see, Wes? She feels disloyal to Patrice and to you if she likes me. You have to make her understand that it’s not a betrayal. I’m adding something to her life, not taking it away. If you could just pretend you didn’t hate me …”
“I don’t hate you.”
“Of course you do.” She wiped at the tears on her face. “Maybe I would hate me, too, if I were in your shoes. But that’s because you don’t understand. If I thought for a minute that Amy would be better off without me, I’d leave town and never come back. But in my heart I know all that I can give her, Wes.”
Wes’s eyes settled on a spot on the wall as he tried not to feel the truth in what she was saying. She wasn’t demanding to rip Amy out of her home, uproot her, and force her to get used to the joint custody arrangement. She really was thinking of the child. Maybe more than he was.
“If I say no?”
She looked even more crushed than before. “Then … then it only hurts Amy. Her confusion, her worry … it won’t be relieved. She’ll stay in pain.”
“And you think that our playing this as a team will end her pain?”
“I think it’ll help.”
He set his elbows on his knees and stared down at the floor between his feet. “I don’t want to spend time with you, Laney. I don’t want to pretend we’re pals. I don’t want my daughter to like you.”
“I know you don’t,” she whispered. “But will you do it anyway? You might find out that I’m not the monster you think I am.”
He looked up at her again and thought that he had never considered her a monster. She was pretty and sad and even when he was most angry with her, he’d never been able to work up enough contempt against her to hate her. A big part of him understood why she was doing what she was doing.
It just didn’t make it easier.
“All right,” he said finally. “Tomorrow. We’ll hang out like we’re great friends, and I’ll put on an Oscar-winning performance. But I have one condition.”
“What?”
“I want to take her to church first.”
She hesitated for a moment. “Why church?”
“Because I want my daughter in church on Sundays.”
The idea seemed to disturb her. “Well, I don’t think I would feel comfortable going to your church. Your friends all probably know about the lawsuit. The idea of sitting there with people judging me doesn’t really appeal to me at all.”
“Then I’ll take her alone, and we’ll come to your house afterward.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to go, you understand. I mean, I don’t have anything against church. I haven’t been in years … My father didn’t worship anything that didn’t first worship him. But I’m glad you take Amy. The values they learn there are good. I realize that.”
“It’s not about values to us. It’s about worship. Amy doesn’t like to miss it.”
“OK, then,” she said. “I’ll cook lunch. You can come over afterward. We can swim, go to the park, maybe take in a movie …”
“All in one afternoon?” he asked.
She swallowed. “I have a lot of catching up to do, Wes.” He followed her to the door and watched as she pulled out of his driveway. Tomorrow they would be pals, he thought. Or they would pretend to. Was it the right thing, or was he just selling out?
Lord, I don’t want to be her friend .
But that wasn’t an option, he realized. He had to be her friend. Amy needed him to. And maybe, deep in his heart, he needed it as well.
Chapter Eight
N ormally, being around a beautiful woman in a swimsuit put Wes in a great mood. But he didn’t want to notice Laney, so he kept his eyes off her for most of the afternoon. And that resulted in what seemed like brooding. Which fed Amy’s brooding.
Laney tried to engage them in a game of Marco Polo, but Amy refused to play. Then she strung up a volleyball net in the pool, but Amy wasn’t interested. Quickly, she took it back down.
When the child got out of the pool and dried off, Laney swam over to Wes as
“I don’t hate you.”
“Of course you do.” She wiped at the tears on her face. “Maybe I would hate me, too, if I were in your shoes. But that’s because you don’t understand. If I thought for a minute that Amy would be better off without me, I’d leave town and never come back. But in my heart I know all that I can give her, Wes.”
Wes’s eyes settled on a spot on the wall as he tried not to feel the truth in what she was saying. She wasn’t demanding to rip Amy out of her home, uproot her, and force her to get used to the joint custody arrangement. She really was thinking of the child. Maybe more than he was.
“If I say no?”
She looked even more crushed than before. “Then … then it only hurts Amy. Her confusion, her worry … it won’t be relieved. She’ll stay in pain.”
“And you think that our playing this as a team will end her pain?”
“I think it’ll help.”
He set his elbows on his knees and stared down at the floor between his feet. “I don’t want to spend time with you, Laney. I don’t want to pretend we’re pals. I don’t want my daughter to like you.”
“I know you don’t,” she whispered. “But will you do it anyway? You might find out that I’m not the monster you think I am.”
He looked up at her again and thought that he had never considered her a monster. She was pretty and sad and even when he was most angry with her, he’d never been able to work up enough contempt against her to hate her. A big part of him understood why she was doing what she was doing.
It just didn’t make it easier.
“All right,” he said finally. “Tomorrow. We’ll hang out like we’re great friends, and I’ll put on an Oscar-winning performance. But I have one condition.”
“What?”
“I want to take her to church first.”
She hesitated for a moment. “Why church?”
“Because I want my daughter in church on Sundays.”
The idea seemed to disturb her. “Well, I don’t think I would feel comfortable going to your church. Your friends all probably know about the lawsuit. The idea of sitting there with people judging me doesn’t really appeal to me at all.”
“Then I’ll take her alone, and we’ll come to your house afterward.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to go, you understand. I mean, I don’t have anything against church. I haven’t been in years … My father didn’t worship anything that didn’t first worship him. But I’m glad you take Amy. The values they learn there are good. I realize that.”
“It’s not about values to us. It’s about worship. Amy doesn’t like to miss it.”
“OK, then,” she said. “I’ll cook lunch. You can come over afterward. We can swim, go to the park, maybe take in a movie …”
“All in one afternoon?” he asked.
She swallowed. “I have a lot of catching up to do, Wes.” He followed her to the door and watched as she pulled out of his driveway. Tomorrow they would be pals, he thought. Or they would pretend to. Was it the right thing, or was he just selling out?
Lord, I don’t want to be her friend .
But that wasn’t an option, he realized. He had to be her friend. Amy needed him to. And maybe, deep in his heart, he needed it as well.
Chapter Eight
N ormally, being around a beautiful woman in a swimsuit put Wes in a great mood. But he didn’t want to notice Laney, so he kept his eyes off her for most of the afternoon. And that resulted in what seemed like brooding. Which fed Amy’s brooding.
Laney tried to engage them in a game of Marco Polo, but Amy refused to play. Then she strung up a volleyball net in the pool, but Amy wasn’t interested. Quickly, she took it back down.
When the child got out of the pool and dried off, Laney swam over to Wes as
Similar Books
