Page 10 of Always a Fake Bridesmaid
He had been so kind, so caring. He also had been good in bed, and always made sure I was taken care of when we were out.
But one positive pregnancy test later, and he had run away. He hadn’t even bothered to run with his tail between his legs. No, he had run with his chin held high and two middle fingers in the air.
And I hated him more with each passing day. I knew it wasn’t healthy. I knew I shouldn’t think about him at all. He had never met his daughter—had never even cared to reach out.
It was his loss. I knew that.
Yet there was always some part of me that was afraid he would show up and try to take my daughter from me. It didn’t make any sense, but his family had connections. If theybothered, they could. They had that power.
And their power scared me more than anything.
Only, we couldn’t find him to ensure my daughter was safe in my arms for eternity.
Part of me hoped he had run away and never wanted to look back. His family didn’t contact us, and while I appreciated that, I could not sever that connection fully without knowing where he was. And honestly, it worried me that Montgomery Security—my family’s company who could findanyoneand keep them safe—couldn’t find Brick.
Because what was my ex hiding?
And when would he come back so my own choices would haunt me as they always did.
It didn’t help that Amelia was starting to ask more questions about her daddy. She had been so enamored with all of the men in my family, that I had hoped that would be enough. That I would be enough.
Between my father, brother, cousins, and uncles, I had hoped there would be enough men in her life that she would not feel the lack of not having a father around.
But now she wanted to know him.
And I didn’t have any answers for her.
She was far too young, far too precious. And I was failing as a mother. I knew that.
Only I was out of options on how to make things better.
“Earth to Livvy,” Aria said from my side.
I jolted out of my thoughts and turned to my cousin. Before I could say anything, however, Amelia jumped into my arms and I fell back on the blanket, all three of us laughing until our sides hurt. I set my daughter up with her snack and bubble water and tried to be content with what we had, rather than worry for whatcouldhave happened.
I looked over at Aria and forced a smile, pushing those thoughts from my head. She had her dark hair pulled back from her face in a twisted knot that had mostly come undone. And somehow it totally worked for her.
My cousin also had that odd look in her eyes that told me she was just as far deep into her thoughts as I was.
I wanted to help Aria. We all did. But she was never going to allow us.
And Aria wasn’t one to ask for help.
The call is coming from inside the house.
Because yes, I was just the same. It worried me that both of us pushed away thoughts of help and our families when we needed them the most. Considering how amazing our families were. Perhaps that was the problem. Everybody was so good at what they did, so selfless, that it was hard to be the one who needed help.
“Sorry. I’m delighted that you’re out here today.”
Aria studied my face for a moment, and a small smile appeared. “I’m glad I’m here too. I’ve been lost in the woods recently with my latest project. So it’s good for me to get out a bit more.”
“Can you talk about your project?” I asked, as interested in her art as ever.
“Soon. I’m just trying to get in the thick of it. You know me. Once I start talking about it too much, I either lose interest, or I screw up.”
“No that’s not the case.” I scratched my nose. “I loved your latest venture. The show was absolutely stunning.”
A blush crossed Aria’s cheeks, and she did that shrug she always did when she didn’t like taking compliments. I didn’t blame her since I was the same. “It helps our family owns the gallery.”
