Page 62 of Love Unexpected
I turned and hurried into the bathroom. I locked the door before leaning against it and lowering myself to the floor, the fuzzy pink rug in front of the sink soft against my feet.
What had just happened?
I should have just told him the truth. But the sting of how quickly he’d voiced his regret had silenced my efforts, freezing the words in my throat. Not because he’d mentioned Ana. I couldn’tactuallybe offended that he’d cast me aside for her, not when she was me, and I understood his desire to see things through to the end.
But then he’d mentioned his viewers. What they wanted. What their expectations were.
I’d wanted to believe Isaac could separate himself from it all. Have some boundaries and pursue a relationship that wasn’t constantly on camera. But now I wasn’t so sure.
And after that kiss, that was the thought that hurt worst of all.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rosie
I woke up to gentle nudging and the sound of my nephew’s sweet voice urging me awake.
“Aunt Rosie!” Shiloh whisper-yelled. “Wake up. Wake. Up!”
I smiled and cracked an eye open. “What time is it?” He was already dressed for his tournament, his bright green soccer jersey bringing out the blue in his eyes and making his freckles pop.
“Just after six. Mom says I can’t go in the living room, but she won’t tell me why. Do you know why? Did you bring me something? And it’s hidden out there and that’s why I have to stay away?”
A wave of emotion washed over me as I thought of Isaac and everything that had happened the night before. Gooseflesh broke out across my arms as I thought of the kiss. But that was not a memory I could dwell on. Not yet, anyway. Maybe not ever, depending on how the rest of the day went. The heavy weight of dread settled into my stomach as I thought about what would happen by the end of the night. Isaac would know everything.
I couldn’t dwell onthatthought either. Not when I had less than an hour to spend with Shiloh. “It’s nice to see you too,” I said, reaching out to ruffle his hair.
He grinned. “Sorry, Aunt Rosie. Hi.” He reached down and hugged my shoulders as best he could. “Now can you tell me about the surprise?”
“Not quite yet. But give me a few minutes to get ready and then we can go out together, yeah?”
Shiloh groaned. “That’s what Mom said too.”
“Your mom’s a smart lady.”
By the time I’d finished getting ready, the smell of pancakes and bacon had permeated the house.
I met Marley in the hallway just outside the bathroom. “That’s not you cooking?” she asked me as she used a towel to squeeze water out of her hair.
I shook my head no. “I assumed it was you.”
Her eyebrows went up. “So Isaac is making us breakfast?”
We inched down the hallway together until we were close enough to peer through the living room into the kitchen. Sure enough, Isaac was standing at the stove, his back to us, a growing pile of pancakes on a plate beside him.
“Is he wearing an apron?” I asked.
“Yes, and it is so sexy,” Marley said.
A pulse of heat snaked through me. I knew firsthand just how sexy Isaac could be. I cleared my throat. “Should we get Shiloh?”
“In a minute. I just want to enjoy the view a tiny bit longer.”
“Oh my word, you’re horrible,” I said, nudging Marley with my elbow.
“Oh, come on. It’s not like you weren’t staring last night. The energy between you two was crackling.”
I glanced back into the kitchen, suddenly worried that Isaac could hear us, but he had music playing—I could hear faint strains of Red Renegade—so hopefully we were safe.
