Page 882 of One More Kiss

“Yes. So when investigators started sniffing around, showing people from a meeting they’d raided photos, they picked me. People knew me. I was quasi-famous. No one knew my brother.”

“Why didn’t you—”

“Why didn’t I tell the truth? Imagine, me telling the authorities my brother was entertaining the idea of becoming a communist, in part because he was a ‘queer’ and trying to impress another ‘queer?’ Because my brother would have gone to prison, Lu. It would have killed him. I couldn’t allow it. I left home, left my family, to keep that from happening.”

“I’m so sorry, so sorry.” She reached out to touch his face, skimming her fingers along his jaw. “Forgive me.”

Her lips brushed his cheek then fell wet on his lips. The blanket fell from her body, and she pressed against him, hot skin to hot skin, still slick with their lovemaking. She aroused him endlessly.

But he held her at arm’s length.

“Your turn. What happened with your family?”

She looked to the floor. “I had a baby. And I’ve never been married.”

Her words were like a kick in the gut. How did Max not know she had a child? Was he so self-involved he did not realize this?

He—or she—would have been about ten now. But something in her demeanor was wrong. It wasn’t simply the shame of having a baby out of wedlock. Something more troubled her.

“What else? Where is your child, Lu? You’ve never mentioned him—her—before. Is the child in Tennessee?”

“I’m not sure if I had a boy or girl. The hospital never told me. The people in the maternity home never told me. I never asked. They all told me I had to give it up for adoption, give it to people who were married, able to care for a baby. My parents shipped me to the home as soon as they discovered I was pregnant and could secure a place for me. No one ever asked what I wanted. It was my body, my baby, but I had no say. I was so angry, I never returned home.” She sobbed, and Max’s hands balled up in anger for her.

“What about the father?”

“What about him? Honestly?”

“Honestly.” He repeated the answer he gave her last night.

“Honestly Max, I don’t know who the father was. I was a victory girl, a khaki-wacky…who knows how many names they called me. I came from a nice family. I was a good girl. But I had to do my part, dance with the soldiers, and give them a proper send-off. In the span of a few months, I had probably a dozen partners, and in the weeks when I might have gotten pregnant, probably three or four.”

“Oh.”

Lu winced, her face paling before she looked down. She’d perceived his monosyllabic response as judgment. He felt quite the opposite.

He picked up the blanket, wrapped it and his arms around her. Pressed kisses to her forehead, her cheeks, her lips. “I’m sorry. Sorry you had to go through that. Sorry for the shame people inflicted on you. It wasn’t fair. Isn’t fair.”

He picked her up, cradling her to his chest, carried her to the settee. He sat down and held her, hoping to give her some small measure of comfort for all she’d been through.

“The doctor…when I was knocked out, I bled and bled and they took my uterus, a hysterectomy. I can’t have babies, Max.”

She cried, for minutes, hours…he lost track of time, but he let her cry until she was spent, her sobs slowing to sniffles, and then finally, quiet. He kissed the top of her head and laid her down. Her eyes were still opened, so she wasn’t asleep, but she seemed peaceful so Max didn’t disturb her with words. He left her there and got dressed, then went to clean up from dinner, stuffing the bags and pizza box and all the uneaten food into a waste basket off stage.

“I came to help, but you’re too efficient.”

He jumped at the sound of her soft voice, and turned to find her fully dressed, except for stockings, which she held in her hand.

“Thank you. I’m about done.” He held the bottle of wine in her direction. “Care to help me with this?”

She grinned, brightening the room, and his heart. “Absolutely.”

Lu took the bottle, taking a healthy swig before handing it back to him. He took one last drink before giving her the rest.

“It’s a good thing we don’t have to drive home.” She laughed.

Home. He didn’t want to go home without her, but she couldn’t risk being spotted leaving his house in the morning, nor would the opposite be helpful to her.

“Yes. Speaking of, let me walk you home. It’s nearly midnight.” He checked his watch. “After midnight. I need to make sure you get home safely.”

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