Deceitful Choices by C.A. Harms Page A

Shores was hard. I wanted more than once to turn around and go back, but I knew I couldn’t. I had to protect myself and yes, I know that seems selfish, but had someone of importance found out you and I slept together, I could have been in jail faster than I knew what hit me.” The idea of that still gave me a sick feeling in my stomach.
    “But I’ll tell you right now, if you were eighteen, I would have stayed. Because that night between us was never just about the sex. It was the first time I connected with someone since my father died. And I think what hurt the most is that I had no choice but to leave, even though I truly wanted to stay.” I still looked at the screen, where my son slept unsoundly. I imagined things with us turning out an entirely different way than they had. “But I always thought of you, even though I knew I shouldn’t. Even when I thought all those things she said were true…” I swallowed hard. “I still thought of you.”
    “I thought of you too,” she confessed. “During those months sometimes you were all I could think about.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 16
     
     
    Lindsay
     
    “You have everything you need,” Grams assured me as I had a last minute panic attack right before boarding the plane. I was sure I had forgotten to pack something important. “We went over everything more than five times before we left the house. And twice more since we’ve been here. You need to calm down and get on that damn plane before you miss your flight.”
    Grams always made me laugh when she attempted to get all authoritative.
    I turned to face her and gave her one last hug before gathering Camden and rushing off to the attendant who was taking the tickets.
    For the past forty-eight hours I had talked myself out of going to California at least half a dozen times, only to have Grams and Taylor straighten me up and give me no other option but to go.
    I could even tell Zack had sensed my hesitation during our phone call the previous night. He kept asking me over and over what time my flight took off. I knew it was information he already had, considering he was the one who booked the flight, but he asked anyway. Then that morning he texted me on three different occasions, telling me I had to be at the airport in an hour, then thirty minutes and finally the last one stated I should be at the airport checking in.
    It was actually sweet that he was so dedicated to me and Camden being on that flight.
    I was about to embark on close to six hours of travel, with a connecting flight in Dallas, before landing in San Diego around 4:00 p.m. I was nervous about Camden and the reaction he would have, plus I hadn’t ever flown myself so that didn’t calm my nerves either. I hoped the amount of entertainment I brought would not only soothe Cam, but help the time pass for me as well.
    After about the first forty minutes Camden fell asleep and I was able to read a little. Even though I couldn’t truly concentrate on the story, my mind was all over the place with what to expect once I saw Zack. It had been close to a month since he’d last seen Camden, and over that time we had spent so many hours talking, I felt like I had really gotten to know him. It was stupid of me, I know, but I allowed myself to develop feelings I knew I shouldn’t have.
    Never once had he ever led me to believe we were anything more than two people who had one night together that led to parenthood. I guess somewhere deep down I allowed myself to believe that maybe, just maybe, we could one day have something.
    When we landed in Dallas, I had a forty-five minute layover that got delayed even longer due to storms. Looking up at the display, I found that I had now gained an additional hour, possibly more, before Camden and I would be allowed to board our next flight.
    I sat down and pulled out a jar of bananas, taking the opportunity to give Camden something to occupy him.
    I also thought I’d better notify Zack so he