“Why don’t you take the kids for a little tour while I talk to Cass?”
“Sure,” Pete said. “Come on, kids.”
“Cool,” Max said.
“Okay,” Kyra surprisingly agreed, a hint of excitement in her tone.
“So,” Ray said, his eyes still full of caution.
“I—”
“Let me guess. You heard a rumor about me?”
I nodded.
“One that involved my son and his fiancé, right?”
I nodded again.
“Cass, I want to tell you the full story. I don’t want to do that here. I want to say it when I’m ready. It’s hard. It’s painful.”
I dipped my head.
“I’m not proud of myself.”
So that meant it was true. Ray really had slept with his son’s fiancé.
He grunted, then put his hands on his hips. He looked down at his black work boots and said, “Promise me you will not listen to the gossip mill. Promise me you will believe in me. Promise me you will give me a chance?”
“It’s hard Ray,” I said. I felt my heart squeeze a bit. “You know what my ex-husband did. Trust is hard for me.”
“Fair enough,” he said.
We stared at each other for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.
“I know this is probably not the perfect time to ask, but will you be my date for my son’s wedding?”
I blinked.
“It’s next weekend in Beach City. The kids are welcome to come, too.”
“I—”
“Just say you will think about it,” he almost begged. “Let me know soon, though. Okay?”
I nodded. There was a huge part of me that wanted to say yes now, but the hurt and untrusting part of me kept my mouth shut.
Chapter Eight
“Mom, can you help me with my room?” Kyra asked after she ate breakfast on Tuesday morning. Still in her pajamas, she sat in the only other chair in my office.
I was shocked. I had tried to help Kyra with her room since we’d moved in. She still had stuff in boxes.
“Sure,” I said. “I can help on my lunch break and then when I’m officially off work.”
“Okay,” she said. “I don’t think I’m going to unpack everything. But I don’t want to throw it all out or give it away yet, either. Is there somewhere we can put the boxes I haven’t opened yet?”
“Absolutely,” I answered. “We can either put them in the shed in the backyard or in the rafters in the garage.”