What He Always Knew (What He Doesn't Know Duet Book 2)

by Kandi Steiner

  She already knew what she wanted and what she didn’t, and I loved that about her. Daisy inspired me already.

  Yes, a lot of things had changed since Daisy joined our world, but some things remained the same.

  Life at Westchester ticked on as usual, though I found myself more involved in after-school activities once I’d been awarded Teacher of the Year. Each new class that came in was a new challenge, the curriculum constantly adjusting to technological advancements, and the students seemed to be more and more prepared for school each year that I received them.

  Once they left Kindergarten, I would see my students only every so often — except for Jeremiah. He found me at least a few times a week, either stopping by my classroom or joining me for lunch when I would sit in the cafeteria with the kids. He was moved into his new home just seven short months after we broke ground, and our connection was only solidified in that time. He’d always be like a son to me.

  And with Westchester came another constant.

  Reese.

  At first, after everything that happened, Reese seemed to disappear from my life altogether. He was still at school, I knew, but never around me. Our paths never crossed, and for a while, I wondered if they ever would again.

  I didn’t tell him I was pregnant, not until my belly was round enough that I was telling everyone else. And I saw it in his eyes, the want to know, the curiosity if it was his child.

  But he never asked me.

  He stayed away, saying nothing to me other than a mumbled congratulations when I’d first told him. But something changed around six months into my pregnancy.

  He went to Cameron.

  To this day, I had no idea what happened during that conversation. I had no idea what was said, what was yelled or cursed, or what was agreed upon. All I knew was that one day Reese wasn’t looking at me, and the next, he was at my parents’ dinner table right across from me and Cameron.

  Cameron and Reese weren’t friends — not even close — but they existed in the same space together. It was more than I ever expected, especially once Daisy was born. Cameron invited Reese to our home to meet Daisy, and Reese had attended family functions with my parents and us just like he had before everything went down. We’d had game nights and dinners, fundraisers and lazy afternoons on Mom and Dad’s porch over the summer.

  And though Reese was around, he still kept a respectful distance from me, only speaking to me when Cameron could see us. He kept conversations light and easy, and though I thought it would never be possible, we’d found a sort of friendship.

  A very strange, very nontraditional friendship.

  I pulled a few wet naps from the pack, ready to make my way over to Cameron and Daisy when the front door swung open. A burst of cold rushed in, and Mom’s high greeting was the first thing I heard.

  “Reese! You made it!”

  She pulled him into a hug, and I didn’t see him fully until she’d flurried away again, spouting off directions for him to drop his present on the gift table. He shrugged off his coat first, handing it to the butler at the door, and once his gift was no longer in his hands, his eyes found me.

  There was always a spark of something when Reese looked at me, and I knew for as long as I lived, it would exist. It wasn’t the same heat or passion I’d once felt, and it wasn’t that first spark I remembered feeling as a girl — the one that rumbled up from deep in my tummy like a volcano of butterfly wings. No, it was more comfortable now, safe and dependent, like the feeling you get when you hear an old favorite song and still remember all the lyrics, or smell a candle that takes you back to a memory once forgotten.

  Reese offered me a timid smile, tucking his hands in his pockets as he crossed the room to the table where I stood. I tidied up the drink station as he made his way over, and once he stood beside me, I returned his smile.

  “I just wanted to drop off a gift for her,” he said quickly. “But I won’t stay.”

  “It’s okay to stay.”

  “No, I don’t want to intrude,” he said, eyes skirting over to where Cameron held Daisy.

  “Reese,” I said, lowering my voice. “It’s fine. Stay. We’re about to do cake.”

  His eyes were still glued on my daughter, and he swallowed, nodding his head as he found my gaze. “Okay. If you’re sure it’s alright.”

  “It’s fine.”

  Reese looked around at all the decorations then, his brows rising higher with each new area he took in.

  “This is insane.”

  I barked out a laugh, shaking my head. “Yeah, well, that’s my mother for you. I’m actually quite shocked you’re surprised by the magnitude of a first birthday party.”

