find Leland’s current wife, how did I go about approaching her?
Send her a welcome letter to the douche bag’s exes club?
More like a congratulations. I wondered if she even knew about me or Chloe.
I supposed I would have to try and find out.
Chloe deserved at least one parent who kept their word.
I set my phone on the table in the nook and focused on Henry, who was shirtless, eating spaghetti for lunch.
This kid loved anything with tomato sauce.
While I smiled at Henry and his saucy grin, I thought about the direct message Miles just received on Instagram from Penelope.
He had never told me whether to respond to those.
I felt this one deserved his attention. She wondered why he wasn’t returning her calls.
And she was coming to the states next month along with some of their other mates and they were hoping to come here for a few days.
They all missed him terribly. Especially her.
“Mmm,” Henry shoved as many noodles as he could in his mouth.
Several dropped down his bare chest. After he was done eating, I would be giving him a bath and mopping the floor.
Miles’s housekeeper only came once a week, which was not near enough to keep up with the cutest tornado ever.
I think that was hard for Miles. He seemed to live a very ordered, freakishly clean life.
Speaking of the clean freak, he came strolling down the stairs looking like the weight of the world had been lifted off him. I also noted how impeccably dressed he was. He worked all day from home, yet there he was, looking like a million dollars in slacks and a pressed black button-up.
“You look happy,” I commented.
He smiled at me before grimacing at the noodles on the floor and the sauce dripping on the table and in Henry’s hair.
“Don’t worry, I’ll clean him and the kitchen up.”
Miles’s brow furrowed. “I apologize. My reaction was not a judgment against you. I’m just used to . . . well . . .”
“Life how you like it,” I helped him out.
“Yes,” he conceded. “But,” he grinned between me and Henry, “there are many aspects I like about my new arrangement.”
I tucked some hair behind my ear. “Henry is adorable.”
“So is his Nanny, especially when she blushes.” He headed for the fridge.
I took a drink of my water, trying to get the blush out of my cheeks. “How’s the book coming?” I changed the subject.
He popped his head out of the fridge. “Incredible.”
“That good, huh? Does that mean I get to read part of it soon?”
“Soon, love. I promise.” He held up one of his preprepared meals. “It’s back to the grind for me.”
“Do you have couple of minutes?”
He tensed but immediately recognized his reaction and took a deep breath. “Yes,” he said, strained.
“It can wait.”
He set his food on the counter. “Please, what would you like to discuss?”
“Chloe wants to invite you to her soccer game during dinner tonight, so I wanted to give you a heads-up so that if you don’t want to or can’t make it, you can think of a good excuse so she’s not let down.”
His brows knitted together. “I would never deceive her or you.”
“I’m not saying you would,” I stammered. “It’s just she’s in a vulnerable state right now after I told her about her father.”
“I can relate to that. But please believe me, I am a lot of things, but I always tell the truth. And I would love to come.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Is that all?”
“One more thing. I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to monitor your direct messages on Instagram, but a Penelope Williams—”
Miles’s face flooded red.
“—would like you to contact her. She’s coming to visit.”
Miles cleared his throat and hastily picked up his food. “Thank you for letting me know.” He darted off up the stairs.
Interesting. Very interesting.