for. When I leave this place, my complexion is going to be as soft as a baby’s ass.”
Both girls’ eyes darted to the door and then back to her. “Butt,” Kandace whispered. “Baby’s butt.” The girls both managed tremulous smiles.
Kandace adjusted herself on the bed, grimacing as a wave of nausea passed through her. “Oh God, I’m going to throw up,” she moaned.
Sydney jumped up and was back a few seconds later with the bathroom trash can. She slid it next to the bed in the nick of time as Kandace leaned over and vomited, the movement and the acid in her throat making her moan in pain once the worst of the stomach cramps had passed and she once again, came to rest on her pillow.
Aurora got her a glass of water and helped her drink and then, exhausted beyond anything she’d ever imagined, Kandace closed her eyes and miraculously managed to fall asleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“All buckled?” Scarlett asked, looking at Haddie in the rearview mirror. Haddie met her eyes, nodded.
Concern washed over Scarlett for the tenth time that morning. It appeared Haddie hadn’t slept at all the night before, lavender smudges marring the porcelain skin beneath her eyes, making the green of her orbs that much more startling.
As they began driving toward town to pick up Millie, Scarlett turned on the radio, adjusting the volume down low. Her gaze flickered to Haddie again, staring out the window at the forest rushing by. “You sure you feel better?” she asked. She’d questioned Haddie extensively the night before about wetting herself. Her daughter hadn’t peed her pants since she was twenty months old. She’d potty-trained early, and once she’d started wearing “big girl undies,” she hadn’t had one accident. That she’d wet herself the evening before was extremely concerning to Scarlett.
Of course, Haddie had brushed it off, saying she didn’t feel well and it was just an accident. She’d looked confused, torn though, and Scarlett got that feeling again that she was keeping something from her. Scarlett felt teary, frustrated. Alone. She’d slept like crap the night before too.
Of course, it didn’t help that even after she’d decided to schedule a check-up for Haddie, to rule anything physical out, then managed to convince herself that Haddie was a kid and kids sometimes had accidents, Camden West kept popping into her mind.
Was Haddie’s loss of bladder control related to him? No, surely not. Haddie was always very clear if she didn’t like a person. To Scarlett’s knowledge, her daughter had never pretended to like someone she didn’t.
Only problem was . . . Haddie seemed to Scarlett to be growing more secretive by the day. Something was weighing on her, she knew it, and yet try as she might, question her as she did, Haddie wouldn’t be straight with her.
You’re a loving mom who cares deeply for her daughter. Anyone with two eyes in their head could see that.
His words had consoled her, ministered to her. Damn him. Speaking of secretive. Damn Camden West and his evasive answers and vague statements.
Not much to tell. Things with me are complicated.
Right. Like her life was the picture of simplicity.
Scarlett glanced in the mirror, wondering if it was possible that he had a problem with the fact that she had a daughter. That could be a lot for a single man to take on . . . Disappointment rose inside her. Their kiss had been . . . magical. It really had been. He’d felt it too, she could tell by the awestruck look on his handsome face, and yet he’d pulled away. Why? Damn it, I don’t have time for this, she thought, a burst of frustration causing her to grip the steering wheel even more tightly.
God, why had she told him about Haddie’s father? Sure, she’d been mildly tipsy, but that didn’t excuse it. She’d sworn an oath—on paper and in her own mind—that she’d never reveal Royce’s identity, ever.
Scarlett refused to fall for another man who regretted touching her. Another man who made her feel half-crazy in the head. Like now. And perhaps there was no half about it.
So, nope, she was going to wipe him straight from her mind.
She turned into the neighborhood where Millie lived, driving slowly through the residential streets, large, red-flowered acacias shading the sidewalks and the small square homes. The sun was shining, birds were twittering happily, and it was going to be a lovely day.
Scarlett took a deep, cleansing breath. Everything is going to be okay.