Page 59 of Tell Me Lies

I lost my dad that day, on my birthday. And once the police arrived and pulled me from the car unwillingly, I saw her. Her stomach was swollen—she had to have been at least eight or nine months pregnant. I learned not long after that her name was Cassandra. And she’d died.

I snap back to the present as tears stream down my face like a waterfall. Carefully, I roll over and gaze up at the man whose arms are now wrapped around my body.

The accident, a woman running a red light and killing her and my dad both—it’s something I’ve lived with for years. But it’s more complicated now. It isn’t just about me anymore. It’s about Amelia and how this will one day affect her. And it will. That’s inevitable.

If I leave her life, she’ll never have to learn the truth. But if I stay, how can I look her in the eyes every day and know that I was there the day her mother—the woman she never got the chance to meet—took her last breath?

Selfishly, I can’t leave them yet. I’m not ready. I need them like I need air or water. So, I’ll tell him lies. I’ll hide the truth—anything for just a little more time.

I’m going to hell for this—I know that much. But at least I’ll have a few more memories of Logan and Amelia to take with me before I burn.

I stopped believing in the good in this world on the day my dad died in front of me. But if there’s one good thing that came from that horrific day, it’s Amelia Sterns.

And she deserves a lot better of a person in her life than me.

When I wake up, Maci isn’t next to me—just like last night, when she was working in her office instead. The side of her bed is cold, and I wonder where the fuck she is.

I look at the clock, and it’s only six a.m.

Panicking that my dad called me and I missed it, I reach for my phone on the nightstand, sighing in relief when I don’t see any missed calls on the screen. I’m sure Amelia had the best time and is in no hurry to come back home to my crappypool with no slide or splash pad.

When I get out of bed, it’s much like déjà vu from last night as I pull my sweatpants on and head down the hallway to find her. Only when I look into her office, she isn’t there. The house doesn’t feel the same way that it did last night when I was searching for her. It feels colder somehow. And darker.

The door to her bedroom is closed, but I don’t give a fuck about that as I gently push it open. As I walk to the edge of the bed, I find her lying on top of the covers, a restless look on her face as she sleeps with Clyde curled up beside her closely, almost as if he’s comforting her in some way.

I knew I should have kept my fucking mouth shut last night, but I couldn’t help but to just push it a little too far. Lately, I’ve been feeling things I never planned to feel for her, nor did I think I’d ever feel this way for anyone—let alone my kid’s nanny. Yet here I am, an absolute fucking fool for this woman. And then Itold her, freaked her the fuck out, and now, here she is, hiding in her own room, cuddling her drooly fucking dog instead of me.

I don’t want to wake her up. And part of me is pissed off that she gave me that wholeI’m just tiredbullshit instead of just being honest and saying she didn’t feel the same. I’m not the guy who gets mad often, but when I do, I get fucking pissed. So, here I am, irate that the one girl I actually want in that way doesn’t want me back. Only her actions before this point sure told me differently.

Reaching down, I pat Clyde’s head. He doesn’t even wake up; he just continues to snore softly, happy to have his human beside him. Lately, he’s been sleeping with Amelia a lot of the time, and I know last night, he was pacing around, wondering where the hell she was.

Heading out, I walk to my room and get my running shit on. I guess one thing I can do before Amelia gets back home is get this training shit out of the way. I can’t just let myself go, especially after the number of pancakes I shoved down my throat last night.

Should have just eaten her pussy and called it a day.

Sliding my shoes on, I grab my headphones and head toward the door, hoping that running myself to the point of exhaustion might make me feel less awkward about last night.

She’s acting weird.

There’s no question about it.

I got home from my run an hour ago and found her in the kitchen, making coffee. As soon as I walked in the door, she looked like she had seen a ghost. I tried my best not to act like alittle bitch who didn’t get to have an ice cream after practice, but fucking A, she’s making me crazy.

I stand in the shower for much longer than I usually would—unless she was in here with me, of course. Then, I’d take my sweet fucking time sudsing up her entire body and pounding my cock deep inside her soaking wet heat. But it’s only me in here, and I guess you could say I’m avoiding the girl. Turns out, she was right; this shit we have been doing has made things awkward, but I don’t care.

My dad and Michelle are going to bring Amelia back later, and we’re going to eat dinner here, all together, before they catch a midnight flight back to Georgia. It was too quick of a visit, but I know my daughter needed it.

And I needed the alone time with Maci, even though that didn’t end the way I’d planned.

Turning the knob to the shower, I cut off the water and step out. Drying myself off, I walk out into my room, and that’s when I hear her talking on the phone in the kitchen.

I know I shouldn’t listen, but I can’t help myself. I catch the tail end of her call with who I assume is a police officer on her case because she mentions them arresting the men who broke into her place.

“Great,” she says, but she doesn’t exactly sound excited. “Yes, definitely. Thanks. Clyde and I appreciate all you’ve done to help us move back in.”

As she ends the call, I waste no time strutting to her. I might only be in my towel, but I don’t give a fuck.

“Did you mean what you just said?” I say, catching her off guard.

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