confess the darkest secrets in his soul for a moment more of feeling her touch. He’d even let her get away with calling him a stuffed shirt, which he wasn’t, of course.
“You’ll need more evidence to convince me, Counselor. So far, all I see is a single father doing the best he can and stumbling now and then, as all humans do.”
“Evidence?” He swallowed hard. “No problem. How does getting caught red-handed at setting the stove timer back five minutes by a three-year-old suit you?”
“I’m not sure. Why is it significant?”
“We have quiet time. Thirty minutes of silence. Bliss. Every afternoon from three until three-thirty. It’d been a really rough day, and at three twenty-eight I just wasn’t ready for another round. I eased back the timer five minutes.”
“And Jeremy caught you?”
“Yes.” Bryce dipped his forehead to hers. “Suzie had been teaching him numbers and he knew eight was bigger than three. I felt like a jerk.”
“I think needing that five minutes was pretty human, too.” She shrugged. “Why didn’t you just tell the kids you needed another five minutes?”
He blinked, then blinked again. “I never thought of it.”
“After getting caught, I bet you will next time.”
“No doubt about it.” He grunted. “But you can see, I’m not the greatest parent. The kids need Mrs. Wiggins. She’s stable and—”
“As flexible as a brick wall. Honestly, Bryce, you love the kids and they love you. That’s what matters. Mistakes happen.”
“But my mistakes have Suzie on an analyst’s couch once a week and having nightmares every night. There are consequences.”
“Your pride really is strutting its stuff here, Counselor. Why are you so sure it’s your mistakes that are causing this with Suzie?”
“What else could it be?”
“Grief. Loneliness. Longing for a mother. It could be a million things that have nothing to do with you.”
“I appreciate your support, Cally, but I know in my gut I’m responsible. Whatever the reason, seeing to it that my daughter is emotionally healthy is my job. I’m flunking on a grand scale, and she’s paying the price.”
Cally hugged him, pressed her body against his, then held him for the longest time. His heart thumped against hers, and she rested her cheek on his shoulder. “Be gentle with you, Bryce,” she whispered, then backed away.
Tears shimmered in her eyes. Tears for him. Bryce swallowed hard. “You should have had a lot of kids.”
How she wished that she could’ve. “Gregory never came around, or I would have.” She smiled but there was no humor in it. “The only thing my mentioning adoption ever got me was more time alone.” Had that been when Gregory had started his affair with Joleen?
“Why do women so often talk in riddles?”
“Sorry.” She tucked her hair behind her shoulder. “If I brought the subject of adoption up, then Gregory would punish me by staying at the hospital overnight. Near the time we formally separated, it was unusual for him to spend more than a night a week at home.”
Bryce looked stricken, and maybe a little angry, too. “I’m sorry, Cally.”
She loved him for that anger. “I should’ve left him long before I did. Things weren’t right. I knew it. Then they got worse. But by then I believed I didn’t deserve better. And I was so afraid of failing out on my own.”
“And maybe concerned at what your family would think, and your friends.”
Her pride had been stomped to death a long time ago. She let out a self-deprecating laugh. “For the last couple years, the only pride I’ve had has come out of a perfume bottle. I’m into symbols. There’s a flower that symbolizes pride, so I wear perfume made from it.” She shrugged. “I figure everyone ought to have a little, and we get what we need where we find it.”
“I wish I knew what to say.” He wished he hadn’t understood what she’d meant.
“You don’t have to say anything.” She tossed down the stone
“You’ll need more evidence to convince me, Counselor. So far, all I see is a single father doing the best he can and stumbling now and then, as all humans do.”
“Evidence?” He swallowed hard. “No problem. How does getting caught red-handed at setting the stove timer back five minutes by a three-year-old suit you?”
“I’m not sure. Why is it significant?”
“We have quiet time. Thirty minutes of silence. Bliss. Every afternoon from three until three-thirty. It’d been a really rough day, and at three twenty-eight I just wasn’t ready for another round. I eased back the timer five minutes.”
“And Jeremy caught you?”
“Yes.” Bryce dipped his forehead to hers. “Suzie had been teaching him numbers and he knew eight was bigger than three. I felt like a jerk.”
“I think needing that five minutes was pretty human, too.” She shrugged. “Why didn’t you just tell the kids you needed another five minutes?”
He blinked, then blinked again. “I never thought of it.”
“After getting caught, I bet you will next time.”
“No doubt about it.” He grunted. “But you can see, I’m not the greatest parent. The kids need Mrs. Wiggins. She’s stable and—”
“As flexible as a brick wall. Honestly, Bryce, you love the kids and they love you. That’s what matters. Mistakes happen.”
“But my mistakes have Suzie on an analyst’s couch once a week and having nightmares every night. There are consequences.”
“Your pride really is strutting its stuff here, Counselor. Why are you so sure it’s your mistakes that are causing this with Suzie?”
“What else could it be?”
“Grief. Loneliness. Longing for a mother. It could be a million things that have nothing to do with you.”
“I appreciate your support, Cally, but I know in my gut I’m responsible. Whatever the reason, seeing to it that my daughter is emotionally healthy is my job. I’m flunking on a grand scale, and she’s paying the price.”
Cally hugged him, pressed her body against his, then held him for the longest time. His heart thumped against hers, and she rested her cheek on his shoulder. “Be gentle with you, Bryce,” she whispered, then backed away.
Tears shimmered in her eyes. Tears for him. Bryce swallowed hard. “You should have had a lot of kids.”
How she wished that she could’ve. “Gregory never came around, or I would have.” She smiled but there was no humor in it. “The only thing my mentioning adoption ever got me was more time alone.” Had that been when Gregory had started his affair with Joleen?
“Why do women so often talk in riddles?”
“Sorry.” She tucked her hair behind her shoulder. “If I brought the subject of adoption up, then Gregory would punish me by staying at the hospital overnight. Near the time we formally separated, it was unusual for him to spend more than a night a week at home.”
Bryce looked stricken, and maybe a little angry, too. “I’m sorry, Cally.”
She loved him for that anger. “I should’ve left him long before I did. Things weren’t right. I knew it. Then they got worse. But by then I believed I didn’t deserve better. And I was so afraid of failing out on my own.”
“And maybe concerned at what your family would think, and your friends.”
Her pride had been stomped to death a long time ago. She let out a self-deprecating laugh. “For the last couple years, the only pride I’ve had has come out of a perfume bottle. I’m into symbols. There’s a flower that symbolizes pride, so I wear perfume made from it.” She shrugged. “I figure everyone ought to have a little, and we get what we need where we find it.”
“I wish I knew what to say.” He wished he hadn’t understood what she’d meant.
“You don’t have to say anything.” She tossed down the stone
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