“Getting Peggy to call you Gemma.” He grimaced ruefully as they stopped at Nathan’s room. “She still calls me Mr. Chandler.”
Gemma flashed him a smile. “We women have our ways.”
His eyes dropped to that mouth. “That you do.”
Gemma’s cheeks held a soft blush. Her reaction filled him with pleasure and stirred his blood.
“You’ve got flour on your ear.” He reached out and ran the pad of his thumb over her earlobe, making her jump. “By the way, I’d ask you to join me in the shower but—”
Her blush deepened. “Don’t say that in front of Nathan.”
He was amused. “He doesn’t understand what I’m saying.”
“I know, but—”
He took pity on her and cut her off with a quick kiss. “Go change him.”
They would have tonight.
The walk to the park was companionable and leisurely. They enjoyed sitting on the bench and eating their ice creams. There was no sight of the children and the puppy from the other week, but the playground was busy with kids ridding themselves of energy built up in the classroom.
Tate realized Gemma was staring off into space, chewing her lip. “You seem distracted.”
She blinked. “Do I? Sorry, I was just thinking about something.” She turned away to drop Nathan's now-empty ice cream cup in the bin nearest her.#p#分页标题#e#
Tate didn’t know why, but Drake slashed through his mind. The thought turned his blood cold, making him glad of his dark sunglasses.
Yet for once he pushed thoughts of Drake aside, not wanting to jump to conclusions. He didn’t want the other man spoiling this moment between him and his family.
She attempted a smile. “It’s good to get out like this, don’t you think?”
“Yes.”
She picked up after that, but during the evening, as they ate dinner, then watched a movie together before making love, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something still wasn’t right. She was pretending it was, but it wasn’t.
It could be about her parents, he told himself as he lay in bed in the dark with Gemma asleep in his arms. It was only yesterday they’d been here causing havoc and heartache for their daughter. God, they had a lot to answer for.
And then another thought hit him.
Perhaps he had a lot to answer for, too.
As quickly as it had come, he dismissed that thought, not liking the guilt that rose inside him. He’d had a right to be angry about Drake, and a right to be angry about Gemma not telling him about Nathan. Just because he felt sorry for her now didn’t mean he was at fault.
Even though it felt like he was.
Nine
So many times over the following week, Gemma wished she could tell Tate she believed Drake had posted the pictures of her apartment. But despite her husband making love to her every day, despite him coming home early on a regular basis, she was very much aware of how fragile their marriage was.
Then, at the end of that week, Tate finally volunteered the information that every trail seemed to lead to a dead end, though the investigator hadn’t given up. She could have pointed him in the right direction, of course, but at what cost? At least Drake had not called back.
Thankfully, her marriage had slipped out of the media’s radar for the moment, and with the awards dinner only a few days away, she began to relax. Time would dull the pain of Tate thinking she’d kissed Drake, and the pain of Tate not believing her denial. She wished she could talk to him about Drake as easily as she’d talked to him about her parents. How she wished he would be equally as understanding. Unfortunately, she knew that wouldn’t happen.
And then…life rolled onto the next crisis.
One evening after Nathan was in bed, Tate flicked through the television channels. Out of the blue, an older couple appeared on the screen.
“What the hell!” Tate exclaimed, sitting forward.
Gemma’s heart rose in her chest. “Th-that’s my parents!”
He darted a look at Gemma. “I’ll turn it off. You don’t need to hear this.” He went to press the remote button.
“No!” She swallowed. “Leave it on.”
He paused. “Are you sure?”
She nodded, her eyes already returning to her parents’ interview on one of those current affairs programs. To say she felt betrayed was an understatement. She felt like she’d been speared right through the heart.
It only got worse. They talked about being unable to control her as a teenager, about how she’d left home too young, breaking their hearts. How they’d let her come back home, single and pregnant, but she’d walked out again.