Page 85 of It Should Have Been Me

“Because that’s my wife you’re holding.”

“A fact I can easily overlook.”

Keith chuckles, shaking his head. “You know, I honestly thought you’d be different around your date.”

“I’ve been very open with her. She knows where my heart lies.” He winks at Lia to let her know he’s kidding. “Now, if we disappear, don’t come looking for us.”

Mrs. H giggles as he whisks her away, and I find myself standing next to Lia. She’s a little awkward around me but gives me a warm smile, regardless.

“Peter is really something,” she says, with the slightest hint of affection in her voice.

“He is.” Keeping in line with the current rules of the dance floor. I hold out my hand, silently asking for a dance, and she accepts. “So, Peter tells me that your dad owns the Bayview Country Club?”

She stiffens but doesn’t confirm or deny the statement.

“My dad knows Robert very well, and I gotta be honest, he’s never mentioned you. I didn’t even know he had a daughter.”

After a long pause, she finally answers. “I’m more of a scandal than alegitimatechild. I’m the mistake he tries to deny ever happened, so yeah...he doesn’t talk about me much.”

I can hear the pain in her voice, and it’s obvious that this is a personal issue, so I don’t push further. Instead, I just cut through the bullshit and voice my concerns. “Something’s amiss with you. I feel like you’re hiding something.”

She’s unfazed by this comment. “Am I supposed to walk around with my whole life story on display for all the world to see?”

I grin because she seems to have an answer for everything. “All I’m saying is that Pete’s really into you. He doesn’t take kindly to lies and manipulation, so...tread carefully.”

Again, she doesn’t deny this. She doesn’t adamantly state that she isn’t lying or manipulating Peter, and I find that so odd.

I want to probe a little further, but my mini-interrogation is halted when Peter grabs her wrist and pulls her into his arms. “Can I have my date back?”

“Sure, Pete,” I answer before realizing that he was partnered with Cat.

With a quick twirl, he takes Lia off my hands, and I’m left with the woman my heart is aching for.

“May I have this dance?”

She casts a quick look over to the table where JP is chatting with Tommy, guilt and uncertainty playing with the expression on her face. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“C’mon, one last dance. There’s been a lot of tension these last few days, and I don’t want you to leave tomorrow with all this animosity hanging between us.”

“Okay.”

Her arms slide around my neck, and our feet find their usual rhythm. Even though a smile is plastered on her face, I can feel the rigidness of her body.

“You stressed?” I ask.

“Yeah...” It comes out as a breathy whisper, as if she’s scared of admitting it out loud. “I don’t know how I’m going to...confess everything that I’ve done.”

“When are you going to tell him?”

“When we get back home. I don’t want him to have to face my family feeling ashamed. But it’s going to be even worse that way because he’s going to be packing, getting ready to start the next chapter of our lives together, and I’m going to drop this bomb on him.” She blinks rapidly, desperate to keep tears at bay. “And it’s not just him that I’ve hurt. It’s you, too. I’m so sorry for everything, Soldier. I made such a mess of this, and?”

I discreetly tighten my grip around her. “Don’t do that to yourself, Cat. I’m just as much to blame as you are.”

“It feels like my whole world is crumbling around me and I don’t even know how I’m going to pick up the pieces.”

“Why don’t we let the world fall apart tomorrow? For tonight, let’s just enjoy this special day with Dylan and Isa and focus on all the laughter and happiness around us. Let’s just live in this moment. It’s gonna be over before we know it and then we’ll never have it again.”

She nods and looks up at me with a watery smile. “The highlight of today will forever be you dancing to Justin Bieber.”

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