Blindsided (Indigo Love Spectrum) Page 4

  “I did the best I could, but I was still wrong. I want to tell you about him now.”

  “We don’t have to do this.” Reese motioned her head toward the kitchen. “I’ll get the cheesecake.”

  Gail grabbed Reese’s hand. “We should finish talking first,” she said. “You’re old enough to know the truth.”

  “What truth? Some things are obvious. He was a white guy. You told him you were pregnant and he ditched you. Is that it?”

  “No, that is not it, and I don’t like your tone.” Gail released Reese’s hand and took another swallow of her lemonade. “I don’t want you to have animosity toward him. He did nothing wrong. If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at me.”

  “I don’t want to be angry with you. I don’t want to talk about this. Why are we talking about this now?”

  “Because it’s necessary.”

  “Why? Is something wrong? Is he trying to take custody of me or something?”

  “No, he’s not trying to do that, but since you mentioned custody, you should know we have made contact, and I want you to spend some time with him.”

  Reese gasped. “Whose idea was that?”

  “Mine.”

  Unease settled in Reese’s stomach, killing her appetite. Something had to be wrong with her mother. She couldn’t listen to any more of this conversation. “May I be excused?”

  “No. We’re not done.”

  “I am.”

  “Baby, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and it’s time you get to know your father. You’re getting older, and you need to have a strong male figure in your life.”

  “Hello. Ben?”

  “Ben is wonderful, but he’s not your father.”

  “My father hasn’t been my father. He’s never been in my life. How can he be a strong male figure?”

  “His not being in your life isn’t his fault, Reese, it’s mine. I never told him about you.”

  Like some errant arrow, the words went through Reese’s ears and straight to her heart, stinging her soul with disbelief and hurt. ‘I never told him about you.’ Did her mother really say that? “Why not?” she asked.

  “Because getting pregnant was my idea. I wanted it to be you and me.”

  “And now you want it to be you, me, and him.”

  “No, I want it to be you and him. I want you to know your father, Reese. I think it’s time you met him.”

  Chapter 4

  Norris slid off the couch and onto the floor, clutching a throw pillow to his chest. He loved the comfort of Dahlia’s place. It wasn’t overloaded with furniture and a lot of stuff; it was homey and wide-open, an interesting contrast to the Italian leather furniture and African art that made his condo look more like a spread from an interior-decorating magazine than a bachelor pad. But he loved his place. It suited him. Like Dahlia’s place suited her. Different personalities converging. Much like they did that first night.

  Dahlia joined him on the floor. “What are you thinking?”

  “At this very moment? My first time here.” He smiled brightly with the memory of their bodies twined together on the cool surface of her hardwood floor. “Wasn’t exactly conventional, huh?”

  She chuckled. “No, it wasn’t. I usually don’t bring home men I meet while renting a movie, but learning we knew some of the same people and the fact you were renting Shrek had me convinced you weren’t a madman.”

  “Just one with questionable taste in movies.”

  “You’re in touch with your fun side, there’s nothing wrong with that. It will only help in getting to know your daughter.”

  “My daughter.”

  “I’m sure she’ll warm up to you just like that.” Dahlia snapped her fingers.

  “I wonder. I’m telling you, my parents are something else. You never wondered how Ryan and I became friends?”

  “Lara said you guys met in second grade. Schoolmates.”

  “Yes, we were, but I’m heir to a multi-million dollar fortune and I grew up in Wisconsin. That doesn’t seem strange to you?”

  “Now that I think about it . . . How did that happen?”

  “My folks. My father, Harold, grew up in Wisconsin and believed in hard work and doing it yourself. My mother, on the other hand, was from an old Greek family as wealthy as my dad’s was poor. They met in New York, where Dad was trying to make his mark in the financial world. After meeting the daughter of Constantine Katsoros, he didn’t have to worry about doing it himself. He let mom’s unlimited money do it for him.”

