A Family Come True by Kris Fletcher

Author:Kris Fletcher [Fletcher, Kris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Superromance
Published: 2015-07-05T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

WHO COULD HAVE guessed that one little sentence could carry such a giant load?

Saying the words, pushing them out despite the tight dryness in his throat, brought a rush of relief that caught Ian off guard. He’d known it wouldn’t be easy to break the news to Darcy. Given the intensity of the silent sigh that slipped through him, he must have been dreading it even more than he thought.

Half a heartbeat later, the relief disappeared under a new wave. Worry over Darcy and Cady. Guilt over the thought that he wouldn’t be around at a time when she might need him most.

Then a black hole of lonely opened inside him and sucked everything else into its maw.

How the hell did he think he could leave?

“Oh. Oh, of course.”

There was no question in her voice. No disbelief or automatic denial, no Wait, I need you. The only emotion seeping through the cracks in the deliberate flatness of her voice was dull acceptance. Almost as if she’d been expecting this.

“It’s not definite yet,” he added quietly. “But Moxie wants to establish a new arm to the business, a charitable foundation, and she wants me to head it up.”

“Oh. Wow. How, um, how perfect for you.”

“Yeah, I thought so, too.” Or at least he had until he heard that forced brightness behind her words.

She sat up, arms hugging her knees, her hair hiding her face. Not that he could see much of her anyway with just the night-light, but still, he missed the tilt of her chin, the flash of her smile.

“So that’s why you came back now. You wanted to test the waters.”

“In a nutshell, yeah.”

“I see.” She curled in on herself a bit more. “Well, I guess I don’t have to worry anymore about how you’re doing, being home.”

“Does it help if I say that having you along made it a lot easier? And not just because of the pretend stuff.”

He wasn’t going to let himself think about the parts he wished weren’t an act—the parts that involved touching. And holding her against his side while Cady snuggled into his shoulder. And sharing secret smiles with her when the others weren’t looking.

“Glad as I am to have helped, right at this minute I kind of wish I hadn’t been so successful, you know?”

“Yeah. I do.”

Did he dare touch her? It might not be the smartest move, given the way he had to drag himself away every time it happened. But this wouldn’t be about him. It would be about easing some of the tightness in the stiff line of her back, the way she hunched over as if trying to hold herself in one piece.

“Darce.” His palm stalled above her shoulder.

Coward.

Steeling himself against the soft strength that was such a part of her, he let his hand settle and squeeze. Her initial flinch changed into something a lot more welcoming as she leaned into his palm. Her hand grabbed his. Her fingers wove through his.

“When will you leave?”

“I don’t know exactly yet.

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