Belong (Seven Year Itch #3)(39)

I'd walked through the valley of death, only to be rescued by a man I'd thought I had lost forever. One night was all it took to remind me what we'd never let go of. I may have kept my feelings dormant, but it was apparent they'd never gone away. I was just as much in love with him as I had been ten years ago. Now I didn't know which end was up.

On one hand I could see myself falling into a hot affair, getting so swept away with potential that nothing else in my life mattered.

On the other hand, it was evident Chad had enough on his plate to deal with aside from our ?rekindled affair.

As much as I knew it would end badly, I refused to steer clear of him and his daughter.

The little cutie allowed me to pick out a special outfit for her to wear on our day trip. I braided her hair in pigtails, taking in how much I enjoyed doing it. Harper seemed elated with her look, running to find her father and show it off. The look in Chad's eyes said it all. He seemed happy, for the first time since we had reconnected. Don't get me wrong, I knew Chad was as happy as I was to be back together, but there was still a million things that had to be dealt with before we could finally believe we'd be able to make it this time.

Aside from the obvious struggles we were about to endure, his wife scared the shit out of me. The idea of her doing anything to tear me away from Chad made it hard to want to fight, especially since I'd already known how difficult it had been to get over him the first time. When I say unbearable, I mean it was constricting, an unimaginable ache that refused to dissipate. Had I not gone back to Grayson I'm unsure how long I would have suffered. When he left me I felt rejected. It never occurred to me that he'd done it so I didn't have to make the choice.

The hard facts were impossible to ignore. I'd loved two men at the same time. Some would say it's impossible, but they've obviously never lived my life. They've not had their heart broken by one man, only to have it mended by another. Something snapped in me. I gave in to temptation and fulfilled my every desire ?with Chad, losing myself in him completely. He made my pain manageable at first, and finally it withered away until I was able to forgive. By that time I was addicted. Like a drug feign, I craved to be with Chad, the younger, sexy entrepreneur. He had everything going for him, and the biggest heart I'd ever known.

For a while I thought we'd run off into the sunset together, being business partners by day, and making love by night.



?The idea of having that kind of excitement back in my life was exhilarating. I recalled how wonderful Chad was as a lover. He didn't have to trick me into being with him. A few hours of reminiscing was all it took. I couldn't resist his touch, those strong hands that had maneuvered over every inch of my body. His love beckoned me. Immediately I felt like I needed him like I needed air to breathe.

Now I was right smack in the middle of a messy situation. ?I had planned on sneaking out before he could stop me. I knew it was best to run from what was happening, before I was in too deep to escape.

When Chad stopped me I knew it was too late. He wasn't going to let me out of his sight. Chad was too smart to take chances this time. He was willing to show the world we were together, even when someone else was still legally his wife.

I was familiar with Charles' driver, so when Tobin showed up to take us into town I wasn't surprised. ?He greeted me like an old acquaintance, smiling when he realized Chad and I were prancing around like a real couple. I didn't think much of it. To be honest, I was too love-struck to care about anything other than being close to Chad.

Our ride into the city was short, even including the planned stop to purchase me some clothes, seeing as my house was in the opposite direction.

Harper was cute helping me pick out a few things. I enjoyed including her, and didn't even mind that Chad stayed in the car to set an appointment for the reading of Charles' will.

After paying for my items, I took Chad's daughter with me into the changing room so I could get out of his sweat pants and T-shirt.

Harper watch me stripping down. I turned to face the wall, wondering if it were inappropriate. "Are you going to be my daddy's girlfriend now?" She asked.

I turned around once my shirt was on. "Your daddy is a special friend of mine. I've known him since before you were born."

"Before he married my mommy?"

"Right. Harper, are you sure you're okay with me joining you today?"

"Yes. It's okay." She paused for a second. "You're pretty. How come you don't wear makeup like my mommy?"

"I do sometimes."

"I'm not allowed to wear makeup. Daddy says it will make me ugly, but Mommy says I can when I'm older."

"My daughter was fifteen when she started wearing it."

She looked amused. "You're a mommy too?"

"Want to know a secret?" I waited for her to nod her head before continuing. "I'm about to be a grandmother. My daughter is having a baby."

Her eyes lit up as she giggled. "I like babies."

"Me too. I'm super excited. I can't wait to hold her."

"Mommy told me a secret too. She says I can hold my brother or sister when they come out of her tummy."

My happy moment vanished. In the blink of an eye I'd been stripped of a future with Chad for the second time in my life. His wife was expecting, and no matter how much I wished we could still make it work, I knew his life was going to lead him back to California. There was no way he would leave his newborn baby.