Cait tore after him. “Trev?”
The front door opened and in the next second slammed shut, rattling a couple of pictures on the walls. Molly winced.
Cait reappeared, disbelief still in her eyes, but something worse, too. “How could you?” she spat, and then her feet were thundering on the stairs.
Swearing, Richard dropped onto the sofa.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“YOU NEED TO GO,” Molly said frantically. She struggled with her bra clasp, her hands shaking.
“Molly…”
“Not now. Please.” She moved on to her blouse, looked down and saw she’d started to button it askew. She had to start over.
“Goddamn it, Molly, talk to me.” Richard sounded so harsh, her head came up. She saw that he looked as shaken as she felt. His dark hair stuck out every which way, and his lips were slightly swollen from their kisses.
With a sinking heart, Molly realized they’d have given themselves away even if they’d miraculously had time to rearrange their clothing and sit a cushion away from each other.
“Oh, dear God,” she whispered.
He moved so that their thighs bumped. His hands, steadier than hers, took over buttoning her blouse. She stared at his face as he bent over the task, concentrating.
Her heart cramped when she remembered what he’d said. It hadn’t really registered then; she’d been so tangled up in guilt and horror at getting caught. Had Richard meant it when he said he loved her? Or was he only being chivalrous? She cringed at the memory of Trevor asking if his dad was “doing” her.
Yes, Trevor, he is.
Richard smoothed her blouse down, then met her eyes. “This isn’t the end of the world,” he said gently.
Molly drew a deep breath. “No. Of course it isn’t. I’m hideously embarrassed and, wow, completely dreading going upstairs and talking to Cait, but I know we’ll get past it.” She hesitated. “Trevor, though. He scared me a little.”
“I know.” Lines had gathered on Richard’s forehead. “I haven’t seen that level of anger from him in a while.”
“No. What did he mean, you’re as bad as Mom?”
“I don’t know.” He groaned, leaned back and closed his eyes. “No, that’s not true. I’m wondering…”
When he didn’t finish, Molly nudged. “Wondering what?”
He ran a hand over his face.
“I can’t remember what I told you about Alexa and me. The end of our marriage. But I know I didn’t tell you I walked in on her with another man in our bed.”
Instinct had her reaching for him. “Oh, Richard.”
He returned the grip of her hand. “That was bad enough, but it got worse. She admitted this guy wasn’t the first. I was so busy, she said. I never paid any attention to her. We never did anything fun.” He made a hoarse sound. “I was working twelve-, fourteen-hour days, trying to make Dad’s business big enough to provide us more than a subsistence living. I guess I wasn’t much fun.”
“You were something a whole lot better than that,” Molly said fiercely.
“I was being responsible,” he said, but to her relief his face had relaxed.
“Yes, you were.” She bit her lip. “I don’t think I loved Colton by the time we split up. So it wasn’t the same.”
He grimaced. “I didn’t love Alexa by then, either. I guess she knew that. But I did love my kids. Losing them was the worst thing that ever happened to me.”
“I suppose saying I’m sorry now is silly.”
He laughed a little and his eyes focused fully on her. “No. It’s nice. But let’s not forget how long ago all that happened. And I’ve got to tell you, I was glad I was unattached when I met you.”
“Me, too,” she admitted.
His gaze became seeking. “I said I love you.”
“I…heard you.” Silly to be breathless.
“I do.”
Abruptly her eyes filled with tears and she threw herself at him. His arms closed solidly around her. “I love you, too,” Molly mumbled into his chest. “I can’t help it.”
“Why should you?”
“The kids…”
“To hell with the kids,” Richard growled. “We should have been honest from the beginning.”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” She wiped the tears away on his sweater, then lifted her head. “You didn’t finish earlier. You must think Trevor knows his mom cheated on her last husband.”
“I’m thinking worse than that. I’m wondering if he might have gotten an eyeful.”
Molly thought about that. Dear God, if so, it would explain why the eyeful Trevor had also gotten tonight had upset him so much.