suppose,” he finally said. “But let’s just say I’m afraid that you’ll find I’m not who you think I am.”
“And why would you think that? Is there anything I’m supposed to know about you, anything you want to tell me?” she asked, wanting a specific answer and feeling that it was within her arm’s length. “I promise I won’t get upset.”
“It’s just that you look at me like I’m perfect, and it’s a good feeling, but I’m not. Sometimes, I hurt. Sometimes, I feel weak. Sometimes, I’m afraid. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m the right man for you, if I can love you the way you deserve.”
“Why would you doubt that?”
“Because I love you too much?”
He placed a hand on her cheek, the warmth and sincerity of his hand matching those in his eyes, which also glimmered with a soft sadness and a lot of love. Suddenly, she felt a stab of guilt for having doubted him, for having been trying to find something that was wrong with him when he clearly thought the world of her. Not only that, she felt foolish for having fallen into Lloyd’s trap of making her doubt the man she loved, for allowing herself to be persuaded into thinking the worst of him instead of believing the best in him as she ought.
Well, that was all going to stop now.
She grabbed his hand, pressing it softly to her lips. “I love you, too.”
She leaned forward at the same time as he did, their lips eventually meeting before parting to let tongues collide and entwine.
Whatever it was he was hiding from her, if indeed there was something, she no longer cared.
Chapter Fourteen
“Do you care more for that man than for your own children?” Lloyd asked over the phone, his voice raised a notch.
He was only supposed to call Kate to tell her he wouldn’t be coming back to the house that night because it was already late, but he had ended up asking her if she had talked to Bryan and she had ended up getting mad at him, which had caused him to lose his grip on his own temper.
“Of course not!” she said indignantly. “Look, I may not be able to do as much as you’re doing when it comes to finding the kids but I’m definitely doing all I can and so is Bryan. I don’t care what he’s hiding, if there really is something he’s hiding. For all I know, you could have been…”
“Lying to you and putting doubts into your head just so you would leave him?” He finished the sentence for her. “Do you really think I’d do that, Kate? Just because I told you I still love you?”
There was a pause and he could imagine her blushing on the other hand just as she had when he confessed.
“At any rate, it doesn’t matter,” she said. “Whatever he’s hiding from me doesn’t matter.”
“Doesn’t it?”
“I trust him and if he won’t tell me what it is, then I don’t need to know.”
“Is that really it, Kate?” he could not resist asking her. “Or is it because deep down inside, you don’t really want to know? You’re afraid to know because it might just burst that bubble that you’re in…”
“Don’t tell me how I feel,” she cut him off angrily. “Bryan and I may have only been together for two years but I love him and he loves me. Our relationship is stronger than you think, at least stronger than what you and I had.”
Ouch. He winced at that last remark but continued. “If that is so, then what are you afraid of, Kate?”
“I just don’t want to stick my nose into affairs that don’t concern me.”
“So you’re not really concerned?”
“I have no reason to be,” she said confidently. Even so, he could detect the sliver of doubt in her voice, something in her tone telling him she was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince him.
“Really?”
“Bryan told me he loves me more than anything and that he wouldn’t do anything to lose me.”
“That’s why he won’t tell you his secret. Because he’s scared, too.”
“He loves me,” she repeated.
“And why would you think that? Is there anything I’m supposed to know about you, anything you want to tell me?” she asked, wanting a specific answer and feeling that it was within her arm’s length. “I promise I won’t get upset.”
“It’s just that you look at me like I’m perfect, and it’s a good feeling, but I’m not. Sometimes, I hurt. Sometimes, I feel weak. Sometimes, I’m afraid. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m the right man for you, if I can love you the way you deserve.”
“Why would you doubt that?”
“Because I love you too much?”
He placed a hand on her cheek, the warmth and sincerity of his hand matching those in his eyes, which also glimmered with a soft sadness and a lot of love. Suddenly, she felt a stab of guilt for having doubted him, for having been trying to find something that was wrong with him when he clearly thought the world of her. Not only that, she felt foolish for having fallen into Lloyd’s trap of making her doubt the man she loved, for allowing herself to be persuaded into thinking the worst of him instead of believing the best in him as she ought.
Well, that was all going to stop now.
She grabbed his hand, pressing it softly to her lips. “I love you, too.”
She leaned forward at the same time as he did, their lips eventually meeting before parting to let tongues collide and entwine.
Whatever it was he was hiding from her, if indeed there was something, she no longer cared.
Chapter Fourteen
“Do you care more for that man than for your own children?” Lloyd asked over the phone, his voice raised a notch.
He was only supposed to call Kate to tell her he wouldn’t be coming back to the house that night because it was already late, but he had ended up asking her if she had talked to Bryan and she had ended up getting mad at him, which had caused him to lose his grip on his own temper.
“Of course not!” she said indignantly. “Look, I may not be able to do as much as you’re doing when it comes to finding the kids but I’m definitely doing all I can and so is Bryan. I don’t care what he’s hiding, if there really is something he’s hiding. For all I know, you could have been…”
“Lying to you and putting doubts into your head just so you would leave him?” He finished the sentence for her. “Do you really think I’d do that, Kate? Just because I told you I still love you?”
There was a pause and he could imagine her blushing on the other hand just as she had when he confessed.
“At any rate, it doesn’t matter,” she said. “Whatever he’s hiding from me doesn’t matter.”
“Doesn’t it?”
“I trust him and if he won’t tell me what it is, then I don’t need to know.”
“Is that really it, Kate?” he could not resist asking her. “Or is it because deep down inside, you don’t really want to know? You’re afraid to know because it might just burst that bubble that you’re in…”
“Don’t tell me how I feel,” she cut him off angrily. “Bryan and I may have only been together for two years but I love him and he loves me. Our relationship is stronger than you think, at least stronger than what you and I had.”
Ouch. He winced at that last remark but continued. “If that is so, then what are you afraid of, Kate?”
“I just don’t want to stick my nose into affairs that don’t concern me.”
“So you’re not really concerned?”
“I have no reason to be,” she said confidently. Even so, he could detect the sliver of doubt in her voice, something in her tone telling him she was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince him.
“Really?”
“Bryan told me he loves me more than anything and that he wouldn’t do anything to lose me.”
“That’s why he won’t tell you his secret. Because he’s scared, too.”
“He loves me,” she repeated.
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