She braced for the inevitable look of judgment or disappointment or even disgust. But there was nothing. He justregarded her with some hope in his eyes, and an obviously open heart.
And in that instant, something inside her shifted. The pain eased slightly, and the shame lifted.
Not completely—she would always cringe at what she’d done with a virtual stranger one night on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. It would always be hard for her to admit—so much so that she’d chosen not to tell anyone, especially Kate and her mother.
“I don’t care about that, Tessa,” he said gently. “I’m not judging you. I’m just really grateful that you gave me to my parents.”
She studied him, the adrenaline and shock and anger all finally waning as she took a moment to drink in the face of the child she’d brought into this world.
“They did a good job,” she said begrudgingly. “Except for the lying part.”
“Believe me, my mom’s furious I did that.”
A smile pulled. “She’s right.”
“I know she is. And so does Lacey. We’re really, really sorry, Tessa. Please forgive me and Lacey for lying to you.”
The plea was genuine, she could tell.
“It’s funny,” she said after a moment. “I always thought I’d be the one asking you for forgiveness if we ever met.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” he said without hesitation. “You did everything right and I totally hit the lottery in the adoptive parents department.”
She gave a dry laugh. “It seems to me you hit the lottery in every department.”
“Do you think I don’t know that? My parents gave me the greatest life imaginable. And you gave me…talent and brains.”
“And drop-dead good looks.”
A smile lifted his lips as he came around the console. “We do swim in a nice gene pool…Mom.”
She sucked in a breath. “Don’t.”
“Too soon?”
“Not ever. I’m not your mom. I’m not…anybody’s…” She hated that her voice cracked.
He leaned closer, reaching for her. “You’re like another mother to Lacey,” he said. “She says that all the time.”
She let him take her hand while silence stretched between them. The only sound was the water, soft and steady, like the rhythm of something ancient and forgiving.
“I want you in my life,” he said. “If you’ll let me.”
Her eyes burned and she covered her face with her hands, sinking back onto the seat. “I don’t know how to do this. I’ve hidden this for so long and now my mother and sister… Oh, I just don’t know how to handle it.”
“I’ll help you however I can,” he said. “But first, please talk to Lacey. She’s so scared to lose you, Tessa.”
She closed her eyes and thought about that sweet girl. “She’ll never lose me,” Tessa whispered.
“Tell her that.” He put a hand on her arm. “She’s hurting and I can’t stand that.”
She started to respond, then drew back, eyeing him. “Wait. What? It’s…real?”
He tipped his head. “It got that way.”
“Oh.” She let out a dry laugh of disbelief. “That’s a turn of events I didn’t see coming.”
“Neither did I. But, whoa, that girl… is special. And as much as I wish we could go back and do this whole thing over and not lie to you, I wouldn’t change anything with her. And I don’t want to lose her.”
