I buried my face in her shoulder. “I don’t want to cry, Katie.”
“Why? That’s stupid.”
I laughed. Tears spilled down my cheeks. “Because that means it was real.”
“Oh, Cara. Even if he doesn’t feel the same way, that doesn’t mean it’s not real for you.”
But that was just the thing. I didn’t know if he didn’t feel the same way for me. All I knew is that he had decided hecouldn’t. That was almost worse. He had decided to will himself not to care for me.
“He’s made a mistake, Katie. It has to be a mistake.”
“Then you have to let him make it.”
And there, in Katie’s arms, I relinquished my control. I couldn’t make Wesley want me or love me. All I could do was show up the way I had every day since I met him. With my full, open heart.
Maybe then he’d see just how much he’d lost.
Chapter22
Wesley
“How much longer until ten, Daddy?”
“About fifteen minutes.”
Lucy sighed and leaned over the back of the sofa, looking out at the street as she waited for Lisbeth’s car to arrive.
Since I had told Lucy the news, she’d been full of nervous energy, and not in a good way. My usually carefree, spirited little girl was now withdrawn and silent. She would zone out and need to be drawn back into an activity or a conversation.
“How about we play a quick card game, Lucy?” Cara sat down on the couch next to her and touched Lucy’s back.
Lucy shook her head. “No. I just want to wait.”
Cara looked up at me, brow folded with concern. I sighed. There wasn’t anything we could do to distract Lucy from her anxiousness.
I was more grateful than ever for Cara. Despite the obvious hurt I’d caused her, she didn’t shrink away from her duty to Lucy. Every day, she came prepared with fun activities and games. She became the sunlight in our home and Lucy gravitated toward her warmth every minute she could.
I wanted to as well, although I had to keep my distance. Now I wanted her more than ever.
Though Cara was acting as a consummate professional, there was a slight shift in her attire. It felt egotistical to think it had something to do with me, but I couldn’t help it.
Her tops were more low-cut and she opted for formfitting jeans and pants that highlighted the curve of her ass. Every time I looked at her, all I could think about was how many times I’d had her in my arms and how I wanted so much more with her.
On top of that, my bed felt cold and empty without her presence. And the house felt too quiet without her laughter late into the night.
When Lucy requested Cara be there that day, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea. Cara could distract me, and I didn’t want to cause Cara more pain, either. But this was about Lucy and what was best for her. So I let her ask Cara to be here. And she said yes.
I should give her a bonus.
“She’s here!”
I went to the window and caught sight of Lisbeth climbing out of the car, her fiancé helping her out by the hand. “Well, this is the first time she’s been early for anything…” I mumbled.
The three of us went to the front hall. Lucy tentatively opened the door and then rushed to my side. Cara lingered just a few steps back. While she was there to comfort Lucy, her presence also calmed me.
Lisbeth appeared in the doorway with a flourish. Her taste had become more expensive since we had been married, no doubt due to her new lifestyle, and she looked younger.The miracle of Botox.
She smiled, teeth blindingly white, lips slathered in raspberry pigment. “Is that my not-so-little girl?”