Page 32 of A Secret Baby By the Alpha

“Yup, tastes just like I remember,” she commented. “Cold and hot at the same time.”

“But damn, does it help,” I added, slamming my drink to the back of my throat in one gulp. “Why do you sip yours?”

“If you drink it all at once, it all tastes bad. If you sip it, you’ll start to get a buzz before you’re done, and it’ll taste better,” she said with a shrug.

“Really?”

“Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve had any, but it sounds like a nice explanation, doesn’t it?”

I chuckled at the stereotypical “Chris” response. She didn’t appear to be uneasy in the least after her encounter with Gage. He had said some vile and threatening things to her, but she had held her head high the entire time. If I were in her position, I was sure I would have felt the urge to run away, but she’d seemed calm and collected.

“Are you doing okay, Chris? Need anything, besides the strong drink?”

She shrugged. “I’m okay. Desmond isn’t the first man I’ve met with a sense of entitlement and a predisposition to making everyone around him feel uncomfortable. I know how to handle guys like that.”

I knew the world was full of men who were more than happy to intimidate those who appeared to be weaker or smaller than them, but the thought that Christa had enough experience with that type, enough to feel capable of walking away unscathed time and time again from them, made me want to rage against the world.

My protective urge grew stronger as I realized that she should have had me there to protect her all this time. I was the one who failed her.

Christa had always been strong—that had been one of the things that drew me to her in the first place. But the years she had spent raising Jenny alone had only served to make her even more formidable. I was thankful she had the skills necessary to stay safe, and to protect Jenny.

“You’re good at reading people, aren’t you?” I noted.

“Usually,” she agreed. “For example, right now you look like you could use another drink.”

Funny, wise, insightful, loyal, and with a beauty that rivaled anything else in the world. I had been a fool to ever let her go.

I ordered another drink, this time a mixer, and Christa and I sat in companionable silence while we waited. After it arrived, I decided it was time to ask the question that had been burning in my mind since I had interrupted the confrontation between Gage and Christa.

“I have to ask, why did you defend me to Gage?”

Christa inhaled sharply. “I didn’t think you heard that. How long were you listening, exactly?”

“Long enough.”

“And you didn’t step in sooner?” she asked, her head cocked to one side.

“It seemed like you had everything under control,” I said with a shrug. “I only interrupted because I wanted to see him squirm at being caught. But you didn’t answer my question.”

I could see that she was deciding whether to answer or change the subject again. We had made progress, but I knew she still didn’t trust me. I was surprised when she decided to open up.

“Because that’s what I do, I guess. I defend the people I care about. Don’t get any ideas, though,” she warned, taking another sip of her tequila. “Just because I defended you to Desmond doesn’t mean you’re forgiven for the past.”

“I know,” I assured her.

She was silent again, and I could see that her thoughts were far away as she finished her drink.

“I know what you did for me all those years ago, and how it changed your life in Sparkle Hollow,” I admitted. “I had my secretary find out about it a few weeks ago. I’m sorry. I never intended for you to suffer the consequences for me.”

“It was my choice,” she said, her voice shaking a little.

“Still doesn’t make it right,” I said. “I messed up.”

She sighed deeply and started playing with her empty glass, avoiding eye contact with me. I could see her inner struggle to be honest, but she pushed through.

“I’m still haunted by it. Not just how it ended and you leaving, but all of it. The thoughts of what could have been, you know?”

“I know,” I agreed.

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