Page 109 of Mistaken Intention

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Because you knew what to do. You said it was an instinct, but it felt like more than that… like there was a wealth of experience behind everything you did.”

That’s not a lie, even if I am still hiding the truth.

“Wealth of experience?” He tilts his head to one side. “I’m not sure I like how that makes me sound.”

“Does it matter? It’s in the past now. It can’t be changed.”

“I know. Hell… I can’t even remember it, so what chance do I have of changing it? But I think finding out I hadn’t been in a relationship before made me wonder if I’d screwed up in some way… if I’d done something to make you run.”

“Like what?”

“Like talking about having kids when we’d only been together for a few hours. When I told Hunter that, he asked if maybe I’d made you feel pressured.”

“You told him what you’d said?”

“Yeah. Sorry. I know it was personal, but I needed his help.”

“It’s okay. You weren’t to know the real reason I’d gone.”

“No. At the time, he made me think I’d gone too far, too fast. He told me he and Livia hadn’t discussed having children until just before they got married.” He looks over my shoulder, presumably studying her and Maisie. “When was that, by the way? He didn’t say.”

“It was in February.”

“This year?”

“Yes. He told me the other day, when he asked me over to the house…” I stop talking, realizing I’d been about to say ‘when your mother was here’. What’s wrong with me? I know I said my brain was moving as slow as molasses, but how could I have almost let that slip? He nods his head, his brow furrowing, and I wonder how I’m going to explain myself. “I don’t remember how we ended up talking about it…” That’s another lie. I remember itperfectly. It was when Hunter asked how long it would take for Drew to get his memory back, because Livia was struggling with looking after Maisie. I can hardly say that either, though, can I?

“That doesn’t make sense,” he says.

“What doesn’t? I just said, I can’t even remember how…”

“No. You’re missing the point. Hunter told me he and Livia only talked about having kids a few weeks before their wedding. You’ve just told me that was only six months ago. So how can they have a baby already? That’s not possible. Even I know that.”

My blood has frozen in my veins, my skin prickling with fear.

I’ve come so close to giving the game away in the last few minutes, but it seems Hunter is the one who’s been careless, not me. The question is, what should I do? I can’t lie. Not now. The lie would be too calculated. That means I have to tell him. But how will he react? Is he ready to hear it all? And am I ready for the bubble to burst?

“I—I…”

His eyes switch over my other shoulder, and his frown deepens. “Who’s that?” he says and I turn, relieved I’ve been saved from having to answer… for now.

There’s an enormous car driving toward the house, the sun gleaming off of the bright metal grille at the front. From here, neither of us can see who’s inside, or even how many people there are, but I’m relieved to have the distraction… the momentary delay in having to explain who Maisie is. Ideally, I’d rather do that with Hunter present, so he can help me and maybe mitigate some of the fallout. Except, with this new arrival, it seems that might not be possible.

We watch as the car pulls to a stop at the front of the house, the door slowly opening, and I gasp as a man climbs out. Evenfrom here, I know who he is, although it’s been years since I last saw him.

“What’s wrong?” Drew turns to me, his eyes betraying his concern as he moves closer to me. “Josie? You’ve gone as white as a sheet.” I nod my head, although my voice won’t work and Drew looks back at the man, who’s now standing by the front door. “Do you know him?”

I nod my head again, knowing I don’t need to worry about explaining who Maisie is anymore.

The bubble has already burst, and my entire world is about to come tumbling down.

***

Drew

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