Page 95 of Rumor Has It

“I’m helping you raise Kylie’s daughter. Each morning is like a bandaid getting ripped off. Being here must be—”

“It’s hard. But you’re wrong. Our every day is a silver lining. I wake up feeling like a kid at Christmas, ready to rush down the stairs to see what’s waiting for us.

The fleeting smile Cassidy graces me with fills the empty well inside my soul.

“I want to make you as happy as you make me. I’m sorry I brought us here. I can call Vespa and see if she can find us a rental.” I push to stand.

“No,” she says again, holding me back. She cups my cheek, rubbing her fingers softly against my whiskers. “I’ve been curious about where you lived and what your life was like since we met.”

“The me before you wasn’t as great as anyone has read about.”

Cassidy huffs a small laugh. She leans her forehead against mine. “I’m not afraid of your past. I’m not afraid of the memories in the empty room next door.”

“Then what is it that has you tied up in knots?”

“Do you think Kylie had more secrets than Aria?”

If she was having someone else’s child, I can’t discount it. “Why?”

Cassidy sighs.

“Cass? Don’t clam up on me. There’s nothing you can say I haven’t thought of.”

“Ben.”

I close my eyes. “I crossed his name off the list at her funeral.” Was I mistaken?

“I could be so far off the mark.” Cassidy backpedals. “He said some things to me I haven’t been able to forget.”

“Like what?”

“That Kylie didn’t take her vows as seriously as you did.”

“The baby is proof of that,” I deadpan. “Is that the only thing bothering you? What about the reporters?”

“The rumors are definitely more than what I was used to in a small town, but I’m growing used to ignoring our faces splashed on TV and the tabloids. With Ben? It never seemed like the right time and I didn’t want to hurt you by bringing it up. We feel so far away from whatever this is. I don’t want to sound like a jealous girlfriend, but when Kylie butts in, it’s surreal.”

“It is. We are.” I press my lips to hers in a chaste kiss.

“What about Ben?” she asks. “How do you broach that?”

Is it even a discussion worth having? “I can accept that Kylie and Ben slept together. But I’m unsure he’s Aria’s father. He strikes me as a man who’d claim a child if he thought there was a possibility it was his, especially if doing so advanced his career.” Like my mom pushes Ezra to be like me, Ben would make a fortune managing the career of Kylie Montagne 2.0. Though I’m not expressing it aloud, I’m protecting Aria from a father whose sole purpose in gaining custody is how Kylie’s talent and her fortune benefits them.

Chapter Thirty-eight

ISAIAH

“Good to be home?” Will inquires.

His honeymoon is over. I should’ve opened the conversation with that line.

Instead, I shrug at the camera and welcome his presence. His sidekick, Ben, isn’t part of the conversations anymore.

As much as I’ve hated staying in this house, I made the best of it. Not to mention, I put Vespa in charge of having the entire place boxed up.

Well, all except Kylie’s room. I’m going through her effects before we hit the road again. I’ve thought it over and it shouldn’t take too long. I doubt my wife left anything incriminating at my house. Her house in California? I’ll tackle that another time.

Seeing as it’s something I plan to pass onto Aria on her eighteenth birthday, maybe I will leave it as an actual time capsule to allow her a chance to get to know the woman who brought her into this world.

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