Page 62 of The Life We Left Behind

I sat up, grabbing the edge of the blanket to keep myself covered while I looked around for my clothes.

Trace sighed. “I know. It’s like we have all these things hanging over us. All the stress of the deal, the funeral, life being so messed up all the damn time. I think it’s old habits, honestly. You were always my safe place. Where I was the happiest.”

“I looked over the plans for the deal again,” I whispered. “You’re going to tear the farmhouse down. Did you want me gone so much that you have to destroy everything that reminds you of me?”

I hadn’t even realized it was bothering me until the words came out of my mouth.

Trace reared back in surprise at the accusation.

“Delaney…I promise you, it’s not that. I would never. Icouldnever. You were always the most important person in my life. The land, the house, it’s not what you think. It’s not about us. It’s about the town and trying to save it.”

After everything that happened since I’d gotten into town, the loss of my father, the pressure of trying to make a decision over what was the right thing to do, I felt the emotions start to rise inside me as my vision clouded over with tears.

“I hate it when you look sad, Delaney. What can I do? How can I fix it? If it’s the house, then we can tear up this deal, and I’ll walk away. Even if it costs me the regeneration project, I don’t care. I’d do it for you.”

He looked so earnest. But where were these promises when I’d needed them the most?

“Why? Why now, Trace? After all this time, all these years, why make the effort now?”

“Because I have the chance. Because you’re here, I’m here, and we had an opportunity. All we need to do is get out of each other’s way and let ourselves be happy. I’m done spending years letting myself be miserable. It’s you, Delaney. It’s always been you. I know we both have separate lives, but we can make it work. Whatever it takes. I know we can if we want it enough.”

I searched his eyes, trying to figure out if he was telling me the truth or just what he thought I needed to hear. It felt like he was holding his breath, waiting for me to say yes.

My heart pounded in my chest, and I recognized this for the significant moment that it was.

“Leave the past behind, Lanes, and let me show you the beautiful future I want to give you.”

The tears finally slipped free from my lashes, and I could see the anguish on his face. Because it wasn’t as easy as that. At least not for me.

“I can’t leave the past behind.” I struggled out of Trace’s arms and threw off the blanket as the reality of our situation hit me. As I searched around the room, trying to find my clothes, I added, “It’s not as simple as just forgetting everything that’s happened.”

Trace grabbed his boxers and slipped them on before he crossed the room in three strides and grabbed me by my arms. He looked so sincere. Like he was ready to plead with me if that was what it took, and it only confused me even more.

“I know you have a kid, and it doesn’t matter, Delaney. We can do this. We could work it out, be a family or something.”

It was the wrong thing to say.

I knew he was trying, but he couldn’t have made this situation any worse if he’d even tried.

“Of course, I have a kid!” I shouted as I pulled free of him and struggled into my jeans. “You might not have wanted anything to do with your son, but I didn’t really have that option, Trace. He’s an amazing, perfect boy, and I can’t let you breeze into his life because you’ve decided you want to have a try at being a father now that it’s more convenient for you. I can’t even believe I was considering this.”

“A father…”

Trace grabbed his shirt and pulled it on as he followed me around the room. But I wasn’t stopping now. I slipped my arms into my bra and clasped it quickly.

This was a mistake. Every interaction I’d had with Trace had been a mistake. Why did I keep doing this? Maybe someday in the future we could work something out with Cade and him, but if he thought he could just walk back into our lives with promises of being a family, he was sorely mistaken.

“Delaney?”

Didn’t he know what we’d been through? WhatI’dbeen through. It hadn’t been easy having a baby as a teenager. I might have escaped the whispers of a small town, but that didn’t mean there still hadn’t been any in the city.

“DELANEY!”

I snapped around, my attention now fully on the man in front of me, but my brain couldn’t figure out the expression on his face.

“You said…you said I was a father?”

“Yes?” Okay, now I was confused because he looked…upset?

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