Are they secretly dating? Why would it need to be a secret?
Mom pulls into the driveway, but I park a few houses down. She gets out with Penny. Christopher comes out, exchanges some heated words with Mom, and then takes Penny. My little sister clings to him as he kisses her head.
I stare for another beat longer, processing what I’m seeing.
Is Christopher Penny’s father?
The more he cuddles her, I realize it’s exactly who he is to her. The man loves her. In that case, it would mean Carol is her grandmother. Bile creeps up my throat and I fight off the urge to puke. Not that Carol and Christopher aren’t nice people, because they are.
It’s the lies and secrets from my mother.
Why keep this from me?
Why allow me to go there every day thinking they were regular people rather than Penny’s blood family?
Betrayal cuts deep because if I’m right about this, that means Carol knows Penny is her granddaughter, and she’s been lying right along with Mom.
Oh my God. I feel so stupid.
With shaky hands, I text Owen.
I need to see you. My mom’s a liar. Christopher is Penny’s dad.
Owen: Meet me at the coffee shop by our house, angel. We’ll talk there.
Fifteen minutes later, I pull up to the quaint coffeehouse near our neighborhood. It’s my favorite because it’s not a chain. The place is dark and small, but it smells delightful. There are sofas and lounge chairs all over, so no matter where you sit, you’re comfortable. My favorite spot is by the fireplace near the front window. When I see Owen’s handsome face grinning from it, flutters of happiness chase away all my stress.
Inside the shop, it’s busy, so I’m glad he snagged us a good spot to sit. When I reach him, he stands from the broken-in loveseat and pulls me to him for a hug. It’s a desperately needed hug. I cling to him, inhaling his masculine, warm, comforting scent.
“What do you want, angel? I’ll go grab us something.”
I pull away, reluctantly, and tell him my order. As he saunters off, I stare at his cute butt in his jeans. Then, I settle on the loveseat, toward the middle. The fireplace crackles across the coffee table from me, warming me despite the cold window.
When Owen returns, he sits close enough to me that I sort of fall against his side. We play it cool, but I’m dying to crawl into his lap. He slips an arm behind me and his thumb finds a sliverof skin between my jeans and sweatshirt. I shiver and it has nothing to do with the temperature.
“I knew something was going on there,” Owen says after the barista drops off our coffees. “He was too friendly with Penny. Now it makes sense if he’s her father.”
I sip the hot, caramel goodness and sigh in frustration. “All I ever wanted was to have a mom who loved me like you love your kids. Was that so much to ask?”
This has nothing to do with Penny’s father and everything to do with our mother.
Owen pulls me to him and kisses my hair. “No child should ever have to ask for their parent’s love. It should come as easily as breathing.”
“She loves me,” I admit tearfully, “but she has an awful way of showing it.”
“I know. I’m so sorry.”
After a beat, I suck in a deep, calming breath and then exhale it out. “So how does the stalker connect with all this?”
“I thought it was Leah,” Owen says with a grunt, “but now I wonder if I’m way off base. He’s been following you and showing up at Carol’s place. It might not have anything to do with me at all.”
“What could Mom be doing that requires a private investigator to follow her family? Christopher being Penny’s dad isn’t enough to warrant such sketchy behavior from her, right?”
His fingers tickle higher under my shirt, and I bark out a soft laugh. We both grin stupidly at each other for a moment before he answers my questions.
“She needed me to save the house Carol is in. That’s why we got married in the first place. I understand now why she wanted to save it from being foreclosed on.”
I nod, scrunching my eyebrows together. “Is that illegal? Is someone following her to try and get her in trouble?”
