Page 39 of Baby Blue
“The time and money I spent on you wasn’t wasted. It was an investment.” Quick as lightning, she was down on the floor with him, kneeling in front of him, her knees touching his, and she reached for his hands. Hers were warm and soft when she gripped his, and he found himself clutching hers in return as he looked up at her. “I believe in you, Brent. I believe you can do this, that you can raise this little girl and make a decent life for her. Iknowyou can do it!”
He sighed. “What makes you so sure?”
His heartbeat quickened when her hand left his and she lifted his face with a finger under his chin. “Because I can see your heart. You think you’ve hidden it from everybody, but you wear it on your sleeve. And you love that little girl. I happen to believe love conquers all,” she said and gave him a gentle smile.
“Nobody believes in me,” Blue said in almost a whimper.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to change my name to Nobody,” Anne whispered to him and leaned in.
When their lips met, Blue felt things he’d never felt before, like someone had opened a window and let fresh air into his soul. It wasn’t a hot, passionate kiss, but rather something that was soothing and innocent. The last time he’d been kissed like that was with…
Bettina. Blue jerked away. “You don’t want to do this, Anne. Seriously. You don’t.”
Her eyes were sad when she asked, “Why?”
“Because I’m a loser. Because I’ve mistreated every woman I’ve ever been with. Because, because…” he sputtered, “because you deserve better.”
“I deserve better? Who’s better than you?”
“Anybody.”
“Anybody? Have I told you about my ex?”
Blue shook his head. “No. Just that he’s an asshole.”
“Have I told you what he does for a living?” Anne asked, her lips pursing, and a fleeting thought of how cute she looked like that flitted through Blue’s mind.
“No.”
“He’s an automotive engineer.” She waited. “Do you know what that means?”
“You mean like a glorified mechanic?” Blue asked.
“No. I mean like at the factory. I mean like in design and rendering. Blue,” Anne said with a sigh, “my ex makes almost half a million dollars a year.”
Blue shook his head to make the buzzing sound go away. “I could’ve sworn you just said half a million dollars a year.”
“I did.” Anne wiggled around and stood, then reached down for his hand. When he took hers, she pulled him up and led him to the sofa. Once they sat down and got comfortable, he watched as she stared at her hands. “He makes almost half a million dollars a year, and he’s never given me one red cent. I fought him for the first two years, but the last time the kids saw him and I found out how badly he’d treated them, I just left it and hoped we’d never hear from him again. He’s got a new wife and a couple of kids, and he doesn’t give a shit about Polly or Toady. And you’re calling yourself a loser?” She snorted. “I think you’d better rethink the definition of that word, because you’re anything but a loser.”
Blue didn’t miss a beat. “But I’ve mistreated the women I’ve been with, Anne.”
“In what way? Did you beat them?”
“No! I’d never hit a woman!”
“Rape them?”
Blue snorted. “Hell no. Yeah, sometimes I like it a little rough, but no, I’ve never forced a woman to do anything she didn’t want to do.”
“So you said I deserve better. Ihadbetter, Brent, or at least what you consider better, and he was a douchebag of the highest order. I don’t give a shit what you’ve done in the past. Today is today. Tomorrow is what you make of it.” She sat there, silent, and Blue wondered what to say or do. She finally said, “I’ve watched you love that little girl. You’re capable of love. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone who loves you?”
“No one’s ever loved me but Bettina,” he whispered, the pain in his chest expanding.
“Who’s Bettina?”
“She’s my old girlfriend. I loved her, I really did, and she loved me.” He knew what she was going to ask, and he really didn’t want to talk about it, but it was inevitable.
She took his hand and without thinking, he wove his fingers through hers. “What happened?”
