Chapter 68

Ilaced up my sneakers, anxious to get in a good workout. I needed to sweat. I needed to bust my ass and work out the frustration that had been plaguing me since the whole Sloane situation blew up.

At home, I had to be calm and strong for both of them. Inside, I was dying to say something that I might end up regretting. Biting my tongue was a serious workout all its own.

Spencer was already waiting for me in the gym. He was chatting it up with a hot blonde. I shook my head. This was not how he was going to meet a wife. He was always looking for a hookup.

"Hey, man, how's it going?" Spencer said when he saw me.

"Fine. Please don't tell me you just got that chick's number."

"She's hot, right?" He grinned.

"You're determined to stay forever single," I warned him.

"Looking at you, I'm thinking that might not be so bad. You look like shit. I thought you were supposed to be living out some fantasy. How are things at the house?"

"Could be better," I admitted.

Spencer arched an eyebrow, sensing my unease. "What's up? Trouble in paradise?"

I let out a humorless chuckle. "You could say that."

I recounted the events of the fateful night, the tension in my muscles easing slightly as I unburdened myself.

"I can't believe you got caught so quickly," Spencer remarked, a hint of amusement coloring his tone. "You guys lasted, what, less than a week?"

"A day."

He burst into laughter. "Shit. You couldn't keep it in your pants a few more days. You really stepped in it."

I grimaced, rubbing a hand over my face. "Tell me about it. She's not talking to us. She's acting like we committed some great sin."

"You have to remember, man, she's just a kid. Put yourself in her shoes. How would you feel if that had happened to you at fourteen?"

My jaw tightened at the thought. "I probably would've reacted worse than Sloane," I admitted, voice heavy with regret. "Not about my parents hooking up, because, duh, that's kind of a given, but hiding it from me. If they split up and then secretly got back together, I might be a little pissed. But, as an adult, I can look at the situation and think that maybe it wasn't any of my damn business."

"Look, it'll blow over," he said, with a shrug. "Sloane wants you in her life, and she wants her mom to be happy. Once she sees that you're not going anywhere, it'll be better for everyone."

"I hope so," I said. "This is tearing Isadora up—and me too, if I'm being honest."

"And you're still not getting any," he joked.

I punched the heavy bag, feeling the rush of adrenaline flow through my veins. I needed to burn off some of the tension that had built up inside me. The guilt still weighed on my mind. We had made a mistake, there was no denying that, but I wasn't ready to give up on my relationship with Sloane or Isadora. I just needed to find a way to make things right again.

After pounding the shit out of the bag, we headed for the treadmills.

"Want to race?" Spencer joked.

"You do know you're not actually going anywhere, right?"

He started his treadmill.

"Cheater," I said, hopping on mine and ramping up the speed.

We pushed ourselves to our limits, the tension of the past few days melting away with each stride. My mind emptied as my muscles worked. In the end, I crossed the finish line first, a triumphant grin spreading across my face.

"Looks like I win again," I teased, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

Spencer chuckled. "Don't get too cocky, buddy. I'll beat you next time."

I went home, feeling much better about everything. I hoped Isadora was getting the same break from the stress while at lunch with Holly. No one was home yet when I walked through the door. I headed up to my room to take a hot shower. The hot water felt amazing.

"Graham?" I heard Isadora's voice.

I rubbed the steam away from the glass door and saw her. "Want to join me?" I asked.

She smiled. "Yes, but I better not."

"Ah yes, the surly teenager. What's up?"

"I was just thinking about how to handle the situation," she said.

"About Sloane?" I asked as I shampooed my hair.

"Yes. We can't keep hiding things from her. She's old enough to understand."

"You're right," I agreed. "We need to tell her the truth. I think it was the secret that upset her more than anything."

"I was thinking, maybe we could do it together. Tell her about our lives from the beginning."

"I think that's a great idea," I said. "It'll show her that we're in this together, no matter what. And that it wasn't an easy road to get here."

I shut off the water and stepped out. Isadora handed me my towel, but not until after she'd looked her fill.

She smiled knowingly. "Maybe we should tell her tonight."

"Sounds like a great plan. You know what else sounds like a good plan?"

She grinned, stepping away from me. "She would absolutely die if she caught us."

"But she's not here right now," I reminded her.

Water dripped down my chest. I saw her watch it and thought it couldn't hurt to at least sneak a couple of kisses and maybe a little more, since it had been a while.

Isadora's eyes met mine. I could see the desire in them. Our chemistry had always been undeniable, but there was something about the tension and pain of the past few days that made the attraction even more intense.

As we kissed, I thought about how much we'd been through together. We'd faced countless obstacles, both in our relationship and in life, but we'd always managed to come out stronger on the other side. We were a team, and I knew that we could face anything as long as we had each other.

