“Is that a shot at Victoria or at me?”
Thanks to this week’s revelations, Blake now understood that Vicky didn’t care if she was in Drew’s life. He was far more interested in why Bella had turned her back on him.
“Why did you walk away last fall?”
“Because he didn’t need me. He had you and Victoria.”
Her practical answer didn’t make him feel any better. “And now that Victoria and I are divorced?” Blake knew it was too early to push his agenda, but he was too irritated to be patient. “Have you changed your mind about being a part of his life?”
“Don’t you think that will confuse him when he’s old enough to understand how he was conceived?”
More excuses. Blake unclenched his teeth and relaxed his jaw. “I think he’ll be more confused when he finds out there’s a woman who carried him for nine months who isn’t in his life.”
“And what happens when you remarry?” Her tone took on an aggressive note. “Do you really think your new wife will appreciate me hanging around when she’s trying to develop a relationship with him?”
“That’s a poor excuse.”
“It’s not. It’s what happened.” Bella must have heard the slip because she rushed on. “What will happen. If it was me, I wouldn’t want another woman hanging around. Interfering.”
The explanation Bella gave didn’t sound like her rationale.
“Vicky asked you to stay away.” Suddenly it all made sense. “That’s why you took yourself out of the picture after Drew was born.”
“She was terribly insecure about becoming a mother. If she’d been able to carry Drew, she wouldn’t have felt so disengaged from the process.”
“There’s nothing wrong with Vicky that would keep her from getting pregnant,” Blake said, curious how much his ex-wife had told Bella. “She was afraid of the damage a pregnancy would do to her body.”
“But—” Bella sputtered to a stop. When Blake looked over, she was staring at him in horror. “How do you know that?”
“A year ago, I found out she lied to me about her infertility.”
Blake remembered finding his wife’s birth control pills. He’d been too focused on starting a family to see that his wife wasn’t ready—wasn’t interested—in having children. And instead of being honest with him, she’d lied and gone along with his desire for a family. In the end, she’d chosen her career over him.
But now that she’d discovered that becoming an actress was tougher than she’d thought, she wanted him back. Did she really think him such a fool? Nothing about her had changed. When the next opportunity presented itself, she would leave them once more.
Bella stared at him in shock. “Is that why you are so resistant to reconciling?”
“It’s part of the reason. A marriage based on lies doesn’t have much hope of lasting, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Absolutely.” She knitted her fingers together in her lap. “I don’t understand why she would do something like that.”
“Maybe at first she hoped I’d eventually give up my desire to become a father and then we could continue our active social schedule. She’d gotten her first taste of acting and wanted to do more. That would be impossible if she was pregnant.”
Blake had thought he’d gotten past his bitterness, but it rose in his gut like acid. “Perhaps you can understand now why I’m going to put Drew’s needs first the next time I marry.”
“I do. But Victoria is pretty determined to win you back.”
“I agree. And it’s even more complicated because my stepsister is encouraging her.” Blake took his gaze off the road long enough to gauge Bella’s readiness for his next words. She had no idea what was coming. “But I know when they see you and me together, both Jeanne and Vicky will realize I’ve determined to go forward with my life.”
“Me?” Her voice cracked with skepticism. “I’m sure there are dozens of women that would be a better choice.”
“Not better for Drew.” Blake decided it was time for the gloves to come off. “I’ve thought about you a lot these last nine months.”
“You thought about me?”
“I had a hard time with your refusal to be in Drew’s life.”
Bella’s lips parted. She appeared to be grappling with what to say. Blake waited her out, wondering if she was ready to give him a different explanation than she had nine months ago.
At last she said, “I did it because Victoria asked me to.”