Page 27 of Best Kept Secret
He figured she’d say that, but it was worth a shot. “What do you suggest I do?”
Raising her brows, she said, “How about telling her the truth?”
He sighed. “I’m afraid that if I do, she won’t want anything to do with me.”
“Why? Is she that judgmental?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
Annie continued suckling, completely unaware that she was at the center of this maelstrom.
“If I were her, I’d be more upset that you lied than your having a child.”
He’d thought of that too, after the fact.
“The longer this goes on, the worse it will be when you finally tell her the truth.”
He knew that too, but hearing his sister say it drove the message home.
Annie coughed, and the nipple popped out of her mouth.
“She might need to burp,” he said. He pulled a burp cloth out of the diaper bag and handed it to Emily.
“Come here, sweetie,” she said, hoisting Annie up to her shoulder. She gently patted her back and then resumed their discussion.
“What were you hoping to gain by lying?” she asked, the message clear but her voice softer now.
“Time, I guess. I’m still trying to wrap my head around this, Em. I’m a dad, and I didn’t expect that to happen for another five to ten years.”
She laughed for the first time since they’d begun this conversation, and it helped ease the tension. “With the way things were going, I would have guessed more than that.”
“Imagine waking up one day and discovering you’re a parent. Add in that you fathered a child with someone you don’t love, yet you’re forced into a relationship with that person forever because of it. It’s a lot to deal with.”
Annie let out a loud belch, which made them laugh and provided a much-needed diversion.
“Good girl,” Emily said and resumed feeding her.
He took a moment to catch his breath. Rehashing his situation, as he’d been calling it, caused a spike in his blood pressure. Good thing he was relatively young and healthy; otherwise, he might have to worry about having a heart attack too.
“The answer is no, I can’t imagine it, but it happened, Hud, and you have this beautiful baby to show for it.”
He gazed at Annie, who grasped Emily’s finger tightly in her tiny fist as she drank heartily. Beautiful. Trusting. Innocent. Those were the words he’d use to describe his daughter, and Kelsey too. Emily was right, and he hadn’t expected her to excuse his lies. He supposed that was why he’d come here. He’d needed confirmation of what he already knew.
Annie was his child, and she wasn’t going anywhere. It was time for him to face up to his mistakes and come clean with Kelsey, no matter the outcome. If she walked away, it wasn’t meant to be, and it would be better to cut his losses now. On the other hand, she might be understanding, and they could continue to explore their attraction without the weight of his lies between them.
He glanced at Annie again and saw that she’d finished the bottle. Emily sat her up and began patting her back again.
“So, what are you going to do?” she asked.
He sighed. “The only thing I can do. The thing I should have done from the start.”
“Attaboy!”
“What am I, ten?”
She laughed. “Sometimes…”
Annie burped her agreement.
