“You’re selfish, that’s what you are.”
“Mama, Wyatt, supper’s ready.” Alyssa called from the side door off the kitchen porch.
“Fuck.” I ran my fingers through my hair. Then I turned to Sinclair. “Tell her.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now! Jesus, how heartless are you?”
She inhaled a shuddering breath. “Yes, of course.” She looked toward the house. “Alyssa, baby, can you come here for a minute?”
Alyssa trotted across the lawn. I looked away, working to pull my emotions together.
When she reached us, I turned to her, noting the worry in her expression as she looked from Sinclair to me and back again. “What’s wrong?”
To her credit, Sinclair mustered a smile. “There’s nothing wrong, baby. In fact, it’s good. I think you’ll be happy.”
“Then why do you both look so sad?”
Sinclair looked down. “Because I made a mistake and I hurt Wyatt. And…it might hurt you too. I’m sorry for that. I really am.”
Alyssa’s brows furrowed together. “What’s going on?”
Sinclair took a deep breath. “Remember when I told you that your father was gone?”
“Yes. He didn’t know about me otherwise he’d have stayed.”
Sinclair looked at me, probably because she wanted brownie points for not painting me as a fucking asshole.
“Yes, that’s right. Well, he’s back.”
Alyssa’s face looked stricken, and my heart fell.
“Is he going to take me away? I like it here with you and Wyatt.” Alyssa looked up at me. “Can’t you be my dad?”
Jesus, how much could a heart take.
Sinclair put her hand on Alyssa’s shoulders and bent over to look her in the eyes. “Honey, Wyatt is your father.”
“What?” Her brows furrowed together as she looked between us both.
“When I learned I was having a baby, he’d already left and I couldn’t find him. But now he’s here and he wants to be your father.”
“Like adopt me?” She didn’t seem to be grasping what Sinclair was telling her.
“No, baby. He’s your real father.”
She still looked confused. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, looking at me.
“Wyatt didn’t know either. Not until now. I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
Alyssa stood quietly, apparently processing everything. She looked at me. “Does that mean I can call you Daddy?”
I choked up at the well of emotion that bubbled up. “I’d be honored if you called me Daddy.”
Then she smiled. “We’re a real family.” She wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me. I finally had what I wanted, except now, it was tainted. I couldn’t imagine ever forgiving Sinclair.
30
Sinclair
My dreams were crashing and burning. I could see it in Wyatt’s eyes. Whatever he’d felt for me before was gone. Now, he felt resentment and loathing toward me. The only sweet spot in this moment was Alyssa asking him if she could call him Daddy. The emotion that swept over his face was so raw and real. It was the final confirmation that I was a terrible, terrible person.
“What’s going on out here? Supper is getting cold,” Peggy called from the house.
“Go tell your grandma that we’ll be right in,” I said.
Alyssa beamed. “She’s my grandma. Can I tell her, Mama?” She spun to Wyatt. “Can I tell her that you’re my daddy?”
He nodded, although I wasn’t sure he fully agreed. “Tell her we’ll be in in a minute.”
Alyssa ran off, with Wyatt and I watching her. When the door shut, I knew I was in for more of his anger. I deserved it, though. If he kicked me out and divorced me, I’d deserve it. The only thing I had to hope for was that he didn’t try to take her from me.
“Wyatt, I’m so sorry. Honest to God, I spent the whole drive home tonight trying to figure out how to tell you.”
“‘Alyssa is your child’ was too hard?”
I looked down, feeling ashamed. “I was hoping to find a way to tell you so that you wouldn’t be angry or feel betrayed.”
He laughed derisively. “You kept the truth about my being her father from me and you thought I wouldn’t be angry?”
There was no answer to that because I knew he’d be mad. That was why it had taken so long to tell him. There was no way he wouldn’t have been mad unless I’d told him that first time I saw him. The longer time went by, the angrier he’d become, and so my desire to tell him and not lose him had been lost for some time.
His green eyes were hard as he stared down on me. “All this time, I’ve been so fucking in love with you.”
I gasped at his words and then immediately felt pain as I knew that love was gone now. For one split second I’d had my dream, but then I killed it with my deception.
He shook his head at me. “I’ve been trying to make this marriage real, but it’s been a sham the whole time.”
“No.”
“That’s the way you wanted it, isn’t it, Sinclair? That’s why you didn’t want Alyssa here, because you were afraid I’d find out the truth.”
I couldn’t deny it because at one point that was true.
“That’s why you wanted to stay in her room, because you didn’t want me to get too close to you or her. You were planning to never tell me.”
“No, Wyatt. I was going to tell you. I really was.”
He sneered at me. “I don’t believe you. Does your boss know you’re a liar?”
I flinched.
“Maybe it won’t matter to him. Unless you have a child of his hidden away too.”
“Wyatt.” I understood his anger so I took it. “Please. Let me-”
“Explain? What is there to explain? You purposefully didn’t tell me I had a child. Let me tell you something, Sinclair, you won’t keep her from me.”
“I don’t want to.” But a shiver of fear ran down my spine as I worried that he’d try to take her from me. “You’re a wonderful father, Wyatt.”
He scoffed. “So, is that what you were waiting for? I had to pass some sort of test before I could find out about my
