Virgin Bride(39)

“Smart,” I say. “How else?”

“I kept things from him,” she continues. “Things I shouldn’t have seen because I shouldn’t have snooped. Like those letters in your closet from… that woman.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You saw those?”

“Yes, and I don’t know what she wrote to you, and I don’t care.”

I smile a little bit. “They weren’t to me.”

She pauses. “Oh. Really?”

“You didn’t read them?”

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I put them back as soon as I found them and saw the return address. They’re from Lacey’s mother, aren’t they?”

“That’s right,” I say, sighing. “They’re actually to her. She’s been writing at least once a month since Lacey was born, usually a couple times a week. I’m going to give them to her when she’s older and she can understand.”

Erin blinks at me. “That’s really sweet of you.”

“Maybe.”

“I don’t know many people that would actually keep those letters, let alone pass them on. Didn’t she dump Lacey on you and run?”

“More or less,” I say. “But that’s not Lacey’s fault. She deserves to know her mother, even if her mother is a piece of shit.”

“Yeah, well. I’m impressed.”

“Good.” I watch her for a second. “So what did you tell him?”

“I made some stuff up,” she admits. “Mostly bullshit. Nothing consequential.”

“Like what color my underwear is?”

She grins. “You only wear black.”

“Of course you know that.” But I can’t help but smile a little bit.

Lacey makes a noise and we both quickly look over at her. She’s waving, trying to get Erin’s attention. Erin waves back and looks at me.

“Can I?” she asks. “I understand if you want me to leave. I’ll go if you want.”

“No, it’s fine. Lacey misses you.”

She pauses. “I miss her too.” She looks at me for a second then walks quickly over to Lacey.

I watch the two of them playing, trying to process everything.

My best friend betrayed me. So that’s two big betrayals in a single week, although I think James’s is much worse than Erin’s. She was doing what her father wanted her to do, but James knows me and did this all on his own. He’s going down, no matter what.

But Erin… I don’t know what to think. I have to sit down on a bench as Erin plays with Lacey. The two of them get along so well, it’s really good to watch, but it’s also really hard.

She’s practically glowing. I know I should be repulsed, and yet… it’s impossible to hate her. The realization hits me like a hammer. Watching her with my daughter, I know I’ll never despise Erin. Lacey likes her too much and she makes Lacey way too happy.

And she makes me happy. I hate to fucking admit it, even after all of this, but she does. I can’t help but smile around her. She has this amazing energy and way about her that makes Lacey so happy and makes me grin like an idiot.

Plus, she’s just as fucking gorgeous as she was the day I first met her. I’m still just as attracted as I was, or maybe even more so. I got one taste of her perfect tight little pussy, and now I want even more of it.

I’m so angry with her for what she did to me, but I have to admit, I can understand. She was doing what her father told her to do, and it isn’t her fault that her father is a fucking psycho. She clearly regrets getting involved, and she did help protect us. I believe her when she says that, because I haven’t seen any negative consequences of her working for me. Her father hasn’t tried anything at all. In fact, her defense of me and Lacey actually might explain why Fisher has been stalling the deal so hard lately. He’s waiting to get something he can use from his daughter, or at least he was, and that clearly failed. I can’t help but wonder what new scheme he’s cooked up.

But that’s more proof of what Erin’s telling me. There’s a large voice in my mind that tells me to run away from her, not to get involved anymore. I can’t trust her, she’s the daughter of my enemy right now, and that in itself should be reason enough to back away.

And yet… watching her play with Lacey, I just have this urge. I can’t really describe it. It’s an urge to have her. Maybe it’s fucking insane but she looks so fucking sexy right now, and I believe her, I really do. I believe her when she says that she tried to protect us, that she actually cares about us. I believe her and I want her and fuck, it’s so fucked up and wrong, but I want her.