Page 48 of Hers to Hold
When he didn’t say anything, she continued. “He got my mother pregnant and never contacted her again. She couldn’t even find him to get child support.” Her lips thinned and her eyes watered, yet her tone held bitterness and anger. “I tracked him down to this city, found out he had another family, and decided to come here and demand some answers.” She sniffed and wiped underneath her eyes. “And then I met my sisters…”
She turned away, her fist covering her mouth.
Whatever resentment had settled into his gut over her deceit had quickly dissolved as he watched her cry. He was still angry, but seeing her in pain hurt a heck of a lot worse. “Kady…”
She sniffed loudly and shook her head. “I knew it was wrong. But I thought it was fate when I got assigned to investigate Drew Callaghan. I justified my deception to myself because I had to maintain my cover.” She faced him again, face tear-stained. “I’m so sorry, Wesley. I…I didn’t mean to…didn’twantto deceive you. Especially when you’re…” She swallowed.
“When I’m working out my own issues,” he finished. He raked a hand through his hair, his scalp moist. The day was getting any early start on heating up. No other joggers had passed since they had begun speaking. Maybe they too had felt the heat. For the first time, they were truly alone. “I guess the doc was right,” he stated absentmindedly.
“About?”
“About not starting a relationship.” He stood and stretched, his whole body tight from tension. “It’s not the right time and clearly”—he swept a hand in her direction—“I’m not discerning at all.”
She shrank into herself. “Wes—”
“No, I don’t blame you. I blame myself. I should’ve…kept my distance. But I guess that would’ve made your job harder, huh? Because youwereusing me to get close to Drew too, right?”
Her gaze faltered.
“That’s what I thought.”
As he walked toward his truck, her light footsteps followed. “Wesley, wait please.”
He abruptly about-faced. “It’s over. Whatever we had…it’s done.”
She nodded. “Of course. About Drew’s campaign—”
“I’ll give you whatever you need. Which reminds me…” He pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket. “The name of the firm running the campaign’s finances and a list of all the contractor firms working for Rankin that are employed by Drew and the projects they’re working on.”
She gingerly took the slip of paper, keeping her eyes downcast. “Thanks.”
“I want you to stay away from me and my daughter.”
Her jaw slacked briefly before she snapped it closed. She nodded once and stepped back. “Fine.”
“Good.”
“Are you going to the FBI with this?” After he nodded, she asked, “I’d like to sit in on that meeting—as a professional, of course. It would help my report if I had firsthand access to the information and what Mr. Callaghan and the FBI plan to do.”
That made sense. Then they wouldn’t have to worry about any spin. She could honestly report what happened and how Drew was moving forward.
Honestly…
Wes questioned how honest she could be after what happened between them. Distrust took root in his stomach again and began to sprout a thousand seedlings all over. He wasn’t satisfied with her earlier answer about if her feelings for him were true. He had cut her off after she mentioned her father and never asked her to finish. Was she being truthful when they were on the back porch at Drew and Kat’s? Or at his home?
I can’t ask her.It was no longer important. She proved she could lie straight to his face and he couldn’t rely on anyone who’d lie for personal gain. When he was deployed, his teammates had to believe that they had one another’s back or they wouldn’t survive. If someone was guarding his six, he trusted that person to be there and do his job. He wouldn’t be free to focus on what was in front of him if he didn’t. How could he have confidence in her after this?
How could he move forward without asking? That ‘what if’ would always be there…
Tempting him.
Tormenting him.
Wes told her the time and place for the meeting with the FBI. Without waiting for her response—and before he had a chance to ask if he meant anything to her—he hopped into his truck. He could handle torment.
“Wes, please!” she yelled, her voice coming through the rolled-up window. “Please don’t say anything.”
Her sisters. He figured that’s what she meant.She hasn’t told them the truth.Knowing how sweet and genuine the Kaye sisters were, it would break their hearts to learn a woman they’d accepted into their homes—their lives—had betrayed them.
