Bliss,â he said, clearing his throat and walking to the fireplace, where he leaned against the mantel, as if he, too, finally realized the need for distance between them. âYouâd be doing your father and Brynnie both a big favor by suggesting he sell the rest of his property.â
âI think thatâs his decision. And now I have some advice for you. Just leave Dad and Brynnie alone. They have enough problems without having to deal with you.â
âAnd what about you, Bliss?â he asked.
âWhat about me?â
âShould I leave you alone, too?â
âAbsolutely.â She tried not to notice the way his jeans settled low over his hips and the play of muscles in his forearms as he moved. Dark gold chest hair sprang from the V of his neckline, and she remembered exploring the springing curls that covered his nipples with young, interested fingers.
âI think youâre afraid of me.â
She laughed and shook her head as she headed for the door again. âDonât flatter yourself, Lafferty. You donât scare me.â
âMaybe I ought to.â
âMaybe,â she admitted. âBut you donât.â The lie hovered between them in the air for a few seconds until she turned and shoved open the door, only to find a young girl, somewhere between eight and nine, hovering on the landing. âOh.â
âDad?â the child asked, looking over Blissâs shoulder.
âDee Dee.â Bliss heard the smile in his voice and realized that she was staring at his daughter. With a fringe of brown hair and freckles bridging a tiny nose, Dee Dee looked from Bliss to Mason and back again.
âBliss Cawthorne, this is my daughter, Deanna.â
âGlad to meet you,â Bliss said automatically, though she felt a stab of deep regret for the child sheâd never had, had never had the chance to conceive with Mason.
âYeah.â Dee Dee chewed on her lower lip for a second. âMom just dropped me off.â
âAnd didnât stick around. Figures,â Mason said, eyeing the street as if looking for Terriâs car. âAre you hungry?â
âStarved. Can we go to McDonaldâs?â Dee Dee asked, her eyes suddenly bright with anticipation.
âSure. You game?â he asked Bliss and she saw the girlâs shoulders droop a bit.
âNoâ¦uh, no thanks,â she said, not wanting to intrude on father and daughter. âAnother time.â She hurried down the stairs and offered a pathetic excuse of a wave. It wasnât Dee Deeâs fault that sheâd been conceived when Mason was dating Bliss, and yet Bliss didnât want to be reminded of the manâs faithlessness.
She skirted the main house and made it to her car without looking over her shoulder. As she slid behind the wheel, she told herself it didnât matter that Mason had cheated on her, that heâd gotten another woman pregnant while heâd been seeing her, that heâd never loved her. He had an ex-wife and a daughter, and Bliss had her own life to leadâwithout him.
* * *
That night Bliss threw off the covers and glared at the digital readout on the clock near the bed. Two forty-five. Great. Sheâd been in bed since eleven and hadnât slept a wink. Ever since returning to Bittersweet, she couldnât wrench Mason out of her mind. Seeing him with his daughter hadnât helped. Sheâd been reminded of just how heâd betrayed her, how much she wanted a child of her own.
Outside, rain fell steadily from the sky, fat, heavy drops pummeling the roof, splashing in the gutters and dripping from the leaves and branches of the old oak tree that stood near her window.
Why hadnât he told her about Terri Fremont years ago when Bliss was falling in love with him? What was the reason heâd left Bittersweet without even stopping to say goodbye to her? Why was he back now and why was it so important that he
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