Their gazes met and locked. The guarded walls around his heart cracked. The glow of Kara’s smile filtered through the crevices and warmed him. He couldn’t help wondering if she was moved by the host of memories contained within the newly painted walls.
“Do you remember how we used to be?” he asked, his voice husky with reawakened desires.
A flicker of emotion reflected in her eyes. His breathing hitched as he anticipated her next words.
“I remember. How could I ever forget?”
He touched her cheek. His fingers slid down to her neck, where her rapid heartbeat pulsed beneath his fingertips. She wanted him. And he most definitely wanted her. His head lowered.
“Hey, guys,” Samantha called out. “I’m outta quarters.”
Jason snapped to attention. How in the world could he have let himself become so distracted that he’d forgotten their daughter was just across the room? He still had a lot to learn about being a dad.
Not willing to lose ground with Kara, he laced his fingers with hers. It felt so natural. And he noticed she didn’t pull away. The pieces of his life were at last falling into place.
He glanced down at her. “Shall we go see what our daughter wants?”
The smile slipped from Kara’s tempting lips and her hand withdrew from his. In that moment, he realized he’d misspoken. The shocked look on her face dug at him. How long did she intend to keep up this little charade, when they both knew the truth?
“Don’t look at me like I said the unforgivable. I’m sorry I let that comment slip about her being our daughter.” He paused, not exactly comfortable with apologizing. “Actually, I’m not sorry. I know you denied she’s mine because you don’t trust me, but it’s time we were honest with ourselves and her.”
“No!” Kara’s eyes were round with worry. She glanced over at Samantha. He followed her gaze, finding their daughter preoccupied with another pinball machine. Kara lowered her voice. “I wish I could tell you what you want to hear, but...but I can’t. She’s not yours.”
He stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest. “That can’t be. She has my eyes. She’s the right age. And I haven’t seen any signs of another man in your life.”
“He’s not in our life.” Kara’s eyes shimmered. “You don’t know how many times I’ve wished she was yours...but her birthday is in November. You left town in December. It’s simply not possible.”
“You’d say anything to protect her, but I swear I’ll never do anything to hurt her.” He whispered the words past the jagged lump in his throat. “Please tell me she’s mine.”
Kara visibly swallowed. “I can’t lie to you. And I won’t lie to my daughter. You both deserve better. I swear she’s not yours.”
The thought of Samantha being another man’s daughter hit him square in the gut. He didn’t want to believe Kara. But the anguished look on her face drove home the bitter truth.
This wasn’t right. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were finally reunited and...and he’d allowed himself to care about them. He’d been so close to having something he’d never thought possible—his own family. Now, he didn’t know what to do with the tangled ball of disappointment and longing churning in his gut.
“Guys, you said you’d play with me,” Samantha whined, putting an end to this painful exchange.
“One game,” Kara said, glancing over at him, and he nodded. “Then we have to go home.”
* * *
The next day, Kara’s phone rang. Jason’s deep voice echoed over the line, making her insides quiver with excitement. For a moment she forgot she had just filled her kitchen sink with hot sudsy water to wash up the lunch dishes.
“Kara, are you there?”
The air whooshed from her lungs. “Yes. Sorry. I was distracted.”
“I didn’t mean to bother you. I wanted to check to see if it’d be all right if I stopped by your house this evening?”
Her pulse kicked up a notch. After yesterday, she didn’t think he’d want anything more to do with her. “Um...sure.”
“I found Bubbles this morning and thought Samantha would be lost without him.”
He only wanted to return the bear? Disappointment pulsed through Kara. She tried to assure herself that this distance between them was best for all concerned, but it brought her absolutely no comfort.
She twisted a strand of hair around her finger. “I searched everywhere for him last night.”
“You should have called me. I would have checked around here for you. As it was, I came across him in the lunch room when I was raiding the snack machine.”