Page 34 of The Duke's Surprise Heir

“And your father just…walked away?”

“Yeah. After that last, big fight, I heard the door slam and then silence. Nothing. He was just gone. He never wrote to us, never came back. Never called on my birthday or holidays.” She blinked back sudden tears at the painful memories of those nights when she’d lie in bed, waiting for her father to call her.

“I’m sorry, Macie,” Edward said, pulling her in close. He couldn’t hug her, not with Kyle bundled against his chest in the swaddling scarf. But she allowed herself to cuddle up against his warmth for a moment.

“So, that’s why you told me you don’t do relationships,” he said.

Macie remembered that conversation and pulled away. “No. I don’t do relationships because I’m focusing on my career.”

He chuckled. “Macie, my parents were the nastiest people in the world. Why they ever married is a mystery. They fought constantly and purposely acted in ways designed to irritate the other person.”

“That sounds awful.”

“And similar?”

She laughed, nodding. “Yeah, I suppose. There were a lot of fights in the house, but mostly, my parents just avoided each other.”

“Yeah,” he sighed, “Well, I’ve realized the reason I don’t know how to be in a relationship is because I didn’t grow up witnessing a healthy marriage. Therefore, I’ve accepted that I should avoid making another person miserable.” He patted Kyle’s bottom again.

“That’s wise of you,” she teased, brushing her shoulder against his bicep.

“It is,” he teased right back. “However, I doubt that you’ve done as much introspection regarding your parents and how it is currently effecting your adult relationships.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “You think I won’t venture into a relationship because I never saw a good one growing up? Am I just like you?”

He nodded. “Yes. But also, I think that you avoid becoming emotionally involved because you don’t believe that you’re loveable. Your father left you. If the man who should love you unconditionally couldn’t stick around, or even call you on special days, then perhaps you think that no man could ever love you. Is it possible that you think of yourself as unlovable?”

She didn’t respond for a long moment. But the possibility was thrumming through her mind. Was he right? Had she pushed away romantic partners all of her life simply because she didn’t think they’d ever truly love her?

“Maybe, we should consider our past as we contemplate our future. Maybe there is a way for us to find happiness in a romantic relationship without ensuring that those relationships die out through our own machinations.”

His words were profound, but also, the concept was a lot to take in.

Edward watched Macie carefully, watching for her reaction. Was he right? Was she sabotaging their future, any possibility that they might find love together, simply because she felt unlovable?

Probably, Macie thought. She gazed out at the trees, appreciating the changes in colors. The leaves were starting to change from green into their autumn yellow, orange, pink, and red tones before falling to the ground in preparation for the winter.

Was she doing the same? Was she cutting off anything superfluous, like love, to protect herself from future harm?

Yeah, that was definitely a possibility.

“I think that my mother’s resentment with farm life is the reason that I worked so hard in school.” She turned her head. “I was valedictorian,” she told him. “I almost lost the title to a man.”

He chuckled. “I can’t imagine any man beating you at education. What happened? You failed one test in one class and his grade point average inched slightly higher than yours?”

She snorted. “Please!” Macie shook her head as if the possibility was impossible. “No, I almost lost the title because the principal of my school told me he was announcing a boy with a lower grade point average as the valedictorian because he thought that men needed the recognition more than just a girl.”

“Are you kidding?”

She grimaced. “Nope.” They continued walking in silence.

“That’s outrageous!”

She turned and looked up at him. “I agree. As soon as the principal told me what he was going to do, I explained, very calmly, that I would speak with a lawyer. I would then sue the principal as well as the school district for whatever sum I thought I would lose out from my career for being denied an honor that I’d earned.” She chuckled as they continued walking. “I named a figure that was outrageously high, because I was sure that I was going to rule a company someday.”

“You still might,” he countered.

“Nope.” She looked at Kyle, smiling at his still-sleeping face. “A single mom can either be good at raising her child, or advancing in her career. She can’t do both. I have to hire someone to take care of Kyle in the mornings, so that I can get into the office before everyone else, plus someone who can be there when Kyle gets home from school, so I can work late into the evenings.” She kissed his dangling foot. “I want to be home with Kyle more than I want to run a company.”

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