Page 79 of Silver Linings

“Jesus. So what? She got a restraining order, and you swooped in to help her?”

“She didn’t get a restraining order on the prick. His parents are influential in our hometown and she was certain it wouldn’t stick. But yes. I convinced her to marry me so she could say I was Sage’s father and I could keep them both safe.”

“So it was just friendship, but you kissed her. You feel more.”

“I thought she did, too. I mean, fuck, the signals she’s sent me since day one screamed she wanted more, but I was worried about crossing the line. And tonight, I just did.”

“Okay. That’s okay.”

“She fucking pulled back, Hawk. Like she didn’t want to hurt me when she rejected me.”

“I’m going to tell you this, Reap. The woman I saw in the hallway was not upset because she rejected you and you handled it badly. She was crying like you had rejected her.”

Fuck.

Twenty-Five

“Oh, she’s just darling! How old?”

“Thank you,” Lily smiled warmly at the older woman who was looking at Sage in her stroller. She’d taken to walking in the park each morning after Gunner left for work. Things between them hadn’t thawed since their kiss, and Lily was having a hard time being in the apartment. “She’s two months old. I can hardly believe it. I swear she was just in my belly, kicking the breath out of my lungs.”

“I remember those days so well,” the woman laughed. “And I see you’re out getting some exercise with her. That’s good. You’ll want to lose the baby weight as fast as you can, otherwise it sticks with you for life. It’ll be a good example for her, and your husband will thank you. Trust me when I say men never want to see a reminder of what your body went through to bring their child into the world. You have their babies and then they want their pre-baby wife back right away.”

“I…uh,” Lily didn’t know how to respond. She’d always been on the curvier side, and certainly with Sage’s pregnancy had gained more weight than she’d planned to, but did she really still look bad? “Yes. Exercise is important. I like to get fresh air for the baby.”

“Good. Good. You know, when I was trying to lose the baby weight from my boys, I also restricted my calories. I would skip breakfast and lunch all together and just eat a small salad for dinner. Maybe you could try that.” The stranger’s eyes roamed over her body and she felt herself shrinking back from the judgmental gaze. “I think you have a little more to lose than I did, but with a little determination, I’m sure you can do it.”

Tears stung at the back of her eyes. All she could think about were the countless diets she’d put herself through from the time she was seven until she got pregnant with Sage. There wasn’t a single one out there that she hadn’t tried. Not a single one that she hadn’t hoped would be the diet to give her the figure she always wanted. She wanted to do better for her daughter, but the woman’s words rang out so loud in her mind.

“Thank you for the advice. I don’t want to be rude, but we need to get going. She’ll want to nurse here before too long.” Lily patted Sage’s tummy and thanked the universe when she seemed to take the hint.

“Aw honey, you’re welcome. I hope it helps.” The woman walked past her on the sidewalk, patting her shoulder as she did.

“Lily?” Gunner watched her push her food around her plate. “Are you feeling okay?”

Something had been wrong all afternoon. When he’d come home from work, he’d expected Lily to tell him how her day went. He knew she was going to take the baby to the park and look at some of the shops around town. But she said nothing.

Instead, he found her sitting on the couch, staring at the TV while Sage napped. She’d given him one-word answers to the questions he tried to ask, then retreated to her room and shut her door. He wondered if she would have even come out for dinner if he hadn’t gone to her door and made it a point to tell her the food was on the table while scooping a sleeping Sage out of her arms and placing her in the bassinet.

Things between them had been strained, but he didn’t think it was bad enough to cause this level of distress in her.

“Of course. I’m fine,” she said, her eyes not leaving her plate.

“You’re not fine. I’ve never seen you fiddle with your dinner like that before. I thought you liked pasta? We’ve had it a bunch before.”

“I do like pasta. It’s just…was that Sage?” her head lifted, and she looked down the hall.

“No. Don’t use our daughter to avoid talking to me.”

“That’s not what I’m doing, Gunner. I thought I heard her fussing.”

“The only person fussing is you. I can’t watch you push another piece of pasta across your plate. Tell me what’s wrong.” Worry squeezed his chest. “Is it your blood pressure? Are you feeling nauseous?”

“No, Gunner. Nothing is wrong. I just…I’m just going back on a diet. I need to lose the weight I gained from having Sage.”

“What the fuck, Lil? Who put that stupid idea in your head?”

“What? No one. I just don’t like how my clothes are fitting, that’s all.”