  “Oh, I knew it would be grand,” he clarified. “I just didn’t realize it’d be so…”

  “Overwhelming?”

  “Pink.”

  I laughed again, resting my free hand on my hip as the other still gripped the wet wipes I had ready to go for the smash cake. “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting this much pink, either. I think Mom is still frustrated that we had such a gender-neutral theme in our nursery and the same at the shower. She’s been dying to do something pink.”

  “I don’t think I’ll ever see the color the same again.”

  Reese’s phone dinged from his pocket, and he pulled it out quickly, silencing the second notification.

  “That the new girl?” I asked.

  His face reddened, and he shook his head, but he was smiling. “Yeah. I asked if I could see her again.”

  “And?”

  Reese typed out a message on his phone before tucking it away again. “She said yes.”

  “Yes?” I asked, excited. “That’s good, right?”

  “Honestly? I’m not sure. I don’t know if I know what I’m doing anymore.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, well, none of us do. You’ll figure it out. It’s kind of like riding a bike. And you used to ride a lot of bikes back in the day.”

  He cocked a brow at me, pretending to be offended, but then he laughed, too. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll see.”

  We both smiled then, a comfortable silence falling over us. Reese’s eyes fell to where my hand circled my belly, and he swallowed.

  “You look great, by the way,” he commented, shifting the conversation. “Feeling uncomfortable yet?”

  I looked down at the basketball swelling under my sweater dress and smiled, resting my hand at the top.

  “Not yet. I’ve been lucky in my pregnancies so far. Now the birth?” I shook my head. “I’ll never be prepared for that torture.”

  Reese grinned. “And it’s a boy this time?”

  I nodded, and he whistled, his eyes growing wide as silver dollars.

  “Better prepare yourself there, Tadpole. You think Daisy has been a handful… boys are the real trouble.”

  “Don’t I know it,” I agreed, and we both laughed, our gazes sweeping over the room before we both settled on Cameron and Daisy.

  Cameron looked up at us, a flash of something crossing his face before he smiled, half waving at Reese. Reese waved back, tucking his hand in his pocket once more when he’d finished.

  “She’s sure beautiful,” he whispered, his eyes on Daisy.

  “She is. Dad will have his work cut out for him once she’s not a little girl anymore.”

  Reese smiled again, but it slipped easily as we watched Daisy and my Dad playing patty cake. Her giggles could be heard over every other sound in the party. After a moment, I pulled my gaze to Reese again, watching his face warp as he watched her.

  He’d never hid his emotions well, and I knew there were questions he’d never asked me, ones I had tried not to ask myself. But he was stronger than I was.

  “She’s his, Reese,” I said softly.

  He ripped his gaze from Daisy to me in a flash, his brows pinching together over his sharp nose.

  “Cameron didn’t want a paternity test,” I said. “Not at first. And even after Daisy was born. But I know you’ve been wondering,” I
said. “And honestly, I had, too.”

  Reese swallowed, his jaw tense as he listened to the words I spoke. The party continued on around us, as if nothing was happening, but it felt like we were standing on our own little edge of the world.

  “I asked him to take one a couple months ago,” I explained. “He refused at first, but I begged him. I told him I needed to know, and I wouldn’t tell him. I would look at the results and he’d be none the wiser. So, he agreed.” I smiled, the same relief I’d felt that day rushing over me again. “And Daisy is his daughter.”

  Her laughter shrilled out over the party again, and Cameron looked to me, nodding to his watch next. Daisy was getting fussy, and he wanted to do the cake as much as Mom did, but I held up one finger, asking for a moment longer.

  Reese just stood next to me with his eyes on the pink cups that lined the table.

  “Does that make you sad?” I asked, but he quickly shook his head, before I’d even finished asking.

  “No,” he answered. “Not if it makes you happy.”

  “That’s not what I asked, Reese.”

  He considered me then, his eyes finding Daisy before they drifted back to me.

