Twenty Wishes (Blossom Street #5)(96)

“Redford?” she asked.

Rebecca’s gaze widened. “You know about her?”

Her throat muscles relaxed. “That was me. Us. We…played this game.” A smile came and went, tinged with humor and relief. Memories of their getaway weekend immediately came to mind. Happy, playful memories that were in stark contrast to what she’d just experienced.

“Okay, well, like I said, that’s the only other time. And it turns out he wasn’t cheating on you.”

“Thank you,” Anne Marie whispered, and she meant it.

“I should tell you that the night Melissa caught us was the last time.” She paused. “Deep down, I know that if we could do everything over again, neither of us would’ve done it.” Her eyes held Anne Marie’s. “I’m not just saying that, either. It’s the truth. If Robert were here, he’d agree.”

“Was there…” The moment had come, and still Anne Marie couldn’t make herself ask the question. “Did he ever tell you why we’d separated?” she asked, taking another route to the question that burned in her heart.

Rebecca looped a strand of thick auburn hair around her ear. “Actually, we didn’t talk about you very often.”

That made sense. “Robert was a private person,” Anne Marie murmured.

“Yes, he was.”

“I wanted a baby,” Anne Marie said.

Rebecca looked away. “I didn’t know that. I guess Robert didn’t want another child.”

“No. He…he was opposed to starting a second family and I felt that if I could show him how important this was to me, he’d change his mind.”

“But you were getting back together,” Rebecca said.

Anne Marie suddenly realized something. She knew why Robert had left after that night they’d spent together. He’d been gone in the morning, and the callous way he’d simply disappeared without a word or even a note had devastated her. For the first time, Anne Marie understood why he’d done it. Robert had been overcome with guilt. He was sorry about the affair with Rebecca. He’d probably wanted to tell her and ask her forgiveness, and at the last second he’d backed down. She assumed the affair was over by then; if not, she felt certain he would’ve ended it.

“You had a baby,” Anne Marie said without flinching.

“A son. I named him Reed.”

“Is the baby’s father—is this Robert’s child?” The question was out at last. Much as she feared the answer, she needed to know.

“Robert’s?” Rebecca repeated, looking stunned. “No!”

“No?”

“Of course Reed isn’t Robert’s! Oh, my goodness, that’s what this lunch is all about? You thought I’d had Robert’s child. No, no, no. Reed’s father is my ex-boyfriend. Denny cheated on me and I found out the same week I discovered I was pregnant. I should’ve explained. The only reason I slept with Robert was because I was trying to hurt Denny. It was just so twisted and stupid.”

“Denny knew about Robert?”

“Yes.”

“And he knows about Reed?”

“Of course, and so far he’s been a good father.”

“You’re getting married?”

“No way! I’m not an idiot. If Denny couldn’t keep his pants zipped before the wedding, he won’t afterward. I’m seeing someone else now.”

“Oh.” Anne Marie had to resist hugging the other woman and thanking her for not giving birth to Robert’s son.

“You must’ve heard about Robert and me and then learned I was pregnant and thought—”

Anne Marie nodded. “That’s exactly what happened.”

“But if that was the case, don’t you think I would’ve contacted his attorney? I mean, Reed would’ve been a legal heir once paternity was established.”

“I wondered why you hadn’t.”

“Well, it was for a very good reason. Reed isn’t Robert’s son.”

Anne Marie’s heart soared with relief and, even more than that, with joy.

“I didn’t know Robert all that well,” Rebecca told her. “But I know one thing about him—he loved you.”

“He loved me,” Anne Marie said.

“He did,” Rebecca concurred with a smile.

That was all that mattered. Robert wasn’t going to win any Husband of the Year award. The pain of his betrayal would always be with her but he’d loved her. It was what she’d known all along, despite the doubts and the mistakes they’d both made.

Yes, that was all that mattered.

The past wouldn’t change.

But the way Anne Marie saw the future would.

Chapter 33

Lillie estimated that it’d been three weeks since Hector had received her letter. She hadn’t heard from him, and after all this time, she didn’t expect to. The last thing she wanted was to cause problems between Hector and his children.

After mailing the letter, Lillie had spent a week by the ocean and found solace. The ocean had always been her escape. Whenever she learned about another of David’s affairs, she’d booked a visit to her favorite ocean resort. She’d gone there three or four times every year, often enough that she had her own room, and the staff knew her by her first name. Although it’d been well over three years since her last visit, she’d been greeted warmly. Her regular room was ready and waiting for her.