Page 120 of A Convenient Secret
My family will.
“Are you okay?” Cora asks.
I shake my head. I need to talk to Declan. Zoya has a ballet recital at her ballet summer school this afternoon,but there won’t be an opportunity there. Maybe I can go to his work before that?
“Lils?” Saar urges.
“Why did they even pursue this?” I ask, as if that was relevant.
“They had pics from the gala and decided to fabricate the story around it.” Saar shrugs.
I know that. I lived that before. But this time, I can’t be discovered. I’m not ready to face my family. Not when things with Declan seem so… promising.
I can’t bring danger to his door. I need to prepare him for that first.
“There were other couples there,” I point out. It’s like finding the reason behind the piece will give me an anchor.
“Like boring married people?” Celeste rolls her eyes. “We are not clickbait anymore. Unless there is cheating.”
“Xander was there with Cora.” Again, what am I trying to prove? I must have suffered a stroke or something.
“He wasn’t looking at me like that.” She turns the tablet back to me.
The event didn’t allow photographers inside the venue, but there were plenty of them in front of it.
The first photo is of me talking to Celeste while Declan looks at me. The admiration in his eyes isundeniable. He is not ogling me. With that gaze, he is owning me. Claiming me.
Jesus. And, of course, someone snatched that one.
The burden of all the secrets crushes my lungs. I can’t do this.
“We’ve been sleeping together.” Some of the shackles dislodge from my stomach. “We don’t want people to know. Not yet.” I drop the tablet.
“So it’s, like, serious?” Celeste speaks first.
I shrug. “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. There is a lot we need to unpack first. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you… But with the kids… And with everything else… I—”
“Hey, hey.” Saar wraps her arm around my shoulder and squeezes. “You don’t owe us anything. You would have told us at some point.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about knowing Declan talks dirty.” Cora scrunches up her nose.
“Let’s pretend it was someone else.” Celeste picks up Amelie to feed her.
“Thank you for understanding. I’m such a cliché.” I chuckle humorlessly.
I try—and fail—to ignore the fact that I’m yet again not telling the whole truth. Because we’re not just lovers. He is not just my employer. We’re married.
I should have never married him. It only layers more complexity over my life, our lives, at the moment. What was I thinking?
Not that I don’t want to be his wife. Oh my God, I do want to be his wife. I need to talk to him and explain everything. With these pictures, my secret may be out soon, and I need to own the narrative.
“I better go. Zoya has a recital.” I stand up.
“She invited me too. Let me call my car.” Saar joins me in saying goodbyes.
“Don’t worry about it,” Celeste whispers. I put my hand on Amelie’s back, the warmth of the newborn giving me unwarranted peace.
We get into Saar’s car. “So you and Declan. Maybe we’ll be sisters-in-law.” She winks, smirking.