  “I think I knew even before you told me,” he said. “I can just tell. They’re one in the same, aren’t they?” He shook his head. “Cameron is a great father, and I’m glad she has him.”

  I swallowed, reaching over to squeeze his forearm gently before I released it just the same. “Me, too.”

  “Charlie!” My mom called, snapping her fingers from beside Dad.

  I laughed, holding up the wet naps to let them know I was on my way.

  “Well, time to let my daughter shove cake up her nose,” I said, but my eyes softened as they found Reese one last time. “Thank you for being here… for always being here.”

  Reese smiled, shrugging as if he had any other choice. “Get over there. Your family is waiting.”

  With one hand on my belly still, I carried the wipes over to where Cameron and Daisy sat, smiling as everyone lined up on the other side of the table with their phones and cameras at the ready. I smiled at Graham first, who held his daughter — the one who favored him just as my daughter favored me. Then, my eyes trailed over my parents, family friends, children whose eyes were as wide and open as their hearts at that age.

  Finally, I found my husband, squeezing his shoulder where he sat below me. He smiled, kissing my belly, and our eyes stayed connected until my Mom started the countdown.

  “Three… two… ONE!”

  Together, Cameron and I gently guided Daisy’s face to her cake. She was shocked at first, her little hands stretching out in front of her and her face scrunching up in surprise. But once her hands found the icing, the creamy stickiness of it gooping between her fingers, she grinned, then laughed, and then everyone was laughing, too.

  We all watched with smiles on our faces as she played in the cake, and after she’d snapped enough photos, Mom slipped away to help coordinate the cutting of the larger cake, the one that would be distributed. Cameron squeezed my hand, both of us still watching Daisy.

  And from across the room, I felt another pair of eyes watching, too.

  Later that night, when the sugar highs were done and the presents all opened, Cameron and I loaded a sleeping Daisy into the car for the trip home. She woke up only long enough to call out for the birds when we got home, who she referred to as Wet n Wet since she couldn’t say their full names. We let her sit in the hammock with us for a while until her eyes began to close again, and then Cameron took her upstairs, tucking her into her bed before joining me again.

  “Tea?” he asked, dipping his head inside the aviary. I was watching Scarlett and Rhett settle into their nest for the night, and I only shook my head, reaching out a hand toward him to ask him to join me.

  Cameron closed the cage door behind him, sliding into the hammock next to me, and I tucked in under his arm with a content sigh.

  “What a day.”

  “You said it,” he mirrored, his hand playing with my hair. “You tired?”

  “Strangely, no.”

  “Me either. I think it’s the time, you know,” he said. “One year. She’s already been alive for one year. It doesn’t seem possible.”

  “It doesn’t. But God am I glad she got the chance to live, that she is here with us today.”

  A long breath left Cameron’s lungs, and he kissed my hair, the hand in his lap finding mine. He held it for a moment before his fingers slipped up to my wrist, tracing the birth stones of our sons that hung there on the same chain he’d given me almost two years ago.

  “They’re still here with us, too,” he said softly. “They always will be.”

  I nodded, tucking tighter into his side, and for just one small moment, on my daughter’s first birthday, I thought of my sons. I missed them, missed who they could have been, but I knew Cameron was right. They were always with us, and they always would be.

  After a while, Cameron lifted my chin with his knuckle, his eyes searching mine.

  “Have I told you today that I love you?”

  I smiled, brushing my nose against his. “You have. Many times.”

  “Well,” he said, lowering his lips to mine. He hovered there, and just before he kissed me, he said, “I hope you never get tired of hearing it.”

  He kissed me long and soft, his hand sweeping through my hair, and I smiled wider when he pulled away.

  “I never could.”

  Cameron held me until the birds were fast asleep, and once they were, he led me into the kitchen, making us both a pot of tea as soft music played through the speakers. I smiled to myself when I realized the song, the same one we had danced to at our wedding, and Cameron pulled me into his arms as soon as the tea was made.

  We danced slow and sweet, swaying to the melody of the song, and I closed my eyes, remembering how it felt to dance to that song for the very first time.

