Chapter 19
Sienna
As I drive him back home, I swallow hard and blink back tears. I thought he’d be thrilled I wanted to live in his hometown. I guess he wasn’t anywhere as into me as I thought. Sure, he would stash me in a townhouse somewhere like some kind of mistress but did he ask me to marry him?
No.
I should’ve known he never really loved me. We’re in lust which is not the kind of thing that lasts a lifetime. Why the hell did I expect him to say he’d visit me on weekends, that no matter what, we’d work it out. Isn’t that what couples do? Work things out?
At his mom’s I follow him into the house, dreading the meal.
“Hi honey.” Mrs. Quinn gives Andy a big hug at the foot of the stairs while a handsome man stands next to him with a big grin.
The two brothers thump each other on the back until the famous football player turns to me and says, “So you’re Sienna. I’m Chance. My wife, Mel is nursing the baby but will be down in a bit.”
Even though his handshake is warm and inviting, I’m a bit overwhelmed. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Don’t believe any of it. The paparazzi make shit up to sell stories.”
“Don’t I know it.”
He grins. “That’s right. You would. C’mon. Mom’s got dinner on the table.”
I follow him up the stairs, Andy behind me. Already I miss his touch on my lower back, his warm chuckle, his love.
It wasn’t love, stupid. Otherwise he would want to be with you.
His mom sits us down to a meal which goes by in a blur. Our hands touch when Andy passes me the potatoes but he quickly moves away. No one seems to notice we’re not talking or are maybe too polite to say anything.
Mel and his mom chat about kids and daycare, CJ and Andy talk football, and I stare at my plate, wishing the meal would end.
“Go ahead, dear. Bring out dessert.” His mom gives me this smile, the kind of smile I would’ve died for as a kid but I’m not that foster child any more.
I’m a grown-ass adult. I made apple pie, and damn it, I’m going to serve it even if I have to shove it down his throat.
I slide back my chair, saunter over to where the pie cools on a rack, and bring it to the table. Then, I get vanilla ice cream from the freezer.
“Pie, luv?” I turn to Andy, daring him to say no.
Now I see why he wins at poker and is such a good lawyer. He smiles as if everything is okay as he holds his plate. “Why, thank you, darlin’.”
“The accent is a bit much,” I mutter as I give him the first slice with a perfect scoop that melts over the top.
CJ’s wife smiles. “I can’t cook worth a damn, ah, sorry Mom, worth a darn.”
I laugh at her honesty and confess. “I never baked anything before.”
Mrs. Quinn says, “Surely your mother taught you something.”
“Foster kid. I got room and board, lucky to get that.” When I glance up, I guess I said something wrong because all mouths drop open.
“Sorry, that’s just the way it was.”
Andy stares into my eyes for the first time since the argument and my heart thaws but more than ever, I realize if I don’t stand on my own two feet, I could end up like my mom.
CJ looks at Andy with a frown, finally realizing that something is up with the two of us. He starts to open his mouth but Mel puts her hand on his with a gentle shake of the head.
She smiles sadly at me. “The pie was perfect. It’s Andy’s favorite.”
