Page 77 of Silver Linings
How could he be so attentive to her needs when it came to her health and Sage, but he couldn’t see her as a woman with needs, too? Needs that she so desperately wanted him to take care of.
“Lily?” Mae stood in front of her, grocery bags in hand and a concerned smile painted across her face, while Hawk looked at her like she was a ticking time bomb. “Are you okay?”
She just shook her head. Why did his rejection hurt so much?
“Do you want to come over and talk? I just picked up three different types of ice cream and I have wine. I even have a nice quilt we can lay out on the floor for Sage to play on when she wakes up.” She smiled at the baby in Lily’s arms.
“I don’t want to interrupt whatever you guys had planned for the night.”
“You’re not interrupting anything. This idiot was about to head downstairs for a workout.” Mae pointed at her brother and Lily let out a soggy laugh.
“Are you sure?” she raised a questioning eyebrow in Hawk’s direction.
“Despite her terrible track record with telling the truth, Mae isn’t lying now.” Mae jabbed her elbow into Hawk’s stomach and he let out a grunt. “I was about to work out, but maybe I should visit a certain neighbor of ours and give him hell for making a beautiful woman cry? We saw him going downstairs, and he was certainly in a mood.”
“No, that’s not necessary. I made myself cry, I promise.”
“Now, why would you do that, gorgeous?”
“Because I’m an idiot.” She smiled at Hawk.
“Ahh, you and Mae being fast friends makes so much sense now.”
“Would you shut up, stop flirting with her, and go spend some time downstairs? Preferably all night, you meathead.”
“I’ll definitely leave you two to chat once I get these groceries inside and can change into my gym clothes. Let’s go. Can’t have the ice cream melting on you.”
“I wasn’t even sure what I was doing leaving the apartment, but you’re the answer to prayers, Mae. We won’t stay long.” Lily waved to Hawk as he left the apartment.
“Oh, hush. I could use some girl time myself and you know I’m always up for baby snuggles.”
“She makes everything feel like it’s going to be okay.”
“It will be, honey. Now come sit down and tell me what that bonehead did to make you cry. I’ll kick his ass myself before ice cream if you want me to.”
“Can I tell you something no one else knows?”
“Of course. Anything you tell me will stay between us, Lil.”
“Keep it a secret. It can never get out, even to the other guys on the team.”
“You’re scaring me Lily. Are you okay?”
“Yes. Thanks to Gunner.”
“What does that mean?”
“Gunner and I grew up together, so we didn’t lie when we said we’ve known each other our whole lives. But before he came back to say goodbye to his mom, I hadn’t seen him in almost five years.” She waited for the information to sink in. “I was nine months pregnant when he came home.”
Mae’s eyes grew wide with understanding. “So he’s not…”
“No. He’s not Sage’s biological father. And he only married me because…well because I’m pathetic and found myself in a really tough spot.”
“You are not pathetic. There is no situation that you could have been in where I will accept that assessment of yourself.”
“That’s really sweet of you to say, Mae, but honestly, I was. I was with my ex-fiance, biding my time until I could get away because he was a deadbeat who drank all our money away and got physical with me more than once. When Gunner came back, he saw the bruises. He saved me one night when I thought my ex was going to kill me. We got married so that James would leave me alone. And because Gunner is amazing, he claimed Sage as his so that James’s parents wouldn’t be able to take the baby away from me.”
“But the way he is with Sage. And with you. I just can’t wrap my head around it being an act. He’s literally the most truthful guy I know.”