Page 26 of Reconcile
“The way you looked at our home...”
“It’s not a home,” I bite out quickly, but then cringe at my own words. Sighing, I drop my hand to my side. “I mean... I just want the best for her.” I look down at the floor, oddly ashamed of myself, which is fucking new.
“She’s happy, Sawyer.”
That gets my attention, and I snap my eyes up to hers. “I don’t even know her name. My own daughter.”
Her gaze softens. “Audrey.” Her voice is quiet, but then it’s louder when she adds, “Audrey Rene. After my grandma, the only one I could stand.”
I grin wryly at that and nod. “It’s pretty.”
“So is she, but she’s so much more. She’s happy. She’s free...” Her eyes well with tears, and it nearly guts me. “So much freer than I’ve ever been.”
“I don’t want to take any of that away from her.”
She swipes at a tear that’s sliding down her cheek. “But you are. You’re forcing her into the kind of world we grew up in.”
I dare to take a step closer to her. “That’s not true.”
“No?”
“No,” I say firmly but keep the level of my voice low. “I just want the best of both worlds for her. You saw Baz. That kid is incredibly happy, and he has the world at his fingertips. The best schools. The best parents. The best everything.”
She looks conflicted, and I’m surprised she seems to be considering this. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you use your money to buy us a home. I’m going to save and buy a house.”
That I expected, so I nod, feeling defeated.
“But I’ll consider moving into your house with Audrey.”
That I did not expect. Especially without a serious fight. One I was prepared for even if Viv and Ash would be pissed.
“What?”
She takes a deep breath and looks around Asher and Vivienne’s house. “Somehow this house, even as massive and extravagant as it is, seems like a home.”
“It is. And a warm one.”
She nods, still looking around. Her eyes meet mine again. “I have conditions.”
“Like?”
Her eyes narrow, and I feel deep in my gut that I’m not going to like it. “She doesn’t know you’re her father.”
“I know, but we can tell her.”
She shakes her head. “No. That’s my condition. We don’t tell her who you are.” I start to argue, but she quickly cuts me off. “Yet. I need to make sure this isn’t some sort of game for you.”
“Game?”
“Yes, a game.” Her tone is cold, and I can see the scorned teenager beneath the strong woman before me now. “I need to know that you aren’t going to get bored with this and disappear.”
“I wasn’t the one who disappeared,” I remind her.
“You disappeared long before I left, Sawyer, and you know it.” She holds one hand up to silence me. “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t care why you did what you did. I don’t want to dredge up the past. But that’s my hard condition that I won’t change my mind on. She cannot know who you are until I’m certain you’re going to stick around.”
I hate it, but I know I fucked up my trust with Piper a long time ago. “Fine. So, who am I then?”
“A friend.” She looks like she’s going to be sick, calling me that, which makes me smile because I’m an asshole.
