Until You Loved Me (Silver Springs #3)(81)

“You’ll do it one day. If anyone can save the world, it’s you.”

When she couldn’t respond because she’d just covered her mouth to stifle a sob, he said, “Ellie? You still there?”

After struggling to gain control of her emotions, she managed a fairly normal-sounding “Yeah. Sorry. I was, um, checking my phone. I was getting another call, but it’s nothing important. I’m back.”

“How’re things with Don? Still awkward?”

“About the same.”

“He blew it, letting you go.”

She rolled her eyes. “He likes men, Dad. He left me for his best friend.”

“So? He’s missing out.”

She laughed in spite of her tears. “Only a father could say that.”

“I’ll always be your biggest fan, Ellie Girl. There’s no one as wonderful as you.”

His unbridled love made her choke up again. “I miss you,” she murmured.

“I miss you, too. When can you come to France?”

“I wouldn’t count on that happening.”

“Because...”

Rubbing the swell her baby was creating, she stared down at her belly. “There’s too much going on.”

“Can’t it wait for a week or two?”

She decided to take a small step toward the truth. What she eventually had to divulge would be less shocking if she revealed bits and pieces along the way. “I’m in another relationship.”

“That fast?”

It’d been five months since she’d caught Don with Leo, but she’d never jumped from one man to the next, so five months wasn’t that long to her father. “Yeah.”

“With who?”

“Hudson King. You recognize the name, don’t you?”

“No. Why would I? Have you mentioned him before?”

She started laughing.

“Did I say something funny?” He sounded slightly amused.

“I didn’t realize who he was, either, when we first met. Turns out he’s the starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Devils.”

“The football team?”

“Yes.”

“So he’s a professional athlete.” He didn’t seem nearly as impressed as most people would have been. He didn’t value extreme wealth, fame or football any more than she did. He only wanted his little girl to be happy. “How’d you meet him?”

“Ran into him at a nightclub last September, when I went out with Amy.”

“He’s the reason you’re not coming to France?”

She looked down at her stomach again. “It’s not only him. I have...too many other things going on, can’t travel at the moment.”

“And yet you brought him up, this Hudson. Must be serious.”

“Not necessarily. I’m thinking of bailing on the relationship. If a mere mortal like Don could crush me, what could someone like Hudson do?”

“You don’t think he’s gay, too?”

She chuckled as she said, “That isn’t even funny. He’s the straightest guy I’ve ever met.”

“Then why not give him a shot? See what happens? You obviously like him if you’re afraid of being hurt.”

“It’s not that simple, Dad. He had a difficult childhood, was abandoned as a newborn and tossed around from foster home to foster home as he grew up. So he’s wary, to say the least. He pushes people away if they get too close.” And he was freaking out because he’d let her get a little too close last night—and she’d made it worse by scaring him today.

“I’m sorry about all that.”

“So am I, and...I’m not confident I can get through to him. I’d be smarter not to even try, right?”

There was a slight pause. Then he said, “How would I know, sweetheart? Only you can answer that question.”

She sighed. “Really? You’re putting it back on me? I feel most parents would warn their daughters away from professional athletes.”

It was his turn to laugh. “I don’t judge people by stereotypes. Everyone gets an equal chance. Maybe he’s the perfect guy for you, and you’re struggling because you’re trying to see too far down the road.”

“I’m trying to be careful. That’s smart!”

“Careful is smart, but too careful can make you miss something magical. No one can foretell the future, Ellie. Just take it one day at a time. Go with your gut when it comes to Hudson. You’ll figure out whether he’s the one for you.”

“And if I’m devastated in the process?”

“You’ll pick yourself up and dust yourself off like you did with Don.”

Although she winced at the memory, she knew her father was right. Any kind of love, especially romantic love, required risk. Besides, she couldn’t give up on California this soon. By bailing, she’d only prove to Hudson that he couldn’t rely on her. If she hoped to gain his trust, she needed to show him she could hang in, even when things weren’t ideal. “Thanks, Dad.”

He passed the phone to her mother, who told her more specifically what they’d been doing and seeing.

Ellie felt stronger, more like her usual self while they were chatting, but once she hung up, doubt crept in again. What was she going to do?