  Back then I’d worn a white, lace dress, tonight I wore a nightgown.

  Back then, Cameron held me tight, but tonight, he held me tighter.

  And there in the middle of my kitchen, with my daughter upstairs sleeping and my unborn son dancing right along with me and Cameron, I realized every heartbreak and trial along our path had led us to this moment.

  I wouldn’t have changed a moment of that path, of our story — not the beautiful days nor the dark. Because I knew in my heart that without them, this moment wouldn’t have been the same.

  On the northeast side of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, there was a house.

  And now, finally, a home.

  Need a place to talk about your feels with this duet? Join the What He Doesn’t Know Duet Discussion Group on Facebook here.

  If you enjoyed the What He Doesn’t Know Duet, you should check out the Second Chances Duet by Claire Contreras! It’s another emotional, angsty ride — and what better way to cure a book hangover than by moving on to another great book?

  Grab book one here and start the journey (FREE with Kindle Unlimited).

  Keep reading for the full first chapter of A Love Letter to Whiskey, another angsty ride to cure your book hangover.

  I’ve said in the last couple of books that this part gets harder each time, and I’m here to tell you — that’s still true.

  There were SO MANY hands that went into the making of this duet, and I don’t think there are words to truly explain how grateful I am to every single person who has been a part of this process. This was my most aggressive writing schedule, my most intense edit, and — in the end — my best work to date (in my opinion). That would not be true if it weren’t for all the loving (and critical) people who held my hand in this journey.

  Let me start by thanking you — the reader — whether you are a book blogger, a writer, or just someone who inhales books like oxygen, as Charlie would say. I know it was scary taking a chance on this duet. For some of you, angst and emotional romances scared the living hell out of you. For others, it was the ho
rror of having to wait two weeks between installments. And, even if you did love angst and torture (like me), you still had to trust me to take you on a love triangle ride, knowing there was a possibility that your guy wouldn’t win. I truly hope that no matter which “team” you were on, you were happy with the ending. And THANK YOU for trusting me and taking a chance on my duet. Your reviews and messages are what get me through the hard days.

  I love you all so, so much.

  To Staci Brillhart, thank you for putting up with me when I had a complete meltdown during the editing process of book one. I knew every critical thing you had for me was valid, but I still needed you to hug me while I spent hours and hours making those changes. You were always there to talk me through scenes and pet my hair when the days were long and I was tired. Because of you, book one is better than it ever could have been had you not been a part of this process. Thank you for being my friend always and my mentor as a bonus. I love you.

  Karla Sorensen and Kathryn Andrews, both of you were also critical voices in this. As two ladies who LOATHE triangles and cheating, you helped me make this duet something more than just a series for the “angst-lovers.” I appreciate all your guidance, your feedback, your words of encouragement and your suggestions. More than that, I appreciate your never-ending love and friendship. Thank you.

  I have to send out a huge thank you to Brittainy C. Cherry, my forever ride or die. Thank you for cheering me on, for sharing the struggles with me along the way, and for making me laugh when my anxiety was threatening to pull me under. I truly can’t think of a single other person in this world who understands me the way you do, and I value our friendship more than words can say. Friends who slay together… ;)

  To all of my incredible beta readers: Kellee Fabre, Monique Boone, Sarah Green, Danielle Lagasse, Ashlei Davison, Jess Vogel, Maegan Abel, Trish QUEEN MINTNESS, and Sahar Bagheri — YOU. ARE. THE. TITS. I don’t know if I’m aloud to write that in my acknowledgements, but I am, because it’s my book and I said so. Seriously, WOW. What a ride we had this time around, #amiright? Not only did many of you read multiple versions of each book, but you also waited (maybe not so patiently) for more from me when I left you at the worst spots. I mean, readers think they had it rough with a two week wait — if they only knew your pain as you waited MONTHS. I cannot say how much you helped shape this duet. Thank you for all your time, feedback, and love. I have the BEST team.