1022 Evergreen Place - Debbie Macomber [119]
“Where are you off to?” Corrie asked as he headed out the front door on Wednesday afternoon.
In an instance such as this, it was best to be vague. “There’s something I need to do.”
“Is this something I know about?” Corrie eyed him speculatively, as if she’d guessed exactly who he intended to see and what he intended to do.
Roy swore his wife had some sort of psychic ability. She seemed to instinctively know this had to do with Gloria and Chad. He hedged, reluctant to lie, and at the same time unwilling to admit he was a man on a mission—or to tell her what that mission entailed.
She raised her eyebrows. “Why don’t you want me to know what this is about?”
He muttered a few words he’d rather she didn’t hear and opened the door.
“Roy?”
“Like I said, this is something I need to do.”
She slipped in front of him, blocking his exit. “You’re going to talk to Chad Timmons, aren’t you?”
He didn’t confirm or deny the statement.
“Roy, don’t. Please reconsider,” Corrie whispered with an urgency that gave him pause.
He clutched the car keys so tightly they dug into his hands. “That young man has a right to know about his baby.”
Corrie closed her eyes and he knew she was thinking back to the time she’d found herself pregnant and alone. The same memory had haunted him from the moment their daughter came to tell them she was pregnant and the father was out of her life.
“This is the first time Gloria has ever come to us with a problem,” Corrie argued. “It’s been a breakthrough in our relationship. If you say anything to Chad, it could destroy her trust. It could destroy everything. I’m begging you, Roy, don’t do this.”
Roy’s eyes bored into hers and he stood his ground. They so rarely disagreed that it made this standoff even more difficult. Still, Roy was determined. “The young man has a right to know,” he repeated.
Corrie gave him a sad smile. “What you’re saying is that you had a right to know and I didn’t tell you.”
“Yes!” he all but shouted. When he’d discovered he had a daughter he would never meet, it had nearly broken his spirit. He loved Corrie and had asked her to be his wife, and yet she’d kept this secret for months. The anger and anguish had nearly consumed him. What she’d done had the power to tear them apart. Roy hadn’t let that happen; instead, he’d buried his feelings. But he understood now that this unresolved matter could still undermine their marriage, their relationship.
“I’ve never begged you for anything,” his wife said. “Don’t do this. Please, Roy, don’t do this.”
Unsure now, he walked over to his recliner and sagged into it. His car keys dangled from his hand as he leaned forward, gripped by indecision. He believed that contacting Chad Timmons was the right thing to do for Gloria and her baby. Yet everything Corrie said was true. Their daughter, the very one he’d thought forever lost, was back in their lives. Corrie feared, as he did, that going against her will would destroy their fragile bond.
Corrie remained where she stood.
“I need to think,” he murmured.
“Okay,” she agreed after a prolonged moment.
He heard the reluctance in her voice.
“Think of Gloria—this is what she wants,” Corrie said. “Right or wrong, these are her wishes.”
Feeling the full weight of his years, Roy wiped a hand down his face. “Have you ever wondered what would’ve happened if I’d found out you were pregnant?” he asked.
Corrie didn’t answer him.
“You’ll never know because you made the decision not to tell me.” He tried hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice.
“You were seeing someone else.” Her words rang with painful accusation. “What did you expect me to do?”
“I expected you to tell me,” he barked. Corrie had taken the choice away from him. He’d been young and stupid, and even now he couldn’t be completely sure how he would’ve handled the situation.