Page 90 of Child of Mine

She crosses her arms over her narrow chest. “Then you have to be brave. I mean, you could give up,” she adds, like I’d better not. “But you do have that little girl to think about.” She shifts and reaches for the door handle. “Does she have a drinking problem?”

“Uh… wh—what makes you ask that?”

Tilting her head to the side, she squints into the mid-distance. “You haven’t had a beer since I got here, and there’s none in the fridge. I wondered why.”

“Well, yes. She did. But it’s a huge secret because it happened when she was a kid on the soap opera. You can’t talk about it to anyone, okay?”

Ignoring that, she asks, “She’s a good mom, isn’t she?”

“She is,” I say, slowly removing the keys from the ignition.

“You might have to be willing to be number two on the priority list for a bit. That usually happens after you’ve been together a while, you know, when a baby comes. Both of you would take a back seat to the other while you put most of your energy into that little life.”

“I’ve been trying to show her that I can be a good dad,” I say, sounding a little too whiny even to myself. Bella’sThat tone doesn’t work on me, misterechoes in my mind.

She’s not reaching for her door handle either, making me think she appreciates this little bubble as much as I do. “Good,” she says, nodding. “But what would happen if you took a chance and told her how you feel?”

“What if she shuts me out?” I ask, my voice barely more than a whisper.

“Then you accept that she’s not ready, but you don’t give up. Give her time. She’ll grow to trust you. You’re a good man, Henry, if I do say so myself.” She pats me on the shoulder and then busies herself with gathering her things and exiting the car. “You have to trust that. And enjoy the good times. When she pulls away, don’t take it personally. That’s true for Lilah too. They’ve lived without you for years. Give them a chance to get used to the idea of you.”

Letting all this sink in, I usher my mom into the apartment and get ready for bed.

Alone, but determined that it won’t be this way for long.

Chapter 19

Dear Editor:

I’m the official president of the new Mary Tanner Fan Club. As you know, she portrays Laura onThe Daring & The Divine. Anyone interested in joining, please contact JANE DINGUS, RD#1, Box 145 Elizabeth, PA 15037. Sincerely, Jane Dingus

Dear Readers:

Before joining any fan clubs, we suggest that you write to the serial asking for a “proof” letter from the star to ensure that the club is bona fide. It’s possible for there to be more than one club for a particular actor, but don’t pay those dues until you’ve got confirmation! –Editor, Soap Chat

BELLA

It’s been a long week between getting Lilah through all the changes, Henry’s mother sweeping into our lives, and long shoot days capped off by performances. What my days are not ending with is sex with Henry. I’d like to spend as much time together as possible naked and horizontal—or, what the heck, vertical would work too—but there’s nowhere to do it.

His mom is lovely, if a bit pushy, and Lilah loves her. But she’s sleeping at Henry’s apartment. It’s too soon to have Henry spend the night at my place—I don’t want Lilah to assume he’s moving in with us since I don’t even know if that’s something either of us want. Nor am I up for facing Mrs. Smith at breakfast after spending the night with her son. She seems like the no-sex-until-marriage type.

So Friday lunchtime, when he buzzes me from his office and asks me to meet him to work out “a few kinks in the schedule,” I don’t care that we’re in a building with hundreds of other people, including a bunch of impressionable preteens. Maybe he’s found some secluded, unused office where we can have a lunchtime quickie. To make things easier, I stop by the bathroom on the way, step into a stall, and step out of my panties. After stowing them in my purse and touching up my lipstick, I’m ready.

Unfortunately, when I get to his office, James is there too.

With a calendar.

To work out kinks in the schedule.

Just like Henry said.

When James finally leaves, I close Henry’s office door and shove him up against it. “I thought working out kinks meant that you found some secret place to have sex,Hal.”

He doesn’t drop eye contact as he reaches back to lock the door behind him. “I do have a couch. And I don’t have a meeting for half an hour,Bel.”

“Neither do I. And if you check under my skirt, you’ll find that I came prepared.”

“Did you now?” Sliding his big hands up the backs of my thighs, he palms my butt cheeks, picks me up, and carries me onto the couch. Grinding into his ready-to-go erection, I scrape my fingernails through his beard and drag my lips over his, teasing them apart with my tongue. When he growls, I wriggle out of his hold and push him onto the couch.

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