Page 76 of A Brambleberry Summer

“You must promise me. Swear it.”

He seemed to blink at her vehemence, but then nodded. “I swear. I won’t tell her. This is not my secret to tell, Rosa. Again, please trust me enough to know I would never betray you.”

Oh, she wanted to trust him. The urge to step back into his arms was so overpowering, she had to wrap her own arms around herself to keep from doing it. “I thank you. She might have come from an ugly time in my life but none of that was her fault. She is the most beautiful, precious girl. From the moment I felt her move inside me, I loved her. I wanted so much to keep her but it was... It was impossible.”

“You were only a child yourself.”

“Yes. What would I do with a baby? I had no way to take care of her myself, though I wanted to.”

“It’s obvious you love her. Whether she knows the truth or not, there is a bond between you.”

“How could anyone not love her? Bella is wonderful. Smart and pretty, always kind. She reminds me of my mother.”

“That’s funny. She reminds me ofhermother, now that I know who she is.”

She blushed at the intensity in her voice. “Carrie is her mother. She has loved her and cared for her far better than I ever could.”

“Do Joe and Carrie know?”

“Yes. Of course. I would not have come here without telling them. When Anna asked me to come to help her with the store, I knew I must tell Carrie and Joe first. I called them to see how they might feel if I moved to town. I did not want to cause them any tension or discomfort.”

“What did they say?”

“They welcomed me. They have always been so kind to me. Always. From the day we met in the hospital. They never once made me feel as if I had...done something wrong.”

“Because you hadn’t!”

She sighed. It was easy for others to say that. They had not lived her journey. “I know that most of the time but sometimes I do wonder. I made foolish choices. Dangerous choices. And because of that, an innocent child was born.”

He reached for her hands again and curled his fingers around hers. To Rosa’s shock, he lifted her hands and pressed first one hand to his mouth and then the other.

“You did nothing wrong, Rosa.Nothing.You were an innocent child yourself, looking for a brighter future. You couldn’t have known what would happen to you.”

Tears spilled out again at his words and the healing balm they offered. He was not disgusted by her story. She did not know why. It seemed the second miracle of her life.

He pulled her back into his arms. She knew she should try to be strong but she couldn’t. Not right now. She would try to find the strength later to restore distance between them but right now she needed the heat and comfort of him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest again, wishing she could stay here forever.

“If Carrie and Joe know the truth, why doesn’t Bella?”

Thinking about it made her stomach hurt. This was her greatest fear. Every day, she worried Bella would learn the truth and would come to hate her.

“They wanted to tell her but I—I begged them not to. I thought it would be better for her if I could be in her life only as a friend. Maybe like a sort of...older sister or cousin.”

“Why would that be better?”

She shrugged against him. “How do I tell her that she was created through an act of violence at a time in my life I wish I could forget?”

“You wouldn’t have to tell her that part.”

“What do I say when she asks me about her father? I did not know how I could answer that. I still do not know. How can I tell her I do not even know his name? No. It is better that she not know the truth.”

His silence told her he didn’t agree.

“When I came here, I did not want to intrude in her life,” she said. “Carrie and Joe are her parents in every way that matters and they have been wonderful to her. I only wanted to...see her. Make sure she was happy. Healthy. I thought I would only be here a short time but then I came to love her and to love Cannon Beach and Brambleberry House. Anna offered me a partnership in the store and it became harder to think about leaving.”

“I am glad you stayed. So glad,” he said. And before she realized what he intended, he lowered his mouth and kissed her with a sweetness and gentleness that took her breath.

Her mouth still burned where she had been hit, but she ignored it, lost in the peace and wonder of kissing the man she loved on a moonswept beach.

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