Page 58 of Suddenly Entwined

Berg shifts me easily, turning me so that I’m sitting sideways on his lap with his chin resting atop my head. I lean against his chest, breathing in the scent of him. Our new position takes the passion down a notch, but it’s just as intimate to be cradled in his lap.

“That I yell too much when I am frustrated with the girls. That they aren’t getting what they need from only one parent. That I’m going to fail them as they…mature, and I’m not going to be able to teach them what a couple of teenage girls ought to know.”

I’m silent while I take all that in, and I sort of feel like my problems pale in comparison. Berg is worried about the literal lives of two tiny people.

“I love them so much,” he says, the vibration of his voice so comforting and real against my side.

“They’re pretty special.”

After only a few days, even I can see that.

“I made a dumb mistake last year, and I’m still having a hard time coming to terms with it. You know?”

“Well, we all deserve some grace from ourselves. Is there anything you can do to fix it?”

I bite my lip. “No. Not anymore. But for a while I thought there was. It’s hard to accept that fact that the money is go–”

It must be because I’m so comfortable, but the words tumble out of my mouth too quickly. By the time I process what I’ve said, I know Berg has zeroed right in on the important ones like a homing missile.

“What money, Carolina?” he asks, his tone serious.

“I, um…lost some?”

Berg’s lips turn down at the corners in disapproval. “You lost it.”

“Yeah…to a person.”

“That’s called stealing, I believe.”

“Right, but I actuallyloanedthe money willingly and now it’s long gone.”

“Look, I don’t want you to think I was being nosy, but I saw a text message that day our phones got mixed up. Was that the guy?”

It didn’t occur to me that he might have seen that. I feel slightly sick at the idea he could have mentioned it to my brother.

“Yes.”

Berg groans like I just dropped the weight of the world into his hands. “Chris must have beenpissed.”

I grimace, rolling my lips together.

“Oh, Caro.”

I nod, slowly.

“You haven’t told him.”

I shake my head even slower, wondering if I’ve shaved a year off his life and added a couple more greys.

“And you’re about to swear me to secrecy, aren’t you?”

Another nod.

“Fuuuck. How much money are we talking? Hundreds? Thousands? Actually,” he holds a calloused palm up. “I don’t want to know. Don’t tell me any more details.”

I wrap my arms around him the best I can while he’s leaning back in the recliner.

“What’s this for?”

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