What He Never Knew (What He Doesn't Know, #3)(3)

Daisy wasn’t mine.

Eighteen long months had passed since the day Charlie walked through my door and told me she was staying with Cameron, and all that time I had wondered if that child in her belly was ours. When Daisy was born, it was too much for me to bare. I bit down my pride and went to her husband and I begged him to let me be a part of the child’s life — even if just as a distant “uncle.”

And because Cameron is five times the man I am, he’d agreed.

All this time, I’d wondered. All this time, I’d thought maybe…

And today, Charlie had quieted my thoughts. She’d had a paternity test, and Daisy was Cameron’s.

The door to my old car creaked when I opened it, and I ducked inside, ears ringing once the door was shut and I was alone in the too-silent vehicle. I shoved the key in the ignition, but didn’t start the engine. Instead, my hands fell to my lap, and I stared at the steering wheel as if it were to blame for everything.

Then, I beat the shit out of it.

Screams ripped from my throat as I lashed out, fists flying, and only the sound of a knuckle cracking and the horn ringing out stopped me. I gripped the wheel with both hands, chest heaving as I tried to school my breaths. My eyes fluttered shut, and I loosened my grip, running one hand back through my long hair before I let out a heavy sigh.

That was it.

The last thing tying me to Charlie turned out not to be a tie at all. She wasn’t mine, she hadn’t been for a long time… maybe not ever. But it wasn’t until that moment, until that final blow, that I really, truly believed it.

I’d still had hope.

I’d still thought there was a chance.

And underneath it all, I was trying to hide the pathetic fact that I wasn’t anywhere near being over her or moving on.

A year and a half, and she was still all I thought about. A year and a half, and she was still all I wanted.

My phone dinged with another notification from the stupid dating app Charlie had convinced me to get on and I tore it from my pocket, deleting the app and all the messages that lived inside it with two taps of my finger.

I let my head drop back against the head rest, and my heart squeezed painfully inside my chest. I was surprised I could even feel that ache anymore, surprised it hadn’t ebbed in any way as the months stretched and life marched on. I wondered if it was just a permanent part of me now, if there ever was a time I’d move on from Charlie Pierce.

The possibility that Daisy was mine had been my final tie to her. I didn’t have an excuse to hold on any longer…

And yet, I couldn’t imagine ever letting go.





Five Months Later





Sarah



The Kinky Starfish.

My fingers rolled around the crystal hanging from my neck as I stared at the neon sign, the white script elegantly dancing around an artistic pink starfish. Uncle Randall was making jokes with the employee valeting his car, and he was still laughing when he slid up beside me, hand folding over my shoulder.

I flinched away, and my uncle’s brows bent together before he dropped his hand back to his side.

“Well, this is the place,” he said, eyes following mine up to the sign. We were both quiet for a long moment before he glanced at me again. “You know, you really don’t have to do this. You don’t need to work while you’re here. Just, focus on the reason you came, and—”

“I have to work,” I interrupted. “I need to continue saving and I’m also going to pay you rent.”

“You’re not paying us rent,” Uncle Randall said, almost as a laugh. “That’s absurd.”

“But—”

“Look,” he said, pulling me to the side so the other patrons of the restaurant could pass. His hands framed my arms, and I flinched again. “I know you have that same strong will as your mother, and I love that about both of you. But, please, Sarah — don’t worry about paying us rent. If you want to work and save up money, that I understand. Put the money you would pay us toward your savings, instead.” He smiled. “We are just tickled to have the time with our niece. We don’t get to see you near as often as we’d like, and we’re just happy to help you pursue this dream of yours.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Uncle Randall raised one thick, white, caterpillar eyebrow, as if he dared me to try to beat him on this. We both knew I’d lose in the end.

So, instead, I let out a heavy sigh and nodded.

“That’s my girl,” he said. “Now, let’s go inside and I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

He trotted off in front of me, and I tucked my hands into the pockets of my coat before following.

In my eyes, Pennsylvania had always been a winter wonderland. Uncle Randall was my father’s only brother, and he’d stayed here with their parents while my dad had gone south, attending university in Atlanta before entering the political circuit there. We’d visited Pennsylvania for nearly every Christmas, especially when my grandparents were alive, and I had memories of sledding with my dad and making hot cocoa with my mom. It was our getaway to a Christmas land, away from the southern heat and humidity.

But it was May, summer ready to bloom, and Pennsylvania was different in the spring. The air still held a cool crisp as the wind swept past me, but the evening air was warm, the sun stretching its way lazily across the sky. It wasn’t a winter wonderland this time of year, but it would be my home for… well, I wasn’t exactly sure how long. However long it took to get me where I needed to be, I supposed. I was just thankful to my aunt and uncle for agreeing to take me in.