Walt pulled his phone out. “Let’s take a look.”
ChapterThirteen
A hand on his shoulder brought Nathan back to the present and Saturday dinner at Chess’s house. Only then did he realize he’d been staring at Mia and Anna playing with blocks on the floor. He turned his head to find Chess watching him with a concerned look on his face.
“I’m fine.” Nathan hoisted himself from the overstuffed recliner. “Just tired. Mia has developed an aversion to sleep the last couple of nights.”
“A phase.”
“Hopefully a very short-lived one.” Nathan yawned. Of course, he was having difficulty sleeping himself since his date with Lynn almost a week ago. If Mia hadn’t had him hopping last night, there was no guarantee he’d have been sleeping instead.
It’d crossed his mind that Mia might have been having trouble sleeping because she’d missed seeing Lynn at Little Lambs every day last week.
Or maybe that was just him.
He suppressed a sigh.
“Have you talked to Lynn at all?” Chess, always the blunt one.
Nathan had to admit he often admired that about him. “Nah. Sharon at Little Lambs said Lynn was on vacation this week. I figured maybe she needed the space.” As he said the words, he knew that he wasn’t being truthful and cringed. It was him who needed the space. He figured a few days would be good to think about their situation. Maybe gain some clarity.
Except the proverbial waters hadn’t cleared up one iota all week.
One glance at Chess revealed his older brother knew better.
Brooke walked over and wrapped her arms around her new husband’s waist. “For the record, she’s probably drowning in all that space you’re giving her. Trust me.”
Chess pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled her closer. “There’s such a thing as letting too much time pass. It’s going to make it harder on Lynn, you, and Mia.” He tilted his head toward Anna and the little girl.
“I was hoping I’d have some things figured out this week. You know? Come to some conclusions and feel at peace with them.”
“How’s that working out for you?” Chess raised an eyebrow.
“Point taken.”
Joel announced his presence when he cleared his throat. “Sometimes, it’s impossible to reach a conclusion if you’ve still got unanswered questions.”
“I know you’re right. You’re all right.” He had a lot of questions. The problem? Lynn was the only one who would have the answers. It didn’t matter how long he waited or how much space he gave her. But seeing her again, being near her, wasn’t going to be easy, either.
He’d had many conversations with Chess about the ways Nathan’s adopted parents lied to him all the way through his childhood. Mia’s mother only increased his distrust. To discover Lynn had been lying to him all along, too, was hard to swallow.
Mia started fussing at Anna, shaking her head when Anna introduced a new game. Nathan moved to retrieve his daughter but stopped when Chess walked up to him.
As though he’d been listening to Nathan’s thoughts, Chess said, “Promise me you’ll talk to Lynn and get things straight before you lump her in with the others.”
Nathan nodded once, his thoughts spinning. He hadn’t considered that before, but Chess wasn’t wrong. As soon as Nathan heard Lynn hadn’t told him everything about her past, he’d assumed she was just like everyone else who had lied to him.
He was still convinced there was something Lynn wasn’t telling him. But he hadn’t given her a real chance to, either. Or at least given her some reason to believe he’d be able to move past it all.
He sighed as he reached for Mia and tried to console his daughter. After being up half the night, she was no doubt ready for a nap.
Everyone else seemed to sense he needed some time to think. He moved to the room Chess used for a home office and walked back and forth as he rubbed Mia’s back. His daughter slowly relaxed against his chest until her even breathing announced she’d finally fallen asleep.
Only then did Nathan open himself up to the possibility that there was more to all of this than just Lynn lying. Was she as miserable as he was right now?
As Mia slept in his arms, Nathan prayed for himself and Mia. And then he prayed for Lynn.
~*~