"Okay," she gasped, pulling away. "You're too easy. Or I'm too easy. We're both too easy. I'm going to see what I can make for dinner. Put some clothes on."

I laughed as she walked out of the bathroom. "Remember, you came into my shower!" I called out.

I dressed in a clean T-shirt and shorts before heading downstairs. Sloane was just coming through the front door. I was suddenly very relieved Isadora had turned me down. That could have ended very badly for us.

"Hey," I greeted her. "You're home early."

"Beth's family had to go visit her grandmother," Sloane answered. "She had a fall, but she's okay. They just want to make sure she's all right."

"That's too bad," I said. "But I'm glad to hear she's okay."

She started for the stairs.

"Sloane, wait," I said, reaching out to gently grasp her arm. "We need to talk to you. Please."

Sloane paused, her expression wary as she turned to face me. "What is it?" she asked with exasperation.

"Let's go in the kitchen. Mom's making dinner."

Sloane's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

"Kitchen," I said more firmly.

She begrudgingly followed me in. Isadora looked up with surprise when she saw Sloane.

I shrugged. "I told Sloane we need to talk to her."

"Oh, yes, great. Let me put this in the oven and we'll go sit down."

"I don't want to talk," Sloane complained.

"That's not a problem," I replied. "You don't have to talk. You just have to listen."

We all sat at the table. I nodded, telling Isadora to start the story.

She explained how we met back when we were teenagers. She told her about Clive not approving of the relationship and sending me away before I even knew Isadora was pregnant. Fortunately, she skipped the part about the payoff. That might be too honest. Then Isadora explained why she never reached out to me.

Sloane's expression shifted from curiosity to confusion. When Isadora finally finished, she remained silent for a long moment. "I don't know what to say," Sloane said.

"Sloane, we just want you to know the truth," I said. "We understand if this is a lot to take in, but we felt like you deserved to know. There were a lot of mistakes made, but you were not one of them. I am so glad you were born. I am so grateful to your mother for taking care of you."

Sloane nodded slowly. "I'm not sure how I feel about all of this."

"Sloane, we understand if you need some time," Isadora said, her voice gentle. "But we want you to know that we're here for you, no matter what."

Sloane nodded, her expression still uncertain. "I just don't want things to change," she admitted. "I'm finally getting to know you, Dad, and I don't want anything to mess things up. I don't want you to go away again."

Hearing her call me Dad filled my heart, but then it shattered when she was afraid I would leave. That was the entire reason we had been waiting to tell her about us. We didn't want there to be any uncertainty about what our future would look like. We didn't want her to worry about us breaking up, but that was exactly what she was worried about.

"We don't want things to change either, Sloane," I said, my voice filled with sincerity. "We just want what's best for you and I'm not going anywhere."

Sloane nodded. "Maybe it would be best if you and Mom just put things on hold. I don't want you guys to break up and then I lose my dad again. It didn't work out the first time."

My heart sank at Sloane's words. Disappointment washed over me. I had hoped for understanding, for acceptance, but I knew that Sloane had every right to feel conflicted.

"Sloane, we just want you to know that we love you," Isadora said, her voice gentle. "And we'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're happy."

Sloane nodded, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I know," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "And I love you too. Can I go to my room now?"

Isadora nodded. "Yes."

Later that night, Isadora and I sat on the couch in the dark with just a couple of candles burning. I had a glass of scotch while Isadora enjoyed a glass of wine.

"I don't know what to do," I admitted. "I thought telling Sloane the truth would help, but now I just feel like we've made things worse."

Isadora reached out, her hand taking mine. "We'll figure it out," she said, her voice soft but determined. "We'll find a way to make things right. It's just part of her getting comfortable with this. She doesn't understand what love is. She doesn't understand we love each other and that's not something that goes away."

"We have to be patient," I said with resignation. "Although I'm so tired of waiting to get to the good stuff."

"You were right," she said softly. "We should have told Sloane before we moved in together. We could have avoided all of this."

"Maybe," I said. "But we can't change the past. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and try to do better in the future."

Isadora smiled, resting her head on my shoulder. "We will," she said. "We'll get through this together."

"I should get to bed," I said. "I haven't been sleeping well."

"Me either," she replied.

"Can I steal a kiss?"

"We should put an alarm on her door," Isadora said.

"What?"

"An alarm, so we know when she's leaving her room." She laughed.

"Or we could tie a bell around her neck," I teased.

Isadora playfully slapped my shoulder. "You're ridiculous. Maybe a family therapy session would be a good idea. We could all talk things out and find a way to move forward together."

"If we can't get through this, then yes, that might be a good idea. Lord knows I'm way out of my depth here."

We got up, and instead of our usual goodnight kiss upstairs, I kissed her in the candlelit room to keep from getting busted by Sloane. As we shared that intimate moment, I realized how much I loved her and how I would do anything to support her and our daughter.