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Authors: Barbara White Daille
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interesting.”
He shrugged. “What’s wrong with that?”
“You never settled long enough to find out what happened.” Just as he hadn’t stayed long enough with her to see if their marriage would work. But how could she blame him for that? Her throat tightened. She took a sip of juice.
He didn’t say another word.
She frowned. Somehow, even in her clouded state these past two days, she had noted something different about him. After Shay’s departure, she recalled their heated argument and his flat refusal to leave her alone with the kids. He had gone to her room to get a fresh cloth for the baby. And he had come back quieter. More thoughtful. More subdued.
At that point, he couldn’t have known his babysitting job would drag on for another two days. Maybe he had already regretted insisting he would stay. How must he feel now?
“All that sleep did me a lot of good. You could—”
“Don’t even suggest it.”
He settled back in the chair as if to keep her from forcibly throwing him out. The thought made her wince. “I’m sorry about...our conversation the other day.”
“Conversation?”
“What I said to you.”
“Such as?”
She stiffened. “You’re going to make me spell it out?”
“Why not? You didn’t have any problem saying it the first time.”
“All right, I called you a sperm donor. Maybe I shouldn’t have said it. And I’ve just apologized. But it doesn’t matter now. You were right—our relationship’s old history. And that makes me question again why you’re here.”
He froze for a long moment. The television stayed on the same channel, tuned to an early weather report. The blonde with the toothpaste-ad smile assured viewers temperatures would be mild for the next few days—no surprise for New Mexico even in the middle of winter.
The silence stretched on. Whatever he was going to say, she wouldn’t like hearing it. She wondered how the temperature would be between them once he finally gave her an answer. Already, she could feel herself growing warm. Uncomfortable. Agitated.
Chapter Six
Despite the years they’d been apart, he was discovering he still knew Layne. Which meant he knew his announcement wouldn’t sit well with her at all. Unlike a few days ago when she’d asked him straight-out why he’d come back, she didn’t look on the verge of fainting. And there were no kids in the room to interrupt and save him from having to answer. He had no way of getting out of this conversation.
That didn’t mean he had to unload everything at once.
“I want to make up for lost time,” he said simply.
“What?”
He almost laughed as he took in the same look of dismay he had seen when he’d mentioned her bathroom reports. Did she think “lost time” meant getting together with her again? The laughter curdled in the back of his throat. He swallowed hard. “I want to pay off the child support I already owe you and make arrangements to keep paying going forward.”
“I don’t want money from you, Jason. I’ve never wanted it. You knew that.”
“How could I not know,” he said bitterly, “when one after another, all my letters kept coming back. Guess I should have expected that. You’d made it plain enough after you turned down my offer of alimony and child support—when you swore to me you’d be better off as a single parent. None of those are things I’m likely ever to forget.” To this day, he could also remember the reactions that had surged inside him. Anger. Disgust. Disillusionment.
Coming back here couldn’t change any of that, couldn’t erase it as if it had never been. All he could do now was put the memories aside and go forward. “That’s all old history, too. I was young and dumb enough—and all right, angry enough at the time—to take you at your word about not needing the support. Now I’m not.”
“Thanks anyway.”
His fingers tightened around the remote. The television volume jumped a few notches. The sound of a police siren
He shrugged. “What’s wrong with that?”
“You never settled long enough to find out what happened.” Just as he hadn’t stayed long enough with her to see if their marriage would work. But how could she blame him for that? Her throat tightened. She took a sip of juice.
He didn’t say another word.
She frowned. Somehow, even in her clouded state these past two days, she had noted something different about him. After Shay’s departure, she recalled their heated argument and his flat refusal to leave her alone with the kids. He had gone to her room to get a fresh cloth for the baby. And he had come back quieter. More thoughtful. More subdued.
At that point, he couldn’t have known his babysitting job would drag on for another two days. Maybe he had already regretted insisting he would stay. How must he feel now?
“All that sleep did me a lot of good. You could—”
“Don’t even suggest it.”
He settled back in the chair as if to keep her from forcibly throwing him out. The thought made her wince. “I’m sorry about...our conversation the other day.”
“Conversation?”
“What I said to you.”
“Such as?”
She stiffened. “You’re going to make me spell it out?”
“Why not? You didn’t have any problem saying it the first time.”
“All right, I called you a sperm donor. Maybe I shouldn’t have said it. And I’ve just apologized. But it doesn’t matter now. You were right—our relationship’s old history. And that makes me question again why you’re here.”
He froze for a long moment. The television stayed on the same channel, tuned to an early weather report. The blonde with the toothpaste-ad smile assured viewers temperatures would be mild for the next few days—no surprise for New Mexico even in the middle of winter.
The silence stretched on. Whatever he was going to say, she wouldn’t like hearing it. She wondered how the temperature would be between them once he finally gave her an answer. Already, she could feel herself growing warm. Uncomfortable. Agitated.
Chapter Six
Despite the years they’d been apart, he was discovering he still knew Layne. Which meant he knew his announcement wouldn’t sit well with her at all. Unlike a few days ago when she’d asked him straight-out why he’d come back, she didn’t look on the verge of fainting. And there were no kids in the room to interrupt and save him from having to answer. He had no way of getting out of this conversation.
That didn’t mean he had to unload everything at once.
“I want to make up for lost time,” he said simply.
“What?”
He almost laughed as he took in the same look of dismay he had seen when he’d mentioned her bathroom reports. Did she think “lost time” meant getting together with her again? The laughter curdled in the back of his throat. He swallowed hard. “I want to pay off the child support I already owe you and make arrangements to keep paying going forward.”
“I don’t want money from you, Jason. I’ve never wanted it. You knew that.”
“How could I not know,” he said bitterly, “when one after another, all my letters kept coming back. Guess I should have expected that. You’d made it plain enough after you turned down my offer of alimony and child support—when you swore to me you’d be better off as a single parent. None of those are things I’m likely ever to forget.” To this day, he could also remember the reactions that had surged inside him. Anger. Disgust. Disillusionment.
Coming back here couldn’t change any of that, couldn’t erase it as if it had never been. All he could do now was put the memories aside and go forward. “That’s all old history, too. I was young and dumb enough—and all right, angry enough at the time—to take you at your word about not needing the support. Now I’m not.”
“Thanks anyway.”
His fingers tightened around the remote. The television volume jumped a few notches. The sound of a police siren
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