“I don’t believe you.”
He leaned in closer, his heavy cologne pervaded her senses to the point she wanted to hold her breath to shut it out. Or maybe it was his hurtful words she wanted to avoid.
“The proof walked in the diner tonight.” He paused, smug face radiating superiority. “You can’t deny what you saw.”
She whirled and looked at him, anger, hurt, and resentment rolling into one huge knot in her stomach. She had no way of knowing how much was truth and how much was Cade’s version of it, but she didn’t think for a minute Max would have deserted someone like that.
“You’re right. I can’t deny what I saw. A young man with brown hair and hazel eyes.” She brought one finger up to her chin as though in thought. “Come to think of it, you have brownish hair and hazel eyes, too.”
Cade stiffened and jerked back. His face turned dark red, thin lips pulled into a tight line.
He opened his mouth, and Sky held up her hand, palm out.
“Not another word,” she hissed. “Not one.” Body tense with anger, she stalked off. The crowded walkway disguised her faltering steps as she headed to the back of the hall. Her lungs constricted, and each labored breath became a chore.
“Ms. Ward,” came a familiar voice, “are you all right?”
Sky blinked rapidly and focused on the face of her landlord. “Mr. Jenkins. Um, yes…I…think I’m too warm is all.”
“Frankly, I think they could turn down the heat a bit with all these folks in here.” His kindly face showed concern. “Maybe you should take off your coat?”
“What? Oh. Yes. Of course.”
He held out his hand for her bag as she removed the coat.
Folding it over her arm, she took her bag and smiled. “That’s better. Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” Keen eyes focused on her face. “Are you sure you’re okay? Perhaps I could get you some punch or something?”
“Oh no, thank you. I’m fine. Just got a little too warm I think.” She hugged the coat against her body, still tense with anger. “I best go find Maddie. Thank you again for your concern, Mr. Jenkins.”
She hurried off before he could say anything else.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur of mixed emotions. The atmosphere was festive, the throng of people excited and happy, but the sense of being alone in a crowd rolled over her in waves. Ever since Max had come into her life, those feelings had subsided, and she could handle watching happy couples and families doing what families did.
Not tonight.
Without Max at her side, all the old feelings of isolation came rushing back, and she struggled to keep the melancholy at bay as family groups surged around her, their laughter and lively conversations like a dagger in her heart, reinforcing the fact that she was alone. Always alone.
The clincher came when she caught a brief glimpse of unbridled sadness in Maddie’s eyes as she watched a man place his child on Santa’s knee, face beaming with pride, while the smiling woman beside him snapped pictures.
It took a monumental effort to swallow the lump in her throat. I will not cry. Not now. Not tonight.
As much as Maddie might want to be that family, Sky wanted it more. She longed for someone to come home to. Someone to be there for her when nights like this came along. Someone to hold her close in the darkness, whisper words of love in her ear, kiss away the sadness that ate away at her soul.
Someone to make love to her.
She wanted Max.
But was that even possible now? The young man who showed up tonight gave her a glimpse of the part of him she knew nothing about. A past that obviously included the possibility of him being involved with someone and maybe even producing a child. She didn’t readily see a family resemblance, but she knew that didn’t necessarily mean anything.
Doubts and questions bounced around her head like BBs in a bathtub. The bottom line, though, was one question. Did she believe Max’s assertion that he was not the boy’s father? The answer was a simple yes, but the complications presented by the situation were anything but.
She forced a smile and engaged in conversations with townspeople as Maddie pulled her from one vendor to another, her mood decidedly upbeat after a short visit with Santa. When Sky asked what she wished for, Maddie smiled and said, “I can’t tell you or it won’t come true.”
Dinner consisted of chili dogs from the local VFW booth and chocolate pie from the Kiwanis.
By nine o’clock, Sky was physically and emotionally exhausted. The food she’d eaten earlier sat like a stone in the pit of her stomach.
“Do we have to go now?” groused Maddie, “I don’t have school tomorrow.”
“It’s late, and I’m tired.” The statement came out shorter than intended, and Sky sighed. “It’s been a long day, Munchkin. The festival goes all weekend. Maybe we can come back on Sunday since I don’t have to work.”
“Maybe Max can bring me back tomorrow.”
“He has to work.”
“Oh yeah. I forgot.”
Maddie grew silent, mouth moving from side to side, a sure sign she had something on her mind. They were almost home when she found out what.
“What does knocked up mean?”
Oh crap.
Like a moth to a flame, the welcoming light from Sky’s kitchen window pulled Max forward. As crappy nights go, this one pretty much topped the heap. Max had no experience in dealing with kids in general and certainly not resentful teenagers. It took a lengthy call to Dr. Bellamy to come up with a plan, which took almost three hours to work through. In the end, Logan more or less accepted Max was not his father, but nothing diminished the truckload of anger the kid harbored toward him and his mother.
