Page 28 of Hidden Desire
“What?” she said.
“Grace and I got married today,” he said.
The little girl thought about it for a long moment. “Why didn’t I get to go to it?”
“It was very quick. Only Phillips and Channing were here. If Grace decides she wants a larger wedding later, we can absolutely plan one.”
Hannah turned to her. “So, you and Daddy are married?”
Grace glanced up at Robert quickly. “Yes, I suppose.”
Hannah looked back at her father. “Does that make her my mommy now?”
Grace’s heart sank. She hadn’t thought about that. Although the idea was a dream come true, she didn’t trust what was going on, and the thought of hurting this child if she had to leave would break her heart.
Robert smiled and nodded. “Yes, it does. She’s your stepmother now.”
Hannah wrinkled her nose. “But stepmothers are mean. I don’t want Grace to be mean.”
Robert chuckled. “Grace could never be mean, Honey. I guarantee she loves you already and will make the best mom you could ever have.”
The little girl looked back at her. “Do you love me?”
Grace blinked quickly to keep her tears from falling and smiled brightly. “Yes. Since the day I met you, I’ve dreamed of having a child one day. Now that it’s you, it makes me so incredibly happy.”
Hannah smiled and hugged her tightly. “I love you, too.”
Hannah looked up at her. “So, you love Daddy, too?”
Grace’s eyes rose to his and saw a hard glint in his eyes she didn’t understand. Was it cynical, irritation, or even a bit of hostility? She didn’t know what he wanted her to say.
“Oh, well, I think your dad is a wonderful man.”
“But do you love him?” Hannah persisted.
Without looking at the man, she answered. “Yes, Honey. I do.” Grace kept her eyes on the girl because she didn’t want to see a negative expression on his face.
Hannah turned to her father. “And you love Grace, right, Daddy?”
“Yes, Baby, I do.”
Grace’s shocked eyes flew to his face. The fact that he said that so quickly made her think he might just have feelings for her, but then the hard look in his eyes made her stomach twist into a painful knot. She quickly looked away from him.
“Did you have any other questions?” Robert asked Hannah.
She shook her head. “No. I’m glad we’re a family.” The little girl reached for both of their hands.
It was about as much as she could take at the moment. “I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
She could feel the heat of Robert’s gaze as it followed her from the room. Once locked in the bathroom, she let the tears out. Grace sank to the floor against the wall and pressed her face onto her bent knees, trying to keep her cries quiet. When she got the worst of the tightness in her chest and was able to stop crying, she stood.
Oh, God. She was bright red and had swollen eyes. She grabbed a washcloth and put it under the cold stream of water before pressing it against her face. She did this several times until the swelling had gone down a bit and the redness was gone.
When she reached the family room doorway, she inhaled and exhaled before putting on a small smile and walking into the room.
She hadn’t quite made it to the sofa where the other two were sitting when she could see from the scowl on Robert’s face that he knew she had been crying. Fortunately, he didn’t say anything right then, but it was only a matter of time.
She sat next to Hannah and squeezed the little girl’s hand when she reached for hers.