Page 32 of Starting Anew

She deserved the chance to explain. He deserved the chance to hear it, too.

He didn’t touch his water, but watched as she took a long drink of hers. Only after she put the glass on the coffee table did she finally turn to him, her eyes swimming with unshed tears.

“I was going to tell you today. You shouldn’t have had to find out like that.”

“Honestly? I’m still not sure what I’ve found out. I’m confused, Lynn. Or is that even your name?” So much for giving her time to explain. He hated the hurt in her eyes in response to his words.

But instead of crying or shutting down, she straightened her spine and gripped her hands in her lap. Her knuckles turned white. “Lynn is my sister’s middle name, and Crosby is my mom’s maiden name.” She paused. “My real name is Bethany Truitt.” She held up a hand and hurriedly continued. “Please give me a chance to explain.”

Nathan motioned for her to do so even though his head was already spinning. So the guy at the restaurant was right. It took effort to keep his face neutral as he listened to how she’d pursued a music career against her parents’ wishes.

He had a hard time understanding how her parents would’ve cut her out of their lives for following her dreams. Had she talked to them about it? Did they really understand how important it was to her? Did she try to involve them in her life after she left the house, or did she just leave home behind without looking back?

She told him about how she’d finally decided to leave the music industry because they kept pressuring her to turn her back on her morals.

Nathan had a lot of respect for that.

But then she made up a name. Disappeared.

Why? If she’d really followed her heart and what she thought was best for her life both when she left home and when she left the music industry, then why not own it?

And why hide it from him?

Unless she didn’t trust him as much as she thought he did.

That thought hit him like a blow to the chest. He struggled to refocus on her words.

“I wanted to tell you earlier. I almost did several times. It’s just…” Lynn shrugged, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “I guess the timing never did seem right. Which I know is only an excuse. Because there’s never a right time to tell someone something like this.” She gave a wry chuckle. “As demonstrated today.”

“I’ve got to admit being ambushed at the restaurant by a bunch of old fans and media isn’t exactly the best way to find out my girlfriend isn’t who I thought she was.” He realized he’d used the wordgirlfriendand flinched when the flash of surprise and hope in her eyes was quickly chased away by disappointment.

That was certainly an emotion he was more than familiar with.

A big part of him wanted to reach for Lynn.Bethany. And reassure her they could figure this out. At the same time, his thoughts shifted to Mia.

His little girl had already lost more than she ever should have. Maybe he couldn’t protect her from everything all her life, but he could protect her while she was young. He had to.

Watching Lynn now—he just couldn’t think of her as Bethany, not yet—had his heart aching. He’d pictured having a life together. He could see Lynn tucking Mia in each night, or holding a little boy with her eyes and his smile. But now… Had he let his emotions get in the way of his better judgment?

When things got difficult before, she dropped everything and disappeared, creating a new life for herself. Now that her real identity had been revealed, would she feel pressured to repeat history?

Lynn finally swallowed. “I’m sorry, Nathan. You and Mia mean a lot to me…” Her voice broke. “I don’t want to lose what we have.”

“Neither do I. But there’s a lot to think about right now.” Nathan stood and walked away from her to a window at the front of her house. He glanced out, half expecting to see a group of people waiting to pounce if the door were to open. Thankfully, with the exception of their vehicles and a couple cars parked across the street, there was nothing to worry about.

He raked his fingers through his hair before turning around. He stopped in front of her, and she lifted her chin to look at him from her spot on the couch.

He had a feeling there was still something she hadn’t told him. As much as he hated it, he needed to listen to his gut and not let his lack of judgment get the better of him again.

“I think we need to take some time. At least I need some time to process all of this.”

Lynn nodded slowly, the look on her face telling him she’d expected his response. “Should I call you? Or…”

“I’ll give you a call, okay? Meanwhile,” he pointed toward the front door, “make sure to lock the door behind me.”

Nathan thought back to the restaurant and the way all the people there had zero regard for Lynn as a person. The instinct to stay close and protect her kicked into full gear. But he had to think of Mia right now, and he had a lot of sorting to do.

As much as he hated to, he had to walk away for now. “You should call Sharon.”

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