Page 90 of False Evidence

Her lips touched his neck, then she snuggled against him. “We had to follow different paths. Where we were back then wasn’t the place we were meant to be.”

That sounded more woo than the theoretical physicist he once knew, but he guessed they’d both evolved from the people they were when they were younger.

“Why didn’t you ever run for office?” she asked. “You could have overcome the senator’s bad press. We’ve seen more shocking political comebacks.”

“After you left, I started to question why I wanted it at all. And what it did to my dad. I know you won’t believe it, but Joe was a good man.”

“Oh, I believe it. I did get toknowhim after all. The man who cared about people and wanted to create change, who strove to make the world a better one than the one he grew up in.”

“He was all that. And he got lost in the contest. The polling. Fixing the game. The broken system. He grew up in an utterly broken system, so he got it in his head that it was fine for him to work around the same system that would lock him out of power. He and I talked about it a lot in those last two years.”

“You never told me that.”

“I didn’t know if you’d understand. He was never really kind to you, and after what he did to Erica, I worried you’d think I was making excuses for him. And maybe I am. But he was my dad. I loved him. Still do.”

“I never would have held that against you. Nor would Erica. Lee’s had his own struggles on that front.”

“Yeah. We finally started talking about that before Gracie was born. Impending fatherhood will do that. Joe was the best father he’d ever had—and Lee had three.”

“Is that…why you didn’t want children?” She paused and shook her head. “Sorry. That’s out of line. You don’t have to justify your reasons any more than I would need to justify wanting children. We are who we are.”

“That’s true for a rando asking personal questions, but not for a woman who once agreed to marry me. And I don’t have an easy answer. It just didn’t feel like something I could go all in on. Hell, Lex, we both know I wasn’t able to go all in onyou. Think about how messed up it would have been to bring a kid into our world back then. My gut said it wasn’t for me.”

It was difficult to say the words because while he knew they were true, he also knew something had shifted inside him this week. Needing to step up for Gemma had changed him. His gut now felt very different about one child in particular.

It didn’t mean his past self had been wrong. Hell, if anything, it confirmed that the man he’d been before hadn’t been parent material. Still, Lex and Gemma could walk out of his life tomorrow and he wouldn’t stop loving them. Just as he’d never stopped loving Lex. More surprising was that the idea didn’t destroy him. Because it wasn’t abouthim. It was about their happiness and what they needed.

He shifted on the couch. “I’m going to give you that present now.”

She shook her head, letting out a small laugh. “I forgot that’s where the conversation started. I’m afraid I don’t have any gifts for you.”

He kissed her nose. “You already gave me the greatest gift of all.”

“Ahh. Just like our first Christmas Eve together.”

“Why attempt to improve upon perfection? You will always be my favorite gift.” He rose from the couch and grabbed the package he’d wrapped with paper he found in the attic. He’d stolen a bow from one of the old gifts to dress it up.

“Technically, this is for Gemma.”

Her brow furrowed. “Okay, now I’m really baffled. How could there be a present for Gemma in the forgotten gift hoard?”

“Just open it.”

He felt strangely nervous. Would his gift make her angry?

She wasn’t a neat present opener. He’d always like that about her—she ripped with gusto. She frowned at the manila envelope revealed by torn paper.

She grinned. “Definitely exciting stuff for a toddler.”

“She told me in the car on the way here she wanted to play ‘home office’ and needed files and a filing cabinet to make it work.”

Lex snorted. “That’s my girl.” She flicked open the metal clasp and slid out the thick sheaf of papers.

She scanned the top sheet. Gemma Vargas was in all caps and not to be missed. She looked up sharply. “What is this?”

“A few things. College fund. Trust fund that will be hers at twenty-five.”

The same age Lex had been when they first met. He’d wanted to give her everything then, but she wouldn’t let him.

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