I’m in the mood to confess.
“Is that coffee that I smell?” He turns toward my kitchen. “I’d give almost anything for a cup. Name your price.”
Forgiveness. That’s all I want.
“I’ll get it.” I move toward my small kitchen.
“Are you going in to work?” he asks from behind me. “It’s not even eight a.m. and you look ready to face the day.”
I’m not.
I’m not even sure I’m ready to face him, so I keep my back turned as I pour hot coffee into a ceramic mug.
I feel the brush of his hand on my shoulder just as I’m reaching for the sugar. “What’s wrong? Something’s not right.”
Emotions war within me. Sadness clashes with anger. Fear battles with desperation.
Ultimately, grief wins.
Tears well in the corners of my eyes as I stare down at the countertop.
“I need to tell you something,” I whisper.
“Tell me.” Both of his hands are on my shoulders now. “Please, Katie.”
I suck in a breath that’s meant to strengthen my resolve to do this. I just need to get out four words to start with. They are words that I’ve never uttered aloud. I’ve carried them inside of me for so long that they’ve etched themselves into my soul.
Leaving the coffee mug on the counter, I turn to face Gage.
I have to be looking into his eyes when I say this. I need him to understand how profoundly my life was impacted five years ago.
I packed this pain into a box somewhere deep inside of me. That was the only way I could deal with it, but I can’t ignore it anymore. Being with Gage again has opened it up and everything that I’ve kept hidden has surfaced.
“Whatever it is, you can tell me,” he says as he studies my face. “Whatever it is, it’s all right. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
I nod. Pulling every last shred of strength from within me, I grab his cheeks and cradle them in my hands. “Gage, I…”
The shrill bite of his phone ringing interrupts me.
His gaze drops to it and with it my heart plummets in my chest.
“Fuck,” he says between clenched teeth. “It’s my lawyer. Dylan. It’s about Kristin. I have to take this, Katie. I’m sorry. I have to.”
I turn back to the counter.
Tears stream down my cheeks as I listen to him tell the man on the other end of the call that he’s leaving now to go see his daughter.
Chapter 48
Gage
I’m dressed and out the door of Katie’s bedroom before I end the call to Dylan.
I can’t believe that my daughter will be in my arms in less than twenty-four hours.
“Katie,” I call out her name as I pocket my phone. “Where are you?”
“In the kitchen,” she says in an even tone.