All Chapters of Wrong Train, Right Trouble: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

A conversation drifting from diagonally behind me caught my attention, pulling my focus away from Christian and the women for a brief moment.“That’s Christian Merrick out there,” one whispered.“Yeah. You’ve heard the story, haven’t you? That Christian is actually Chloe’s biological father?”“The worst kept secret in the world, if you ask me.”“Apparently, everyone knew — except him.”“Unbelievable.”“Imagine that — one woman and two handsome guys like those.”“That sounds like one of your novels, Elise.”“I know, right? Totally.”“From what I hear, Merrick lost himself for a while after Lena left him for Liam. He cut off a lot of people. He was really in love with her. I heard that when he found out about the affair, he was so devastated he came here and smashed half the windows in this house.”“Seriously?”“No joke.”“Wow. I’d have an affair just to see Christian get that passionate about me.”“Lena’s paid dearly for her mistakes, poor girl. Widowed so young. We all made foolish ch

“What time is breakfast?”“Avery’s driving in from the city early tomorrow. She should arrive by nine. How about we say nine-thirty?”“That works. We’ll see you in the morning.”“I’m really looking forward to it, Christian.” Genevieve placed her hand gently on my arm and lowered her voice. “Chloe is lucky to have you. I know I messed up badly, but for her sake, I hope we can move past all that. I want Chloe to know her father… to have a real family.”⸻Lena was unusually quiet during the short drive to Harbor House Bed and Breakfast, even after we’d checked in. When we finally climbed into bed, I drew her close, trying to encourage her to open up about what was on her mind. “Talk to me. You’re not yourself tonight.”Her head rested against my chest, right over my heart. I ran my fingers through her silky hair in the dark, hoping she’d share what was troubling her.These days, the list of things that could be bothering her seemed endless. We were spending a weekend visiting a house I u

“But you don’t regret it, do you?”“There’s no straightforward yes or no for that kind of question. I regret that my decisions brought pain to you and your sister, but I don’t regret following what I felt in my heart. Either choice would’ve carried its own regret. I picked the selfish one—the one that hurt you most—and for that, I’m sorry.”“If I were in your place, I don’t think I could’ve done the same.”“Then that makes you a better person than I am, sweetheart.”“You just admitted that if you hadn’t chosen the selfish path, you’d probably still be with my mother right now. Your children wouldn’t have carried years of insecurity. I, for one, wouldn’t be wrestling with the trust issues I have toward men. My mother wouldn’t have come close to being hospitalized for depression. Maybe you wouldn’t have been as fulfilled if you had stayed, but your family would’ve been a hell of a lot more whole.” My voice trembled as my eyes began to sting with tears. “In the end, we were the ones who

My chest felt as though it had been torn open, gutted by the anguish etched across his face. I’d rehearsed every possible way this might unfold, repeated my lines in my head until they were second nature. But when he came striding toward us, fury radiating off him like heat from asphalt, my voice vanished completely.“Lena? What the hell is this?”I kept my gaze anchored to the pavement, unable to meet Christian’s eyes. Marco picked up on the situation almost immediately and jumped in, improvising with practiced ease.“You’ve gotta be Christian. Lena mentioned there was a chance you’d turn up before she had the chance to explain everything.”“Explain what exactly? Lena? What the fuck is going on here?” Christian’s voice rose with every word, cracking with disbelief.“Hey, man. Just relax. She was going to talk to you. We literally discussed it last night over dinner.”“Dinner? Last night?” He turned his rage back on me. “Lena, are you kidding me? What’s happening here?”Still I couldn

She gave a quick nod.“Sometimes she still cooks them for me. Honestly, they’re even better than your mom’s.”Chloe let out a deep, joyful laugh. That sound was everything. It reached into some bruised part of me and stitched it up with nothing more than her pure happiness. My face broke into an uncontainable smile. I’d been keeping my distance, assuming she needed space from the darkness I’d been living in, convinced that my gloom might somehow infect her. But the truth was exactly the opposite—Chloe’s light had a way of seeping into the cracks, healing from the inside out. This little girl had lost the man she called dad just months ago, and still, here she was…laughing. If she had the strength to smile through it, I could learn to try. She was my compass. She was my grace.Reaching out, I cupped her face in my palms. “I’ve missed you, baby girl.”“You didn’t come visit me for a few days.”“I know, and I’m really sorry. I got caught up in something, but it won’t happen again. I prom