Page 125 of The Heartbreaker

She silently shook her head. “Why are you going there?”

“Answer me.”

“Of course I trust you.”

“Then, you need to trust that I would never put someone in Daisy’s life who didn’t want the best for her.” I stretched my arm across the back of the couch. “The same way you wouldn’t introduce Daisy to one of your boyfriends if you didn’t think he would make the best decisions for our daughter. You know, the last relationship you were in, I don’t recall us needing a conversation like the one we’re having now. Because I trusted you. I trusted your decision-making, and therefore, I trusted him.” Before she could chime in, I added, “Don’t tell me thissituation is so unlike your last boyfriend. They’re different people, sure, but ultimately, you were dating someone, and now, I’m dating someone, it’s all the same.”

She rubbed both hands over her forehead and across the top of her head. “Fuck.”

“We knew when we broke up it wasn’t always going to be the easiest, but we’ve done an impressive job working together for the sake of our little girl. This is a bump, but we’ll get through it.” I slid to the end of the cushion and placed my vodka on the table. “But I need us on the same page about this. Because if we’re not, it’s going to create a mess that neither of us, nor our daughter, needs.” I folded my hands together. “I’m happy, Jana. I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time.”

“I know.” She lifted my glass of vodka off the table and downed it in one sip, setting the empty back. “I’ve had my suspicions that someone was in your life. I guess I just know you so well that I could sense it.” She tucked the other side of her hair behind her ear. “I never pointed it out. I just kept it to myself, knowing that when the time was right, you’d tell me.”

I chuckled. “Hey, I planned to.”

“And that does make me happy—although I don’t know what that dinner would have looked like. Tonight was a bomb, Ridge. You put a few drinks in me and add that news in, and who knows what would have come out?”

I smiled. “There were many things about our relationship that didn’t work, but what we’ve done so well is put those things aside for our girl. We talk it out when it gets rough. We lean on each other when we have to. We listen to both sides, even when we don’t want to. Tomorrow night would have looked just like tonight—two adults with strong opinions because we love our daughter so much and we would do anything to protect her.”

Emotion flashed through her eyes. “You’re right.”

When her arm stretched out toward me, I set my hand on her wrist. “I wouldn’t allow Addison to spend any personal time with Daisy until you knew the truth about us.” I squeezed her and pulled my hand back. “I’m asking you now to be okay with it.”

“Are you giving me a choice?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“And if I’m not okay with it? What then, Ridge?”

I sighed. “I’ll cross that bridge when it happens,” I repeated for the second time. I looked at the glass between us. “Do you need another drink while you’re thinking about it?”

“I need to drive home, so no.” She unfolded her legs and moved the pillow back to where it had been. And the words that finally came out of her mouth were, “I trust your decision-making.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

THIRTY

Addison

Ididn’t know why I was nervous. Out of all the first-time moments in my life—standing in front of a classroom, walking across a stage to strip—this should have been easy.

But it wasn’t.

I was more anxious now as I headed up Ridge’s driveway and rang the doorbell than I’d been during either of those two occasions.

Several days had passed since the incident at his house, preparing me for today. Within that span, I’d had multiple conversations with him regarding his chat with Jana. Not only the night it had happened, when we’d stayed awake for most of the evening before I took a rideshare home in the early hours of the morning so Daisy wouldn’t see me when she got up, but our chat also continued over the next couple of days. I wanted to fully understand where Jana’s head was at, and I wanted to wait to see if she changed her mind about my spending personal time with her daughter.

I just wanted to respect her as Daisy’s mother and as a woman.

But it turned out, she stayed firm on her decision.

A week hadn’t even passed before Ridge asked if I would come to his house and hang with him and Daisy. I was hoping during that timeframe, any lingering memories she had of that night would fizzle out. Ridge had told me they would, and he was right. She recalled me being there, but that was it. As for her saying anything about it to her fellow students, Ridge had bribed her not to.

As far as I could tell—and I’d know—Daisy had kept our secret.

But I didn’t know, if things continued to progress between her father and me—and I hoped they would—if his adorable little girl, who was running toward the front door right now, would be able to keep that secret contained. Ridge’s all-glass entrance made it easy to see her coming from the living room, rushing toward the foyer to greet me, her ponytail high on her head and full of curls.

Ridge had told me he was going to prep her a little and tell her I was coming over to play. He’d told me that she said she felt like the luckiest girl in the whole world to be able to play with her teacher at home.