Page 255 of Unexpected Heroine

“Why are you sorry?”

“I’d imagine most people want to think they were conceived in love. Although it wasn’t with Abby, perhaps it could have been if we’d met under different circumstances. We dated casually for a few months when I was between two rather rough tours in the Army. My head wasn’t on straight. It wasn’t serious for me. However, I do remember her fondly. She was a good person.”

He blinks, lost in the memories. A wide grin slowly spreads across his face.

It makes me happier than a pig in slop to see him remembering her this way.

“I met her in a bar near base on open mic night. All the guys were trying to get her attention. For whatever reason, I was the only one she gave a second look. She was sweet. Funny. Pretty like you. And damn... she could sing like an angel.”

My heart swells, pressing against my chest wall. I rub it with my knuckles to ease the sensation. “I sing too.”

Amusement shines in his eyes. “You do?”

My ears and cheeks burn with a blush coating my upper body. “Yes. I love singing.”

As his smile grows bigger and brighter, a dimple pops on one cheek.

Not sure why, but each time I make him grin, something sparks inside my chest. It’s a resounding joy I’ve missed since Papa passed. Maybe my body and soul know I’m a part of this man. Does he feel it too? Could that be why his face has grown softer and more relaxed?

He shifts forward, bringing himself ever-so-slightly closer. “I kicked Tomer out of here before he told me how you guys met. Care to share?”

Crying at a gas pump while Tomer was stalking me isn’t the vibe I want for this meeting, so I evade the question. “Are you gonna fire him?”

The grooves beside his eyes deepen, and he shakes his head decisively. “No.”

Odd.

He’s already firm in his decision less than an hour later. Perhaps I should ask for that DNA test after all, considering my reaction was the opposite.

“Really? You aren’t mad at him?” I wobble my head back and forth. “Hells bells, I was about to tear him a new one on your behalf when I found out how long he hid it from you.”

“Oh, I’m furious at him.”

“But not enough to fire him?” My gaze travels the space around us. “You’ll still trust him with all the things he has access to for your entire company?”

He doesn’t answer at first. Just nibbles on the inside of his cheek, staring at the coffee table. After a heavy pause, he simply answers, “Yes. I will.”

Maybe my father isn’t that bright.

“Haven’t you ever heard the fool me once expression? Seems apropos in this case.”

A rumble comes from him, a laugh starting low and deep in his chest.

Maybe my father isn’t only dumb as a donkey, he’s unwell mentally. You know? Like he only has one oar in the water.

Given my entire state of being, that would explain a lot about me.

When his laughter dries up, he pins me with an astute glare. “Tomer doesn’t do anything without a reason. After a year, you must have learned that about him.”

Dragging my fingers through my hair, I look away, hiding my pain behind a forced laugh. Tears prick at the back of my eyes, threatening to come.

“I thought I knew him well,” I eventually admit, my voice quivering. “Everything I thought I knew was a lie.”

Once I’ve managed to keep my face from springing leaks, I meet his stormy eyes. The skin between his brows crimps, and the wrinkles almost concealed by his beard deepen.

But his eyes. Damn.

They burn into me as if he sees straight into my soul.

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