Page 35 of Rhythm Of Redemption

Logan's voice was gentle as he reassured her. “She didn't mean it. She doesn't hate you, she's just angry, that's all.”

“Do you want me to speak to her?” Logan asked casually.

“You?” Lou's voice echoed her surprise.

“Yeah, we talk sometimes.”

“What about?” she asked, curiosity lacing her tone.

He shrugged. “Just things, you know. What she’d like to do after school, her father … just normal stuff.”

“Her father?” Lou was taken aback. “What does she say about him?”

He shifted, clearly uneasy. “She … mentioned missing him—”

“Don’t tell me,” she interrupted with a scornful laugh. “I chased him away with my nagging, right?”

“No, actually. She said the opposite.”

“The opposite? You must have misheard because anything that goes wrong around here is my fault, didn’t you know? My husband’s affair with a woman almost half his age or the fact that he can’t afford to pay for his own daughter because apparently, I got everything in the divorce. It’s also my fault that I haven’t been able to afford the loan repayments on this place for the last three months and that unless I can conjure up some guests this summer, we’re going to find ourselves homeless. And on top of all that, I’m a lousy mother whose daughter hates her.” And with that, she burst into tears.

“Hey,” Logan said, drawing her into his arms. “You are anything but a lousy mother. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about.” He began soothingly rubbing her back. “And Dani doesn't hate you.”

“Yes, she does,” Lou argued.

He gently pulled back, lifting her chin until she was forced to meet his eyes. “No, she doesn't. She was just upset, blowing off steam. She knows you love her and want what's best for her.”

Regret etched on her face, she admitted, “I messed up. I told her about the baby.”

“Baby?” He felt the colour drain from his face.

“Not mine, you idiot,” she let out a small chuckle. “Her father's.”

“Dani has a sibling? She never said anything.”

“That's because she didn't know until I blurted it out.”

“Didn't her father tell her?”

“He was waiting for the right time, he said.”

“There might still be time, though. When's the baby due?”

“A few weeks, I think.”

“I see.”

“I've been asking him for months to tell her. I even offered to do it myself. Not that it was something I wanted to do, but I felt it was better for her to know sooner rather than later. Dani's not one for surprises. Discovering your dad is going to be a father again is a lot to handle. Now she knows, and she'll blame me for not telling her sooner.”

“How is it your fault? He's an adult. It was his job to tell her,” Logan reasoned.

She let out a cynical snort. “You'd think so. But Dani idolises her dad, always has. And somehow, he’ll turn things around so that I'll end up being the bad guy, yet again.”

“Just talk to her.”

“I will.”

“Well, there’s no time like the present.”

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