Doubting Our Hearts by Rachel E. Cagle Page A

case to give him my full undivided attention. No matter what has happened or will happen, this man will always be my friend, and I need to show him that I can be just as much a rock for him and he is for me. When I fold our hands together over his knee, his eyes meet mine telling him that I'm here to listen.
    "Keep going please," I say quietly.
    He looks between our joined hands and my eyes then nods his head and begins again. "We spent half the time with my mother and the other half with my father. It wasn't ideal, but it worked. Brendan and I saw my father marry eight times and my mother six."
    My gasp didn't shock or surprise Brayden. He merely shrugged his shoulders since he had already comes to terms with their actions. I can see why this is a big part of the reason he was so reluctant to marry Addison.
    "You're afraid." And to some degree, I was too from the time he left me in Tampa until my wedding.
    "Yeah, I was and still am. My parents were good role models when it came to work ethic, education, and finances. Love,” he says as he lets out a short laugh, “well let's just say they need a bit of a lesson themselves."
    "So, when you met me, why didn't you tell me about Addison? I obviously didn't hide Damon from you." Or anything for that matter. I was an open book like I could tell his emotions were for me.
    His grip on my hands got a little tighter, so I know this was him trying to tell me something important. I need to know why he lied to me.
    "When I saw you, Lillian, I literally couldn't breathe. I should have told you. I should have said it when you told me, but before I knew it we were talking then you laughed and I couldn't stop myself from just getting to know you."
    "You had so many chances to just tell me the truth. Why didn't you tell me about her at all? I never kept a secret from you. I was always totally up front about who and what my life consisted of."
    Even with his admission of how he felt the first time we met, it still doesn't erase the fact he lied to me for weeks, which begs the question what else has he lied about.
    "I don't have another reason than to say I don't know." I try to remove my hands from his but it was no use. His firm grip kept them exactly where he wanted them. "There are some things I just can’t put into words, Lil. What I did was wrong. I should have told you the truth. I know it wouldn't have changed the outcome, but you deserved the truth and I withheld it." He gazed into my eyes as his fingers ran over my knuckles. "Can you forgive me?"
    Can I forgive him? He’s right, it wouldn't have changed our time together. We were only friends, and I was set on marry Damon regardless of the feelings that were shooting around my mind and body for Brayden.
    "Did you lie about anything else?"
    "Nothing. Everything about our time together was genuine. I didn't mention my brother was a twin because I didn't feel it pertinent information, but I didn't lie to you about him."
    "Didn't feel it was pertinent ? So when I come to New York and see who I think is you nestled next to a gorgeous blonde and," I pull away to make air quotations, “ ”you” didn't recognize me, you still don't think it was pertinent to let me know there was another one of you out there?"
    I didn't mean for that to come out so bitchy, but I feel the fact he was a twin a vital piece of information, especially since we shared so much of our past with each other.
    "What you're saying and how your acting makes me think you might be a little jealous."
    I stare at him in disbelief. How did we go from him lying to me bring jealous? I grab my camera bag and purse then stalk off leaving him sitting on the bench.
    How can he think that I would be jealous? I was merely stating that it would have been important information to know that there is a guy roaming around New York that looks identical to Brayden. Plus not to mention a twin brother shapes who you are. He's told me many things about his past including college and