Page 134 of What About Us
“No, it’s not. Your dad and I should have told you the truth. And I’m sorry that you got hurt. I never want to hurt you, sweet girl. Neither does your daddy,” I say, still stroking a hand down her hair.
Paige sniffles again and nods, finally meeting my gaze. “How come you guys got married?”
I swallow and cast my eyes around the room. I don’t know how much Hudson wants her to know, but the damage has already been done, and I don’t want to lie to her anymore.
“Do you remember the day Aunt Wren picked you up from camp?”
She nods, her brows scrunched in concentration as she watches me. Her face is dry and she’s not crying anymore. Thank God. I hate to see her hurting.
“Well,” I say, taking a deep breath, “I got very sick at work and—”
“At Timber Haven?” she asks.
I nod. “Yep. And I was so scared. Your daddy… Well, he came and helped me.”
“Did he make you feel better?” she asks, her face lighting up. “Daddy always makes me feel better when I’m sick. Mostly ‘cause he makes me soup and lets me watch TV all day,” she says with a giggle.
I can’t help but smile, and tears burn my eyes, clogging my throat. “He did. He even made me soup.”
“My daddy is the best, huh?” Paige says, smiling so sweetly, it makes my heart ache.
I nod, swiping at the tear that spills down my cheek. “He is.” I pause, taking another deep breath. “Anyway, your daddy helped me get my insulin, and he made sure that I don’t have to worry about it ever again.”
“How?”
“Well, we got married,” I start. “And because we’re married, I can get what I need.”
She watches me, eyes flicking back and forth between mine. “Do you feel better?”
I fight back a sob. “I do. It helped me very much.”
Paige is quiet for a couple of minutes, while she pulls out her dolls from the case on the floor next to us. I watch her, wishing I could take the last thirty minutes away so she wouldn’t be hurting. Hell, soIwouldn’t be hurting. Or Hudson.
“Why is my daddy so mad at my mommy?” she asks.
I blow out a breath, unsure what to say. “Sometimes adults do things that hurt people, and it’s hard not to get angry sometimes.”
“What did Mommy do to hurt Daddy?”
Whathasn’tshe done to hurt him? God, I wish Hudson was here. As hurt as I am for his dismissal, these should be questions that he answers, not me.
I clear my throat, hoping to ease some of the tension there. “You mean the world to your daddy, you know that, right?”
She nods. “He loves me a lot,” she says.
“He does. And when your mom says she’s going to visit or call, and then she doesn’t, it makes him sad.”
“And mad,” she states matter-of-factly.
I nod. “And mad, yes.”
“Mommy said mean things to you, too, huh?” she asks, pushing her hair off her forehead.
“She did,” I say.
“I don’t like that. It’s not nice.” Her lip pouts out.
I reach out and take her hand, giving it a squeeze. “Paige, I want you to know that your dad and I, we didn’t mean to hurt you by getting married. We did it because I needed to feel better. Your daddy has been my best friend for a really long time, and he wanted to help me.”
