with a shrug.
My body tingled at his words, starting at our joined hands and traveling through my limbs.
I suddenly felt terrible about not being totally honest with him. He kept making mention of honesty and how he liked the fact that we were straight with each other. I had to tell him about Karrie.
I squeezed his hand and stopped, looking up at him as I chewed on my bottom lip nervously. “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Judd.”
“You mean the vagueness about your number and where you live?” Judd asked. “I’m not worried about it. I’ll talk you into telling me that stuff eventually. You won’t be able to resist my charms.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
He was so freakin’ cute.
“Do you have time to go for a walk before class?” I asked, my nerves suddenly taking over. “I’d like to show you where I live.”
Judd looked pleased.
“Let’s go,” he replied.
I kept my hand in his, reveling in the comfort it provided as I worried that he would no longer want to touch me after he found out about Karrie.
We were quiet as we walked, so I noticed a slight change in Judd’s gait as we neared housing.
Judd paused and turned to me. “You live in the burbs?”
I nodded and saw the anger cross his features.
“You’re married?” he said tightly.
“I’m not, I swear.” I replied.
I tugged on his hand to get him to follow me, walking him up the sidewalk to my meager home and opening the door. I held it open to allow him to enter the house before me.
He dropped my hand and went inside.
I immediately felt the chill on my hand from the loss.
Judd walked around silently, and I viewed the house as it would look through his eyes.
A child obviously lived there.
A small Dora chair sat in the corner next to the sofa, and there were toys in a large pink plastic bucket against the wall.
Judd looked at the toys, then back at me. His expression remained stoic as he continued to look around.
Artwork adorned the walls, both mine and Karrie’s. Judd walked around, studying my drawings and paintings, then stopped to look at a finger-painting Karrie had done.
I tried not to be embarrassed by our third-hand furniture, but I couldn’t stop the emotion as he looked around our small home.
After studying it for a few moments, he walked back toward the kitchen and eventually looked into both bedrooms in the back of the house. I couldn’t blame him for not believing that I wasn’t married, but I had been lying to him. Just not about that.
After he finished looking around, he walked back into the living room and sat down on the sofa, putting his head in his hands.
I wasn’t sure if he would want me to sit next to him or not, so I stayed where I was and waited for him to say something. Anything.
After a few minutes, he looked up at me and asked, “You have a daughter?”
I felt like I’d been sideswiped. Sam had a kid, and she’d never so much as hinted at that fact. I knew she’d been hesitant to tell me much about herself, but I’d figured she’d been screwed over by some guy.
I guess she had been. Literally.
I was trying to remain calm and not let the betrayal I felt turn to anger. But it was a struggle.
I looked up at her, waiting for her response, and my anger dulled a bit at how anxious she looked. Her hair was pulled back into a braid, so her face was uncovered and allowed me to see how pale she looked. She was twisting her hands nervously, looking like she would be sick at any moment.
Sam nodded and answered, “Yes, I have a daughter. Karrie.”
“But you aren’t married?” I asked again, wanting to be absolutely sure that this was the truth.
“No, I’ve never been married,” she said softly as she hung her head. I could tell that she was embarrassed, and I really wanted to take her in my arms, but I wasn’t ready to let her off the hook yet.
“I need to know all of it,” I said.
“Okay,” Sam said softly. She looked uncertainly
My body tingled at his words, starting at our joined hands and traveling through my limbs.
I suddenly felt terrible about not being totally honest with him. He kept making mention of honesty and how he liked the fact that we were straight with each other. I had to tell him about Karrie.
I squeezed his hand and stopped, looking up at him as I chewed on my bottom lip nervously. “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Judd.”
“You mean the vagueness about your number and where you live?” Judd asked. “I’m not worried about it. I’ll talk you into telling me that stuff eventually. You won’t be able to resist my charms.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
He was so freakin’ cute.
“Do you have time to go for a walk before class?” I asked, my nerves suddenly taking over. “I’d like to show you where I live.”
Judd looked pleased.
“Let’s go,” he replied.
I kept my hand in his, reveling in the comfort it provided as I worried that he would no longer want to touch me after he found out about Karrie.
We were quiet as we walked, so I noticed a slight change in Judd’s gait as we neared housing.
Judd paused and turned to me. “You live in the burbs?”
I nodded and saw the anger cross his features.
“You’re married?” he said tightly.
“I’m not, I swear.” I replied.
I tugged on his hand to get him to follow me, walking him up the sidewalk to my meager home and opening the door. I held it open to allow him to enter the house before me.
He dropped my hand and went inside.
I immediately felt the chill on my hand from the loss.
Judd walked around silently, and I viewed the house as it would look through his eyes.
A child obviously lived there.
A small Dora chair sat in the corner next to the sofa, and there were toys in a large pink plastic bucket against the wall.
Judd looked at the toys, then back at me. His expression remained stoic as he continued to look around.
Artwork adorned the walls, both mine and Karrie’s. Judd walked around, studying my drawings and paintings, then stopped to look at a finger-painting Karrie had done.
I tried not to be embarrassed by our third-hand furniture, but I couldn’t stop the emotion as he looked around our small home.
After studying it for a few moments, he walked back toward the kitchen and eventually looked into both bedrooms in the back of the house. I couldn’t blame him for not believing that I wasn’t married, but I had been lying to him. Just not about that.
After he finished looking around, he walked back into the living room and sat down on the sofa, putting his head in his hands.
I wasn’t sure if he would want me to sit next to him or not, so I stayed where I was and waited for him to say something. Anything.
After a few minutes, he looked up at me and asked, “You have a daughter?”
I felt like I’d been sideswiped. Sam had a kid, and she’d never so much as hinted at that fact. I knew she’d been hesitant to tell me much about herself, but I’d figured she’d been screwed over by some guy.
I guess she had been. Literally.
I was trying to remain calm and not let the betrayal I felt turn to anger. But it was a struggle.
I looked up at her, waiting for her response, and my anger dulled a bit at how anxious she looked. Her hair was pulled back into a braid, so her face was uncovered and allowed me to see how pale she looked. She was twisting her hands nervously, looking like she would be sick at any moment.
Sam nodded and answered, “Yes, I have a daughter. Karrie.”
“But you aren’t married?” I asked again, wanting to be absolutely sure that this was the truth.
“No, I’ve never been married,” she said softly as she hung her head. I could tell that she was embarrassed, and I really wanted to take her in my arms, but I wasn’t ready to let her off the hook yet.
“I need to know all of it,” I said.
“Okay,” Sam said softly. She looked uncertainly
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