Read Online Meant to Be (RightMatch.com Trilogy) by Kathryn Shay - Free Book Online Page A

one.”
    “Come sit with me on the couch.”
    “All right.” Slowly, she crossed the room and sank down on the cushions. He joined her. He reached for her hand and thought she might repel his advance, but she didn’t. Instead, she linked their fingers and held on tight. “It makes sense now. Why you wanted to work at home and started the website. Why finding dates was so hard. Why you didn’t pursue me after that weekend.” She shook her head. “Why you said you didn’t need to have a baby with me. You were fine the way you were. When I asked about the comment, you didn’t answer.”
    “I deceived you badly.” Raising their linked hands, he kissed her fingers. “I’m sorry. My only excuse is I fell in love with you.”
    She didn’t return the sentiment. “It’s water under the bridge now. We’ve got enough to deal with.”
    He saw her face go even more grim, but they had to have this out. Hurting her was killing him. “One of those things is, can you forgive my lies?”
    “I don’t know, Cole. I might be able to. I’d been ready to forgive the lie about your age. But there are larger issues here, more important ones.”
    “I know.”
    Her voice was raw when she said, “Ellie’s the same age as Ava’s daughter, Mariel.”
    He sighed heavily. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
    She smiled at him then. “No, you wouldn’t. You act on your heart, not your head. It can be a good trait.”
    “Which has hurt you.”
    “Yes. And I feel like I’m drowning in your actions. Going under for the third time.”
    Letting go of her hand, he picked up his now-cold coffee and sipped. Zillions of emotions were swirling inside of him. One pushed to the surface. He wanted this woman with an intensity that rocked him to the core.
    “Do you love me, Beth?”
    “Yes.” Her lips trembled and her eyes welled with unshed tears. “Your plan worked. I’ve fallen in love with you.”
    “Then give it a month.”
    She dug fingertips over her closed eyes as if she could stop her feelings from coming out. “Give what a month?”
    “Us. Let’s spend a month together. You can get to know Ellie. See if you can handle us.”
    “I can handle you both, Cole. I’m not sure if I want to.”
    “Then find out.” Grasping her shoulders, he turned her to face him. “Let’s see if we can make a go of it. If we don’t try, we’ll wonder for the rest of our lives what could have been. At least, I will.”
    “Funny, that’s what happened with Peter.” The beloved husband. Fuck it, Cole was already jealous of the guy, and he didn’t like the memory of him intruding on this life-altering decision.
    “What did?” he managed to ask gently.
    “We got married when I was eighteen. He was a partner in an architectural firm. I gave up college plans, everything, to marry him.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “I was pregnant with Ava, Cole. Something I kept from you. Something, actually, I don’t think much about.” She shook herself. “He’d been divorced two years by the time I met him and wanted to get married and start our life together.”
    “Ah, I see. So you ditched all your plans for your own life to be with him.”
    “Yes.”
    Finally, he connected the dots. “I’m not asking you to do that for me, Beth.”
    She turned and faced him, clutching the gold locket she always wore. At that moment, he realized it must be one Peter had given her. “Of course you are. Raising another child will change everything I wanted out of my life from here on.”
    “I don’t agree. It’ll be different from before. I’ll be a different kind of caregiver to my child than Peter obviously was.”
    “Maybe you will. But still, my life would never be the same.”
    “You haven’t been very happy with your life as it is, Beth.”
    “I know. I’m not trying to argue with your points. I’m just stating a fact as I see it. Please, accept that.”
    “All right then, will you change your life for me like you did for Peter?”
    She