Promises (TP 6)

65 - Stop

Double update today.

After dinner, the girls wanted to ride their bikes, but Tessa wanted to hide inside. Her house was set just before the road ended in a cul-de-sac, and they enjoyed riding around the circle while she watched for cars.

Patrick hadn't called or texted all day. He wouldn't give up so easily. It wasn't like the last time. He knew she was carrying his baby.

She kept going over Kristi's visit. If only she was bold, but she was scared. What if Kristi was wrong, and she had been duped? It didn't take much for her to fall into bed with him and every time after. Even when she was raw from telling him about David, she let him seduce her. If he only wanted sex, she was accommodating him.

Her neighbor Rita joined her as she stood in the street watching the girls.

"Is school out yet?"

Tessa nodded. "Not until Friday. It feels like summer."

"It does."

"Are your kids home from school?"

Tessa listened to Rita's update as she watched a car drive up the street. She should have warned the girls, but the familiar car was not going past her house. She wanted to ask Rita to protect her, but that would require an explanation and wouldn't be fair to Patrick. He and Gabby climbed out of his car.

Rita whispered, "That's Dr. Bennett. He pulled both my kids' wisdom teeth."

Tessa nodded. She didn't know how to handle her visitors and her neighbor. She felt like a coward when she greeted Gabby.

The girl with Patrick's eyes said, "I came to hang out with Maya and Chloe." She turned to look at the bikes going around the circle.

Tessa sighed and glared at Patrick. When he didn't react to her glare, she said, "This is Rita."

"We've met, but I wouldn't expect you to remember me. Both my kids were patients."

"Sorry." He smiled warmly. "Gabby, watch the girls. I have some business to discuss with Tessa."

Gabby nodded and laughed.

Patrick turned to Tessa. "After you."

She was forced to say goodbye to Rita and led Patrick into her house.

Once inside, neither sat. "Tessa, please stop running."

"Why?"

"Because my daughter made up everything you overheard. My daughter who may be grounded the rest of the summer, if she pulls another stunt like that."

"How do you know what I heard?"

"My nephew left the room and saw you running down the stairs. He told me what he heard. If you only heard half of it, it was more than enough to make you run."

"Was any of it true?"

"I am not only interested in you for sex. I wish I had done a better job of convincing you, so you wouldn't have even believed it."

Kristi had been right. "Why are you with me?"

"Because I like you and we understand each other. I can't ignore our baby or the sex, which is amazing."

She blushed. "Amazing?"

He nodded. "My nephew knew she was making it up because I'm too old to do that."

How could he joke? "But what about the other women?"

"I told you I dated a woman who didn't like kids."