  “If they met in New York, how did you end up in

  Wisconsin? You spent some time in Greece, too, right?”

  “Yeah. Dad loved Mom’s money, but he didn’t want

  to raise children who didn’t value a dollar. We lived in

  Greece until I was seven, at which time they decided it

  best that a caring staff in Wisconsin raise my brother,

  sister, and me. You know, be around regular people and

  establish ourselves without the aid of the Katsoros mil

  lions. We didn’t want for anything material, and we took some nice trips during the summer, but Wisconsin became home. We attended public school and grew up like,” he made quotes with his fingers, “ ‘regular’ kids.”

  “And what were your parents doing while the caring staff took care of you and your siblings?”

  “Genevieve and Harold? What else? Traveling the world, spending money, and partying with the crème de la crème of society. Julia, Lane, and I got to see them for a couple of hours on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, but that was about it. Now, every other year at Thanksgiving, my parents alternate spending the holiday with each of us. Won’t be my turn again for a couple more years.”

  Dahlia shook her head, sighing. Norris could tell what she was thinking without her saying a word. The sad pity in her eyes said a mouthful.

  “You can say it,” he said.

  “I don’t know what I want to say.”

  “I do. Poor little rich boy, grew up with so much but had so little. You’re right. The strange part is that to this day I crave my parents’ approval. Lane’s the oldest, and Julia’s the youngest and the only girl, not that the distinction helps them, but I’m just an extra. I want to make them proud. I want them to be happy for me and in the choices I make. I wonder if I can ever make that happen.”

  Dahlia grunted. “Why would you want to?” she mumbled.

  “I heard that, you know.”

  “Good. You mentioned their reaction to meeting Lara, and she was your best friend’s girlfriend. How do you think they’ll react to your daughter?”

  “I don’t know. I hope fine. She’s my daughter.”

  “You think that’ll make a difference?”

  “I don’t want to believe my parents are racist.”

  “They don’t have to be racist to have a problem with you presenting them with a biracial grandchild. Reese isn’t a baby, and she’s going to feel that tension.”

  “I think it will be different this time.”

  “But you don’t know. Because of my weight, I’ve been the person who stuck out in a crowd. It’s even more painful when a family member puts emphasis on your difference, and it’s not a good feeling, Norris. I’ve lost the weight, but I’ll always be that fat kid. That pain never really goes away. You don’t want to subject Reese to unnecessary scrutiny from her own family.”

  Norris brushed his finger against Dahlia’s cheek. She had talked about being overweight, but he could never equate it to the curvaceous stunner before him. Now, it was becoming real. As real as the feeling he’d developed for her.

  “I’m sorry for what you’ve gone through, Dahlia. I think you’re beautiful, and I would think so even with the weight.”

  “Really?” She opened the end table drawer and pulled out a photo. “What do you think?” She handed him the snapshot.

  Norris studied the picture of full-figured Dahlia, finding the same smile and bright eyes that
drew him in from the moment they met. He smiled. “I think St. Thomas was good for you. You’ve gone through quite a dramatic physical transformation, but you’re just as beautiful in this photo as you are now.”

  “Come on. You wouldn’t have noticed that Dahlia.”

  “You’re wrong.” Norris glanced from the photo to Dahlia. “You’re more than just a body to me.”

  Their eyes met and held for a long moment, the quiet saying more than any words ever could. Remaining a step ahead of commitment and relationship as they nipped at his heels had been hard, but Norris had grown tired, and hoped and prayed that when his legs gave out Dahlia would be there to catch him. Worry that she wouldn’t have kept him running, but at moments like this he couldn’t help but think . . . He leaned in for a kiss.

  “What are you going to do about your daughter?”

  Norris blinked. “What?”

  “I asked what you’re going to do about your daughter,” Dahlia said, returning the photo to the drawer and settling into the nearest corner of the couch. “How do you plan to deal with your parents?”

