12
Ouch.Nothing stung like the honesty of a child. Especially one in a particularly vicious mood. They seemed to have a sixth sense for which nerves to poke, and while Faith knew her relationship with Shane wasn’t real, so she wouldn’t have to reconcile Dylan to the idea of her as a stepmother, his rejection hurt. How many evenings had they played video games together, or taken turns putting Hunter to bed because Dylan liked to do that sometimes too?
She understood his not wanting things to change. Most kids from broken homes wanted to see their parents get back together, or at the very least, avoid a stepparent who might ruin the family dynamic, but that didn’t stop her eyes from flooding with tears the moment she was out of sight. Hunter, being the absolute darling he was, grabbed her hand and tried to pull her into bed for cuddles. With one arm around his narrow shoulders and the other holding the book, she read him a story about a dog who’d lost his bum. It was his favorite, and she could recite the text by heart. Before she reached the end, he’d fallen asleep.
Easing from the bed, she pulled the blankets up to his chin, then switched on his night-light and turned off the overhead lights. She sank to the floor and drew her knees to her chest. She didn’t want to return to the lounge. She’d rather not know whether Shane and Dylan had discussed her. She’d rather slink out the back door and walk the short journey home. Unfortunately, she’d left her coat and purse in the other room.
Climbing to her feet, she hauled in a lungful of air and put her game face on. In her experience, it was best not to let people see they’d gotten to you. She lifted the corners of her mouth, put a bounce in her step, and headed down the hall. At the end, she hesitated, listening until she could be sure she wasn’t interrupting something, and then entered the living room with her chin held high.
“Dylan has something to say to you,” Shane said as she closed the door.
She resisted the urge to cross her arms and turned to Dylan. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
Confusion flicked across his features, along with shame and a heavy dose of reluctance. “I’m sorry.”
She nodded, steeling herself so she didn’t betray the extent of her hurt. “Apology accepted. Perhaps next time you ought to make sure someone isn’t within earshot before saying anything negative about them.”
“Yeah.” A flush crept up his cheeks. “I will.”
“Great.” She retrieved her jacket from the back of the sofa, slipped it on, buttoned it up, and then grabbed her purse and shoved it into one of the pockets. “I’d best be off. You two have a nice night.”
She strode to the exit, but Shane rushed to her side and stopped her as she reached it.
“Wait, don’t leave angry. We should talk about this.”
“I’m not angry,” she lied. “Life’s too short to waste being upset about what people say.” Aware that Dylan was watching, she didn’t kiss Shane’s cheek as she’d have liked to. “Dylan needs you,” she added. “Honestly, I’m fine. Thanks for tonight. I enjoyed having you there.”
“You’re welcome.” He looked baffled. “I’ll always be there for you. Surely you know that.”
She nodded. “I do. Bye, now.”
“I’ll give you a ride home.”
“I’d prefer to walk, thanks.”
She left before he could change her mind and strolled down the sidewalk, her path lit by streetlamps. Cold air swirled around her neck, and she pulled her jacket up around her ears to keep warm. As her heels clacked along the asphalt, she couldn’t help but wonder whether the chemistry growing between her and Shane was worth pursuing. How much was she prepared to sacrifice to have him? Could she handle being cast in the role of evil stepmother?
No, she didn’t think so. She enjoyed her uniqueness and didn’t generally care if people disapproved of her clothing or the things she said, but when it came to Shane’s family, she did care. She couldn’t turn it off. And having someone who didn’t want her there would be a nightmare. Sighing, she resolved not to think about men of any age for the remainder of the night. Her parents and Leon would be leaving tomorrow, so she’d focus on getting a decent sleep and then enjoying her morning with them.
It turnedout that after an evening with the most beautiful woman Shane knew, spending two days without her was like trying to quit sugar cold turkey. He craved her. And yeah, they’d talked on the phone, during which he’d apologized for Dylan again, but everything was different now. Their fake relationship had ended, and it seemed that anything between them had also gone up in smoke.
He stood at the kitchen counter, slicing vegetables and adding them to pots. They were ready to go on the stove when someone knocked on the door.
“Dylan, can you get that?” he called out.
“It’s probably Faith,” Dylan muttered, not having recovered from being grounded for a week following his fake illness.
For several seconds, Shane heard nothing, but then a thud echoed through the house, followed by the sound of something being dragged. Intrigued, and slightly concerned, he dried his hands and followed the noise. Just inside the door, he found Dylan and a tall, slim woman with pale blonde hair. The floor fell away beneath him. He knew who she was before she turned, but he prayed he’d gotten it wrong. Brilliant blue eyes speared him as her plump pink lips stretched into a million-dollar smile, and her nose was tipped with red because of the cold.
Diana.
She beamed at him. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
He couldn’t manage to respond. He hadn’t seen her in person since he’d kissed her goodbye four years ago and came home to find her gone. She hadn’t returned to the bay, and he’d never visited her in Los Angeles after he hunted her down. Why would he? She’d abandoned him.
“What are you doing here, Diana?”
“She’s back,” Dylan proclaimed, grinning even more broadly than his actress mother.