his hands around to my back to zip me up. "I just
want you to be happy, Lee."
"I know," I breathed.
Sometimes it was too much.
The feelings I had for Kyle…sometimes they
threatened to drown me.
****
Kyle
I had an infallible talent for making things
worse. Seriously, it was a gift. I seemed to make every situation
twenty times worse by just opening my mouth. I knew the moment I
walked Lee into the hotel restaurant I'd made a huge mistake. She'd
been so down in herself all day, missing Cam…I should have called
this dinner off. Derek had tried to warn me, but I'd thought…No, I
hadn't thought. I should have fucking thought. I was in serious
trouble.
"How could you, Kyle?" Lee whimpered and I
couldn't stop my ears from reddening, or my cheeks.
Yeah, I was an asshole.
I'd thought by inviting Tracy to dinner it
would give Lee the push she needed to break the ice. But I'd
obviously thought wrong. I had a pair of very angry gray eyes
boring into my skull and I didn't feel so smart now. Derek, who was
lounging in his seat at the table, with a half dozen empty shot
glasses in front of him, gave me two sarcastic thumbs up.
Asshole…
"Should I go?" Tracy mumbled from her seat
beside Derek and I swear my heart strings tightened.
That poor woman…
"No," I said at the same time Lee said,
"yes."
Tracy worried her lip clearly unsure of what
to do.
"Fine," Lee sighed as she dragged her chair
out roughly and sat down. It didn't slip my attention that she
winced when she sat. She was in pain… "If you want her here so
badly, Kyle, then you can talk to her. I have nothing to say
to..."
"I have," Tracy said quietly, halting Lee
mid-sentence. Lee glared across the table at her and Tracy seemed
to straighten her spine a little. "You don't have to say anything,"
Tracy urged in a desperate tone. "Not one word if you don't want
to. All you have to do is stay."
Lee frowned and wiped her eyes with the back
of her hands. "There's nothing…."
"Kyle told me how forgiving you are. Well,
I'm not asking for forgiveness. All I want is to spend some time
with you."
Lee stiffened for a moment before her
shoulders sagged slightly and her head nodded. "It's a good thing
you're not asking for forgiveness," she said quietly. "Because
that's something you will never get from me."
I released a breath when I saw Lee wasn't
leaving. Placing Hope's car seat on the floor, I sank my ass into
the chair next to hers, though I slid mine as far away as I could.
I'd a feeling I would need the space. She had high fucking heels on
and I wanted to keep my toes.
****
Lee
With deep reluctance I lowered myself onto my
seat, inhaled steadily and fought the urge to run. Looking up, my
eyes immediately sought and found Tracy. She sat less than two feet
away from me. I felt myself stiffen, my ankles locked together, and
my eyes roamed over the woman who claimed to be my mother. She was
looking at me with this…yearning look and I wanted to vomit. Her
yearning should have happened twenty years ago. Not now. My eyes
travelled over her face seeking a memory. One single memory.
I came up empty.
"You have a beautiful daughter," she told
me.
"I do," I replied bowing my head. Her stare
was too much.
"And a good man," Tracy mused in a dreamy
tone.
" Good wouldn't be a phrase I would use
for him right now," I managed to grind out through clenched teeth
as I glanced at Kyle. The side of his face–that I could see–was
red. He seemed to be extremely interested in his fingernails all of
a sudden. I turned to look at Derek, who was sitting opposite me at
the table. 'Chin up' he mouthed as he gave me a reassuring
smile.
A waiter was dispatched to our table within
minutes of us sitting down and took our order. Kyle made small talk
with Tracy while we waited for our food. I didn't hear a word of
it. I was too anxious and I couldn't sit still. I squirmed in my
seat but no position helped with my discomfort. It was more than
discomfort. I was in agony.
want you to be happy, Lee."
"I know," I breathed.
Sometimes it was too much.
The feelings I had for Kyle…sometimes they
threatened to drown me.
****
Kyle
I had an infallible talent for making things
worse. Seriously, it was a gift. I seemed to make every situation
twenty times worse by just opening my mouth. I knew the moment I
walked Lee into the hotel restaurant I'd made a huge mistake. She'd
been so down in herself all day, missing Cam…I should have called
this dinner off. Derek had tried to warn me, but I'd thought…No, I
hadn't thought. I should have fucking thought. I was in serious
trouble.
"How could you, Kyle?" Lee whimpered and I
couldn't stop my ears from reddening, or my cheeks.
Yeah, I was an asshole.
I'd thought by inviting Tracy to dinner it
would give Lee the push she needed to break the ice. But I'd
obviously thought wrong. I had a pair of very angry gray eyes
boring into my skull and I didn't feel so smart now. Derek, who was
lounging in his seat at the table, with a half dozen empty shot
glasses in front of him, gave me two sarcastic thumbs up.
Asshole…
"Should I go?" Tracy mumbled from her seat
beside Derek and I swear my heart strings tightened.
That poor woman…
"No," I said at the same time Lee said,
"yes."
Tracy worried her lip clearly unsure of what
to do.
"Fine," Lee sighed as she dragged her chair
out roughly and sat down. It didn't slip my attention that she
winced when she sat. She was in pain… "If you want her here so
badly, Kyle, then you can talk to her. I have nothing to say
to..."
"I have," Tracy said quietly, halting Lee
mid-sentence. Lee glared across the table at her and Tracy seemed
to straighten her spine a little. "You don't have to say anything,"
Tracy urged in a desperate tone. "Not one word if you don't want
to. All you have to do is stay."
Lee frowned and wiped her eyes with the back
of her hands. "There's nothing…."
"Kyle told me how forgiving you are. Well,
I'm not asking for forgiveness. All I want is to spend some time
with you."
Lee stiffened for a moment before her
shoulders sagged slightly and her head nodded. "It's a good thing
you're not asking for forgiveness," she said quietly. "Because
that's something you will never get from me."
I released a breath when I saw Lee wasn't
leaving. Placing Hope's car seat on the floor, I sank my ass into
the chair next to hers, though I slid mine as far away as I could.
I'd a feeling I would need the space. She had high fucking heels on
and I wanted to keep my toes.
****
Lee
With deep reluctance I lowered myself onto my
seat, inhaled steadily and fought the urge to run. Looking up, my
eyes immediately sought and found Tracy. She sat less than two feet
away from me. I felt myself stiffen, my ankles locked together, and
my eyes roamed over the woman who claimed to be my mother. She was
looking at me with this…yearning look and I wanted to vomit. Her
yearning should have happened twenty years ago. Not now. My eyes
travelled over her face seeking a memory. One single memory.
I came up empty.
"You have a beautiful daughter," she told
me.
"I do," I replied bowing my head. Her stare
was too much.
"And a good man," Tracy mused in a dreamy
tone.
" Good wouldn't be a phrase I would use
for him right now," I managed to grind out through clenched teeth
as I glanced at Kyle. The side of his face–that I could see–was
red. He seemed to be extremely interested in his fingernails all of
a sudden. I turned to look at Derek, who was sitting opposite me at
the table. 'Chin up' he mouthed as he gave me a reassuring
smile.
A waiter was dispatched to our table within
minutes of us sitting down and took our order. Kyle made small talk
with Tracy while we waited for our food. I didn't hear a word of
it. I was too anxious and I couldn't sit still. I squirmed in my
seat but no position helped with my discomfort. It was more than
discomfort. I was in agony.
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