Page 23 of Mistaken Intention

“Yes. It’s all connected.”

“Oh? Does he live here then?”

“No. He lives in New York… with me most of the time. But we’re thinking…”

“Whoa. Back up a second. Did you just say he lives with you?”

“Most of the time.” She bites on her lip again, and I can sense her anxiety. It’s well founded.

“How long has this been going on?”

“I’ve been seeing him for about four weeks.”

“And he’s living with you already?”

“Practically.”

We both know that means ‘yes’, and I wish she’d just be honest. “Why didn’t you tell me about him before?”

“I don’t know,” she says.

“Is it serious? I guess it must be, if he’s living with you.”

“Yeah, it’s serious.” I suck in a breath, and she glances over at me. “Are you mad at me, Drew?”

“No. Although I’d have liked to have known what was going on. I don’t have the right to dictate how you live your life, Lexi, but Maisie’s my daughter, and I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me something as important as this. I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me since the moment you told me you were pregnant.”

“I know you have. You’ve gone above and beyond. I never asked you to pay off my mortgage, or to give me such a generous allowance.”

“You didn’t need to ask. Whatever you and Maisie need, it’s yours. It just would’ve been nice if you’d trusted me with this… if you’d kept me informed. I asked you about Josie before I even…”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I should’ve told you,” she says. “It was wrong of me to keep it from you.” I shake my head, turning away. “You don’t need to feel threatened, Drew.”

I look back at her again. “You think? Some guy moves into your apartment. He’s living there with my daughter, who no doubt sees a damn sight more of him than she does of me. Youdecide not to tell me about it… and you tell me I shouldn’t feel threatened by him?”

“No. If anything, it’s the other way around.”

“What are you talking about?”

She sighs. “He doesn’t like me coming down to Newport with you… okay?”

“No, it’s not okay,” I say. “What does he think we’re doing down there? Surely you’ve explained there’s nothing between us anymore, other than Maisie? He gets that you’ve got your own rooms… that you only visit so I can see my daughter?”

“He does, but he still doesn’t like it.”

I shake my head. “And this is why you wanna move to Boston, is it? So I can see Maisie here, instead of in Newport?”

“Yes,” she says. “Look… I know it’s not the ideal way for you to find out about Manuel and me, but at least if we’re all living in Boston, you can see more of Maisie. You can have her stay over at your place without me, if you want.”

“More like a normal dysfunctional family, you mean?”

“I guess.” She glances over, and I nod my head. “Does that mean you’re okay with it?”

“It means I’m thinking.”

“What about?”

“How to make it work.” She smiles. “Do you love him?”

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