Page 52 of The Secret Play

I had to see him.

Even as the rational part of my mind screamed at me to give him the space he clearly needed, the rest of me—the part that couldn’t imagine a life without him—was already moving, grabbing my coat, and slipping out the door.

The night air was crisp and cool, biting my cheeks as I hurried after him. I didn’t know what I was going to say, but I couldn’t let it end like this. If I had my druthers, we wouldn’t end at all.

I caught up to him just sitting in his car on my driveway. His eyes widened when he saw me. When I came to his window, to my surprise, he rolled it down. Hopefully, that was a good sign.

“Hey—”

“I said I needed time.”

“I couldn’t let you leave like that,” I said, my breath coming out in puffs of mist.

“You should’ve,” he said, shaking his head.

“I can’t just stand by and wait while you figure out how to deal with this. I need to be a part of the solution.”

“This isn’t just about us, Gemma,” he said, his tone sharper now. “This is about a child. My child, who I didn’t even know existed until tonight.”

“I know,” I said quickly. “And I know I screwed up by not telling you sooner. But you don’t get to just walk away from this—from me—because it’s hard.”

“I’m not walking away,” he said, his voice rising. “I’m trying to figure out how to handle this without losing everything I’ve worked for. Do you have any idea what this could cost me?”

“Of course I do,” I snapped. “Do you think I haven’t thought about that? About what it could cost me? My career, my reputation, everything I’ve built for Winnie?—”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was scared!” I shouted, the words bursting out of me before I could stop them.

The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the faint hum of a car passing in the distance.

He exhaled loudly. “If we’re doing this, let’s go back in your house. I’m not going to give your neighbors a show.”

I hadn’t even thought about that. But I nodded and stepped back, and he followed me inside. Once there, I repeated, “I was scared. I was scared you wouldn’t want her. That you’d see her as a mistake, or a burden, or…”

“Gemma,” he said, his tone softer now.

“I didn’t want to burden you with a choice I’d made,” I said, my throat tightening. “And I didn’t want to risk you resenting me—or her—for it.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You think I would’ve resented her? That I wouldn’t have stepped up if I’d known?”

“I didn’t know,” I admitted, tears stinging my eyes. “But I couldn’t take that chance. Not at the beginning.”

“So you waited…for what, exactly? Was this all some kind of test?”

“No, not like that. I was scared you’d hate me for not telling you. That you’d be angry with me.”

Casey stepped closer, his expression conflicted. “Angry that you cheated me out of five years with my daughter? I am. Deeply.”

“I know you are,” I said, my voice trembling. “And I don’t blame you. But please, Casey, don’t shut me out now. Not when we’ve finally found each other again. This thing between us is real, and we both know it.”

His blue eyes simmered with struggle caught between hating me and knowing I was right. He was at war with himself, and I was the enemy and the ally. His breaths, labored and ragged, sucked all the air out of the room.

When he finally moved, it was sudden, and I barely had time to react before his lips were on mine. The kiss was desperate, almost frantic, as if he was trying to erase the distance that had grown between us by sheer force of will.

I kissed him back just as fiercely, my hands clutching at his jacket as if letting go would send him spiraling away from me forever.

We stumbled back toward my bedroom, the argument forgotten in the heat of the moment.

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