Page 29 of Like You Love Me
“Hey, beautiful.”
Sierra looked up at her mother and said, “Hi, Mommy! Look what I’ve been working on.” Her eyes were wide and proud. Bianca gazed down at a watercolor painting of a tree.
“Oooh! It looks nice.”
“Truly and I are working on the forest scene.” Sierra pointed to a little Asian girl who was off to the right, reaching for a small can of orange paint. “Hello, Mrs. Brown.”
“Hi, Truly. It’s nice to meet you finally.”
“Thank you,” she replied with a toothy grin.
“I’m almost done, Mommy.”
Nodding, Bianca glanced down at the gold watch on her wrist. “Remember we have dinner at your grandparents this evening.”
“Okay, let me clean up and say goodbye to my drama teacher.”
“I’ll take a seat and wait.” Bianca noticed a new text message on her phone, then sauntered over toward the bleachers, took a seat, and stretched her legs out. She had a message from London.
Family drama. Might miss dinner.
She quickly texted back.No worries.
While smiling softly, Bianca thought about how compassionate London was. Her husband was surrounded by women and was always ready to save the day. There would never be a dull moment.
She glanced at the other parents, waiting patiently before her eyes shifted to see several students talking to a man in a huddle. Bianca’s eyes narrowed as she took in his medium height, beefy frame and when the man turned around, she jackknifed to a standing position.
What the—
Bianca quickly put her phone away, rose and walked purposely over to them. The students went back to work while the man started putting equipment away in the storage locker behind him. Bianca stormed over and whispered, “What the hell are you doing here?”
Collin turned and looked at her with liquid brown eyes she had once adored. “I work here.”
“You…” her voice trailed off. This had to be a joke. “Don’t tell me you are Mr. Clark, the drama teacher?”
He nodded, and there was no mistaking the pride on his face. “I was medically retired after I hurt my knee and used my GI benefits to get my degree in education. This is my first teaching assignment.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Bianca said louder than intended and noticed a few students looking curiously at them.
Collin dropped the bag, took her gently by the elbow and led her away from listening ears. “I have been trying to tell you, but you won’t return my calls,” he replied, then looked over his shoulder in Sierra’s direction. Luckily, she hadn’t noticed. “When Sierra auditioned, I realized she was my daughter. I thought she would have been attending one of the private schools. I had no idea she was here at Clinton Elementary School.”
Bianca stared up at him. “I don’t believe you.”
“I didn’t know, and before you say it, I haven’t said anything to her, but I want to be a part of her life, Bianca.”
She snatched her arm away. “You gave that right away.”
“I was stupid, married, and afraid that my military career would be over if my wife found out.”
“No, you were a con man trying to be with more than one woman and thought I would be stupid enough to fall for it.”
“Okay, so maybe I made a few mistakes.”
“Ya think! And now you think you’re going to play me again with my daughter. I remember how you threatened to tell my family the truth if I didn’t give you money, so don’t play.”
“No, that’s not what I’m trying to do. That’s why I sent you that check, so you will understand I am serious. So go ahead and deposit it and put it in an account for Sierra. I just want a chance to get to know her. And being here at the school being her drama teacher is giving me a chance to be in her life just a little bit.”
Bianca rolled her eyes and curbed the urge to yell at him to stay out of their lives.