  “I don’t know. I love them because they’re my parents, but I’ve learned to live without them. Servants raised me. That’s what makes it hard to know what to do about Reese. I want to know her, but I don’t know how to be a father when mine was always more a visitor in my life. I don’t want to fail her.”

  “Like your parents did you?”

  “They did, but I’ve always known who they were. I’m a stranger to Reese. Is it fair I disrupt her life to say, ‘Hi, I’m your daddy. Let’s make nice?’ What if she’s not interested?”

  “You don’t know she’s not. What will you do if she is?”

  “I’ll buy parenting books, get tips from Ryan and Lara, and pray I don’t ruin her life. I don’t want her to hate me.”

  Dahlia patted the cushion beside her. “Join me.” Norris moved to the couch, feeling immediate calm when his hand settled in hers.

  “You’re afraid, aren’t you?” she asked.

  “Am I really supposed to answer that? A man’s not supposed to own up to fear, especially about a sixteenyear-old.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

  Norris smiled. “Thanks for saying so.”

  Her fingers brushed his hair. “What are you thinking?”

  I think I love you. “I think she’ll resent me,” he said. “Gail and I didn’t exactly have an ideal relationship. Hell, I’ve never had a relationship with any woman, it’s just been—”

  “Arrangements?” Dahlia offered.

  “That works,” Norris said. “I’ve missed out on so much with Reese. Her first smile, her first steps, and her first day of school. Sixteen birthdays, sixteen Christmases, and sixteen years of sweet goodnight kisses. And all Reese knows is I wasn’t there for her and her mother. Not exactly a good beginning for a relationship.”

  “Would you be happier if Gail had never said anything?”

  Norris watched Dahlia closely as he considered her words. He could extend the same question to her about the change he thought their relationship had taken, but from the time he’d spent with her, he knew such a question would blow up in his face. Her reaction before he mentioned Reese said as much.

  “I would have been happier knowing about Reese from the beginning, but I wasn’t given that option. I know about a teenager, and Gail wants to leave her alone with me. She couldn’t have made this any harder.”

  “Let’s talk about your fear, Norris.”

  “I’m afraid of losing Reese before I get the chance to know her. She’s not a baby, Dahlia. I can’t cuddle her and rock her and bribe her with a stuffed toy. I have to stumble my way through this, and build a father/daughter relationship that should have been established sixteen years ago. Gail should have told me about her. She should have told me.”

  “I was thinking the same thing when I learned my husband was cheating on me. He should have told me.”

  Norris’s eyes narrowed. “You think this is the same?”

  “No, but I’m trying to make a point. You’re afraid of the unknown. How you’ll handle being a father and how your daughter will respond to you. Well, when I was going through my divorce, I was wondering how I was going to make it on my own. Jonah had been a part of my life for sixteen years, the same amount of time you’ve been without Reese. So I know fear.”

  Dahlia hugged a throw pillow to her chest. Her dark eyes took on a faraway quality. Norris waited for her to say more. They’d discussed her cheating ex, the less than amicable divorce that ended twelve years of marriage, and her vow to stay clear of relationships many times before, but tonight felt different. It seemed Dahlia wanted to say a little more. Pushing her would likely cause her to clam up, so he just waited quietly.

  “Fear. I could write a book about fear. Finding my husband in bed with another woman, in my house . . .” She closed her eyes, blotting glistening tears with long lashes. “Trying to figure out how to go on from there, that’s fear. Aside from hair and how to run a business, Jonah was all I knew. We met as freshmen in college and got married before grad school. He had been a part of my entire adult life, and I had to find a way to live my life without him.”

  Norris brushed away the tears rolling down her cheeks. He’d seen her cry before, but not like this. Happy tears that streamed from laughing until her stomach cramped from his silly stories, and bittersweet tears that flowed ever so slowly at the conclusion of a sad movie, but not sorrowful tears from a place deep in her heart where a stabbing ache still resided.

