The Bad Daughter(95)

“Which isn’t my problem. Cassidy’s not my problem. And if you’re smart you won’t let guilt and a misguided sense of loyalty make her yours either.”

“So what are you suggesting? That we just abandon her?”

“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m coming right out and saying that I have no intention of being a mother to that child. I’ve done my time as far as motherhood is concerned. Trust me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. So it looks like (a) she goes to live with either her father or her grandmother, (b) she becomes a ward of the court, or (c) you take her back with you to L.A. Those are the options.” Melanie looked to Blake, her eyes challenging his. “What say you, Blake? Are you ready to be a father to a teenage girl you barely know?”

“It’s a lot to think about,” he admitted after a silence of several seconds.

“Yes, and unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of time. Even if our father survives the weekend, the odds are he’ll be a vegetable for whatever time he has left, and much as I’ve enjoyed our time together, I can’t play hostess forever. I have to get back to work. Tillie’s won’t hold my job forever. And nothing is going to be accomplished by your hanging around indefinitely.”

“Our brother…”

“…is in jail. There’s nothing you can do about that, except maybe visit him for half an hour twice a week until he goes to trial, which might not be for another six months. And that’s assuming he’ll agree to see you. Are you really going to put your life on hold that long? I don’t think so. No. The party’s over. Your fiancé is heading back to L.A. on Sunday, and I strongly suggest you go with him. What you do with Cassidy is up to you. But face it, Robin. You really don’t want her any more than I do.”

Robin lowered her head, the weight of her sister’s words falling squarely on her shoulders. As much as she hated hearing them, she couldn’t dismiss them out of hand. Did she really want the responsibility of taking Cassidy back to L.A. to live with her and Blake? Was she ready to be the mother of a teenage girl, to raise Tara’s child as her own?

“We’ll figure things out,” Blake said, putting his arm around her and turning her toward the living room.

Which was when they saw her.

Cassidy was standing at the foot of the stairs, her mouth open, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Cassidy…,” Robin said, reaching for her. How long had she been standing there? How much had she overheard?

In response, Cassidy turned on her heel and ran back up the stairs. Seconds later, the door to her room slammed shut.

“I honestly didn’t know she was there,” Melanie said.

“I’ll talk to her,” Robin said.

“And say what?”

Robin shook her head. “I have no idea.”





CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN


“So what are we going to do?” Robin asked, lying beside Blake in bed, flutters of anxiety weaving between her heartbeats.

“What do you want to do? Ultimately it’s your decision.”

“No. It affects you as much as it affects me. It has to be something we decide together.”

“And if I say I’m not ready?”

“Is that what you’re saying?”

“I don’t know.”

It was almost midnight. They’d been going back and forth like this ever since dinner, reviewing their options, listing the pros and cons. Nobody except Melanie had been hungry, so most of the extra-large pizza they’d ordered had remained in the box. Landon had come downstairs eventually and helped himself to a couple of slices, but Cassidy had remained locked in her room, despite repeated attempts by both Robin and Blake to get her to talk.

“Okay,” Blake said. “What if we suggest a compromise? Offer to have Cassidy with us for part of the time.”

Robin sat up beside him, considering his suggestion. “It wouldn’t work, even if Melanie agreed to it, which she won’t. Cassidy needs stability. She needs love.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “She needs us.”

There was a long pause. “Then I guess that settles that,” Blake said. “Decision made.”

“Is it the right one?”

“Time will tell.”

“What about us?” she asked.

“What about us?”

“I don’t want to lose you.”

Another long pause. “You won’t lose me,” Blake said. “Don’t you know that by now?”

Robin swiveled around to face him. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.”

They fell back against the pillows, wrapped in each other’s arms.

“Should I go wake up Cassidy and tell her?” she asked.

“Sure. Why not?”

Robin got out of bed, threw a housecoat over her nightgown, and left the room. She tiptoed across the hall, listening at Cassidy’s door, about to knock.

She heard the sound of a door opening and turned around, expecting to see Blake. Instead she saw Landon, wearing pajama bottoms and naked from the waist up. He was even more massive than she’d imagined, his neck thick, his chest chiseled and muscular.

“Landon,” she acknowledged. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”