Page 13 of Small Town Prince Charming

Coffee dripped into the pot and the scent filled the room. Coffee always reminded her of a hug or sweater, full of warmth and smelled like home.

“Hold on.” He walked away for a moment, then returned. “She’s happy as a clam. She loves that show and sometimes steals my phone to watch online.”

“I’ve never seen it.” When the coffee finished brewing, she filled two mugs.

“Will you let me help you, please? I feel like I’m doing nothing.” He sighed. “How much was dinner?”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s my treat.” She handed him one of the mugs. “You’re tired, and you’ve shouldered this for a long time alone. I’ve got the means to help.”

He abandoned the cup and grasped her hips. He placed her on the counter. “Are you back from the great big city to whisk me out of my life?”

“I’m here because you need a friend, and I want to help. I’m here because I have extra and I can share, but mostly because I want to do this.” She wrapped her hands around her mug. “I missed you, too.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.” Why not tell him the truth?

“Tracey.”

“What?” She wasn’t a fan of tension, and it was too thick between them. She fiddled with her coffee cup. “I’m being honest. I never forgot you.”

“I’m not exciting.”

“You might not think you are, but I do.” She placed her cup on the counter and reached for him. “I don’t expect anything from you or in return for my helping.”

“Tracey.”

She sighed. “I’m pushing too hard, aren’t I?”

“No.” He scrubbed both hands over his face. “I’m not good for you.”

“Why?” She didn’t believe him. “What did you do?”

“It’s not what I did.” He shook his head. “It’s what I’m putting up with.”

She reached for him again and held onto his hands. “This is me. We were friends, and I told you everything. You were the only guy who saw me for me and didn’t just believe that stupid rumor. No one else—not even my own mother—believed I wasn’t sleeping with all of those guys.”

“I remember.” He inched closer and didn’t let go. “But you also told me you needed to get out of this town because it was too suffocating. Too small.”

“At the time I believed that, and I was naïve, but I don’t regret going.” She wanted him closer. “Ryan, I also said I wanted to sing on Broadway. We see how well that turned out. I’ll never be a showstopper, not with this voice.”

“You could’ve. You’re good.”

“I have a tiny range.” She squeezed his hands. “There is nothing you can say that would change my mind.”

“Don’t be so sure.”

She stared into his eyes and swore she saw forever. He was the one she’d been searching for. “Try me.”

He didn’t speak right away. Instead, he stared at her and the silence unnerved her. She clung to the hope he’d tell her his truths because she didn’t like the chasm between them.

“Ryan?” she murmured.

“Here goes nothing. I am legally Maisey’s father. When Jess died, she didn’t leave a will, so it took me a lot of money and maneuvering to get custody. I couldn’t imagine, nor did I want, Maisey to go into the system, so I fought like hell for her.”

“As you should’ve and I applaud you,” she said.

“You’re the only one. Carol thought I was nuts.” He sighed. “Right after we graduated, she told me she was pregnant. Jess was off doing whatever she did, and Maisey wasn’t even a thought yet, but I wanted to do right by Carol, so I married her. Dumbly, I paid for a kid that wasn’t mine. She didn’t tell me Sasha wasn’t mine until she was born, and the guy Carol had been sleeping with showed up to celebrate the birth of his daughter. I insisted on a DNA test, and sure enough, Will Nadler was her father. I would’ve taken care of her and Carol, no matter what, but the lies damn near killed me.”

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