  Dahlia had always put up a tough-girl façade, a veneer that said, ‘I’m on top of things. I do what I want, when I want, and how I want,’ but he’d suspected it was just a disguise, and tonight made it clear. He had enjoyed the game she played. It had enchanted him. But this hurt was real, personal, and she was sharing it with him. They were sharing. He liked it.

  She moved away from his caressing thumb. “I don’t know what’s going on with me.” Dahlia wiped away the remnants of tears. “We were talking about you.”

  “That’s okay. I like hearing more about you. Your husband was a fool.”

  “My husband was a man. A very attractive man with some coin and a line.” A humorless chuckle erased the brief silence that followed her words. “A couple of lines. One to lure me, and another to reel me in. A big, foolish fish.”

  “Dahlia . . .”

  “No, it’s okay. Three good things came out of my marriage ending: I lost a loser of husband before I lost more of myself, I shed eighty pounds that had been weighing me down for years, and I got in touch with a Dahlia that had been silent for too long. It wasn’t easy, but after finding my way through a pile of empty potato chip bags, I found a good place.”

  “Potato chip bags?” Norris said curiously.

  “Some people fall into hard times and lose themselves in a bottle of booze. I lose myself in ripple chips. ‘My name is Dahlia, and I’m a chipoholic.’ It’s my cross to bear, but admitting a problem is the first step to getting help, right?”

  Norris laughed. “It’s good you can find humor in this.”

  “After a while, you can always find a way to laugh about things that once brought you pain.”

  “Thanks for sharing this with me.”

  “I wanted you to see that as difficult as this situation seems, you can get through it and find a good place with your daughter.”

  “Maybe we can,” he said. “I can’t deny I’m still a bit mortified about this fatherhood thing, but there’s a good anxiousness in the mix, too.”

  Dahlia eyes sparkled as she smiled. “That’s good to hear. ”

  Norris wanted her to say more, to talk about that Dahlia she’d mentioned who’d been quiet for too long, but he knew he’d have to keep wondering because Dahlia’s time for sharing had come to an end. From what he’d come to know of the inner workings of Ms. Sinclair, sparkly eyes meant she had an idea, and it had nothing to do with sharing secrets or unspoken pains.<
br />
  “As many movies as we’ve watched together, we always get sidetracked before finishing.” Dahlia giggled. “Let’s cook up a little something and see if we can get to the end credits for a change.”

  Norris smiled. He was definitely learning to read her well. And the more he learned, the more he liked. “I’m willing to give it a shot,” he said, following her to the kitchen.

  Memories of this evening replayed in Norris’s head. He’d never talked to any woman about his parents, but tonight he’d not only told Dahlia about his folks, he told her about the daughter he hadn’t even told his best friend about. And when all was said and done, he felt calm about it. Happy even.

  His smile grew wider as he watched Dahlia rifle the fridge for this and that. All doubts evaporated. Hell had frozen over, pigs had taken flight, and the first of Neverary had arrived. The utterly impossible had finally come to pass. Norris Converse had fallen in love.

  Chapter 5

  Dahlia sighed softly and smiled. The unmistakable scent of Norris, a woodsy sweetness with a hint of spice, made the best alarm clock in the world.

  Waking to his scent all around her wasn’t unusual. The hours they spent together twined in her sheets kept his presence lingering long after he was gone. But this morning brought a difference. It didn’t find her nestled in the downy softness of her king-size rice bed, her body satiated and humming with memories of Norris’s masterful touch. Instead, she woke with a dull ache in her neck and an amazing feeling throughout her being. Happiness and contentment overwhelmed her from something as simple and innocent as spending an entire night in Norris’s arms, on her couch.

  She pressed her nose to his chest, breathing him in. She liked Norris being here. She liked that he had chosen to tell her something he hadn’t told another soul. But she didn’t like that she liked it. She shouldn’t like it. They had an arrangement. Sex. Simple and uncomplicated. Just primal urges being met. Feelings weren’t supposed to exist in that, outside the orgasmic pleasure realm, but damn if feelings hadn’t developed.