In Name Only (Pine Falls #2) - Jennifer Peel Page 0,40
the bag. He walked slowly toward the door, but before he exited, he turned back toward me. “I was thinking, I could cancel my golf game in the morning with my dad and Brant, and we could do a river cruise.”
That sounded lovely, but it only meant giving me more false hope, and I couldn’t afford any more. “I have a lot of work to catch up on before the engagement party. Have fun with your dad and Brant,” I said as kindly as I could, but I’m sure it came out more withdrawn and emotionless. More like how I felt.
He tilted his head. “I didn’t know you’d brought your work with you.”
“You know me—it’s never far from my mind. I have several emails I need to get out tomorrow. The holidays will be here before we know it, and I don’t want any children to slip through the cracks this year.”
“You’ve never let that happen before.”
“I don’t want this to be the year I fail.”
“I’m sure you won’t.”
“I hope not. See you tomorrow.” I tried to dismiss him. I couldn’t stand the tender way he was looking at me. It wouldn’t last. It never did with him. He didn’t want me.
He turned to leave but stopped himself again. “Dani, I am sorry.”
“I know.” I believed him. He was, after all, a good man. And we had both been through a lot.
His sigh indicated my answer didn’t satisfy him. “Is everything all right?”
“No. But it will be.”
Chapter Twelve
I stared at myself in the mirror, taking deep breaths in and out. I hardly recognized myself with the elegant updo I’d learned to do by watching a YouTube video, and dressed in the ridiculous red halter mermaid-style gown that showed every curve I owned and made my gray eyes pop. The dress was Sheridan’s idea. I’d tried objecting, saying it was too va-va-voom—which it was—but my true worry had been that, with how form fitting it was, there would be no hiding I was pregnant by the time the party rolled around. No baby bump had appeared yet. I didn’t know why, but I was anxiously waiting for it. Maybe because I needed the physical reminder of why I was doing this.
“You can do this,” I whispered out loud to myself. I mean, it’s only the engagement party of the man whose baby you carry. And you’ll only be attending with your husband, his brother. Then there was Jill. I had been fortunate enough to avoid her so far this weekend, but my luck was running out. I gripped the counter. How had I gotten into this mess? Sometimes I wished I had never told the truth and just disappeared. I knew, though, that running away was never the answer. How many times had I tried running away from the awful foster homes I had been placed in, only to be dragged back? It had only ever exacerbated the situation. As a result, punishments had gotten worse and I had been labeled as a troublemaker. Only the worst sort of families would take me then.
I had to face the music and figure out how to change the dial to my tunes. I hadn’t come this far to only come this far.
“Dani.” Brock knocked on the bedroom door. “Are you almost ready?”
Not even a little, but I could do this. I swiped a gold sheeny gloss across my lips and took some deep breaths before I headed out of the bathroom and across the bedroom. I opened the door to find Brock standing there looking dashing in a tux. I rubbed my heart, as if to tell it to remain calm and, most importantly, safe. I reminded it that there was no hope for Brock and me.
Brock’s eyes roved over me. For a moment he stood speechless, his mouth slightly agape. “You’re stunning,” he finally annunciated.
“Thank you. You look nice too.” I went to reach out and straighten his bow tie but stopped myself. Becoming too familiar with him wasn’t a good idea if I was going to survive this and stay mostly whole. “Your tie is a little off.” I pointed instead.
He straightened his tie and gave me a scrutinizing glance. “Are we okay?”
I nodded and grabbed the gold sparkling clutch that Sheridan had said I had to have. Apparently, it completed the ensemble. All I thought about was how much I could sell it for on eBay. It would buy a lot of Christmas gifts for Children to Love. Though I