Page 43 of His Secret Wish

“Come on.” Claudia pulled on her arm. “We got to go.”

Isabella pushed the weirdness aside and smiled down at her. “Lead the way, princess.”

Isabella turned and glanced back into the minivan. Both Claudia and Marissa were strapped into their car seats, both sound asleep. They looked like little angels.

But she couldn’t deny that a nap sounded really good about now. Spending the time with the girls had been a lot of fun, but it was utterly exhausting. They’d wanted to see everything, and do everything. And, Isabella, being the softy that she was, had indulged them.

In her defense, Owen had been no better. At one point, he’d disappeared, telling her he needed to go and grab something. At the time, they’d been in a sporting goods store. Marissa had looked longingly at a cute little coat in the window, one that had pink hearts all over it. So, they’d gone in to look, and before she knew it, she was buying them both a new coat and matching mittens and hats. When Owen got back, he had a bunch of candy for the two of them, along with a couple of stuffed cows.

It had been so sweet. And proof he’d been paying attention to Claudia’s chatter in the van. A little more of the anger she’d held onto as a shield had melted away. Exposing more of her old feelings. The dangerous ones.

Maybe you should talk to him about how you feel? Find out what he’s feeling.

No, she couldn’t do that. The possibility that he might reject her, laugh in her face, especially after everything she’d done to push him away the first time, made it too risky. She’d just served him with divorce papers again, for fuck’s sake. He was going to think she was certifiable by sending such mixed messages.

“Everything okay?” His deep voice cut through the silence, and her thoughts, making her jump.

She glanced at him. He was looking at her, his face blank, but there was a ribbon of concern in his gaze. She hated that she didn’t know where she stood with him, and that she was too chicken shit to actually ask. Their relationship was definitely different than it had been when she’d gotten in his truck on Friday, but what it all meant, or where it was headed was a mystery.

The question tingled the back of her tongue, but at the last second, she realized couldn’t do it, and went with the easy way out. “Yeah, I’m good.” She threw in a smile for good measure, although it felt a little wobbly.

He stared at her hard for a moment. She wanted to squirm in her seat, look away, but that would be too telling. Then he turned his focus back to the road, and she felt like she could breathe again.

“I’m going to stop and fill up the tank before we get back.” He didn’t look at her this time.

“That’s very sweet of you.” They hadn’t gone far, so wouldn’t have used up all the gas. She glanced at the gas gauge. Almost on empty, which meant it was already pretty empty when they’d gotten in. It was probably going to cost him a lot of money to fill the tank. She wasn’t sure her cousin deserved it, but then, she might be feeling pretty salty toward Yolanda and her husband at the moment.

He shrugged and turned into the gas station they’d come upon.

She glanced back at the girls, who were still sound asleep. Marissa had her stuffed cow clutched to her chest. This nap probably meant they’d be up all night, but Isabella didn’t have the heart to wake them.

Owen pulled up to a gas pump and got out of the van. The pumps were newer—in this part of the state it was hit or miss—so they accepted cards. No need to go into the store and pay for the fuel.

She climbed out of the van, needing to stretch her legs. “I’m going to grab something to drink. Do you want anything?”

He shook his head, his dark hair shiny in the afternoon sun. She couldn’t think of a time he’d gone this long without wearing his cowboy hat. It looked good on him. Then again, he looked hot in a cowboy hat, too.

A brisk wind picked up, making her shiver. Although the sun was out, there were still plenty of clouds in the sky. And they were hanging low, like they were full of moisture. Hopefully there wouldn’t be another storm like the one last night. That was a sure way to ruin Yaya’s party. Yes, they’d rented some tents and there would be shelter from the elements, but those kinds of party tents weren’t meant to protect against torrential downpours.

She hurried over to the store, sending a plea to the universe to hold off on the rain. Yaya deserved a special night. She pushed open the door to the store. A bell tinkled. The sound made her smile. They had a similar one on the diner door back in Redding.

A pang of homesickness hit her. Things were so much simpler, more black and white, back home. Not muddled together into a big old mess like they were now.

Shaking the feelings off, she went to the cooler and grabbed a diet soda. They had bottles of Dr. Pepper, so she grabbed one for Owen. He said he didn’t want anything, but he had to be thirsty. She also grabbed a couple of small bottles of juice for the girls, in case they woke up before they got back to the house.

At the counter, they had a little stand of fresh baked goods. Like, someone’s grandmother was in the back somewhere, making treats. Everything looked so good.

“I’ve got some strawberry rhubarb hand pies I was just about to put out.” The older gentleman behind the counter smiled at her.

Her mouth watered. And strawberry rhubarb was Owen’s favorite. “Ooh, I’ll take two of those, please.” She placed her drinks on the counter. “Actually, better make it four.” If the girls woke up, it would be selfish to not have something for them.

“That’s a lovely little family you’ve got there.”

She glanced out the front window of the store, her heart lodged in her throat. If only he knew the truth.

If only they really were a family. She’d have everything she’d ever wanted.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice coming out relatively normal. An impressive feat given how much she was twisted up on the inside.