Secret Son, Convenient Wife(49)

He raised an eyebrow, cooler now and in control again. “Why so affronted? You can’t deny you and my mother have a lot in common.”

Her chin lifted a notch at his tone. It hadn’t taken him long to return to his arrogant self. “I was never unfaithful to you, Tate.”#p#分页标题#e#

“That’s only in the truest sense, since we weren’t married at the time. You can still be unfaithful in a moral sense.” His mouth tightened. “And you were.”

“A kiss is not the same as having sex,” she snapped, then she could have bit out her tongue. He thought she had admitted to wanting Drake.

“It was two-timing, Gemma. Make no mistake about that.”

Her gaze sharpened as she got up from the chair. “You always were quick to believe the worst of me. Now I’m wondering if you’d decided my time was up. You wanted to be rid of me, and believing Drake’s lie was the easiest way to go about it.”

He flinched. “That’s bloody ridiculous.”

“Is it? I’m not so sure.”

“I caught you kissing him, dammit.”

“I thought I was kissing you,” she said, not for the first time and probably not the last.

He made a dismissive gesture. “I’m not going over this again, Gemma. Just know this. If I ever catch you kissing Drake—or any other man for that matter—I’ll take Nathan from you so fast your head will spin.”

Underneath she shook, but Darlene’s revelation allowed her to see beyond this old argument. For the first time, she could see the hurt beneath his stance. A hurt he masked with pure anger.

And with her understanding came a new outlook on how to manage him. “Then I have nothing to worry about,” she said quietly and confidently. “I don’t intend to kiss any other man except you.”

As if bowled over by the statement, he stared at her for a long moment as if searching for the truth. Then his face underwent a subtle change, and she knew he believed she meant it. He gave an almost imperceptible nod before twisting on his heels and heading back inside through the patio doors.

She heard him leave the house soon after, and only then did she let herself slump down on the chair and think about what had just passed between them. In one way, it hadn’t gone well. In another, it was a complete eye-opener.

Tate Chandler needed as much reassurance in his life as the next person—even if he would never acknowledge it.



Tate returned home late that evening. He’d spent a few hours at the office trying to work but hadn’t succeeded. He’d been unable to concentrate after Gemma challenged him and his beliefs.

Had he forgiven his mother? she’d asked.

Short answer, no.

So he was blaming Gemma for his mother’s mistake?

Gemma had made a mistake on her own. He didn’t need his mother as an excuse.

He was quick to believe the worst, she’d said.

He’d seen what he’d seen.

He’d wanted a reason to end their relationship.

Actually, he’d felt more for her back then than for any other woman he’d ever known. Why he would want to—

Stop.

Rephrase.

His feelings hadn’t come into it at all. He’d wanted Gemma more than he’d wanted any other woman, that’s all. The reason he’d ended their affair was because he’d caught her kissing Drake. She’d betrayed his trust. She was grasping at straws by bringing his mother into it.

So why the hell had he believed her when she’d said she didn’t intend to kiss any man but him? It was incredible that he could accept her statement as truth.

And yet, he did.

One thing was apparent. Over the past few weeks he’d seen a side of Gemma that went beyond sex. He’d seen her as a loving mother, a hurt and betrayed daughter. She was kind to everyone whether they were employees or people at the park. She cared about a teenager’s personal problems, even though she had enough problems of her own. She was charming and beautiful, and she found his antics with his son amusing. She was someone he wanted to be with, in and out of the bedroom. That was quite an admission. For the first time, he felt hope that maybe their marriage might have a chance.#p#分页标题#e#

He had a lot to think about, was even now still thinking about it, as he came out of the shower and slipped into bed beside his wife. He pulled her against him so she could pillow her cheek on his chest. She fit so right against him.

Then, out of the blue, she half twisted on top of him, sliding one leg across his thighs as she stretched up to kiss him. He took the kiss, reveling in the feel of her against his thighs, but he could tell she was trying to tell him something.