The difference between obligation and obsession was painful to witness.
I forced down the bile rising in my throat, willing the ghostly tears to stay unshed. Then Mandy looked up at Bonnie, her eyes wide and terrifyingly innocent.
"Mommy, when are you going to marry Uncle Brandon?" Her voice was sweet. "I want him to be my daddy."
The words were small, but they gutted me.
Bonnie froze. She didn't correct the child. She didn't rush to explain. Instead, she turned to Brandon, her expression softening into guilt.
"I'm sorry, Brandon," she murmured. "Being with me forces you to live in the shadows. You're such a good man, and I can't even give you the status you deserve."
Brandon leaned into her embrace, resting his head on her shoulder in practiced vulnerability.
"Just being with you is enough for me, Bonnie." His voice was soft. "I don't mind suffering a little. I just..." He paused. "I worry that I've wronged our child."
He wrapped his arms around her waist, his hand sliding down to rest possessively over her lower abdomen.
"You don't know how long I've waited for this baby. How much I've looked forward to starting a real family."
A baby?