He laughed. “Self-care maybe? Or is there another man hiding in the house?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
His eyes flashed. “There better not be.”
Oh, this was becoming dangerous. I needed to stop before things got out of hand.
“Why, what would you do?” I asked him, unable to stop myself.
“I’d knock him the fuck out for being anywhere near you.” Victor answered in a low tone. “I’d bury him outside in the garden, near that tree you love so much.”
There had to be something wrong with me because the throb between my legs was intensifying as he talked about murdering someone.
“You liked that tree too,” I remarked with a shrug.
“I love that tree.”
Our gazes locked.
“If we even consider trying to move forward—” I began, as he raced around the sofa and fell on his knees before me. “Jesus!” I yelped, and he grabbed both my hands and stared at me with such intensity it burned.
“Anything. I’ll do anything.” Victor searched my eyes, and I sighed.
“We would need to go to therapy.” I lowered my gaze. “I think if we’d have done that a year ago, you’d never have gone to that whore.” Tears stung my eyesstill,and that told me how much I needed therapy.
“I’m so sorry,” Victor whispered.
“And we take it really slowly.” I met his gaze and he nodded.
“Okay, anything you want.”
I watched him. “No sex. We do therapy before anything else.”
Victor didn’t even flinch. “Absolutely, baby.”
I tilted my head. “And if you so much aslookat another woman because you can’t be without sex?—”
“Never again. Hey, look at me.”
I lifted my gaze to his. His warm brown eyes felt like they were piercing my soul, trying to get past my barriers and reach my inner self.
“I was a fucking idiot. I can’t be without you, Lila. I’d go years without sex if that’s what it took to prove it to you.”
“That’s not exactly what I meant…”
He laughed, his cheeks flushing. “I mean, good. I’m not going to complain either way.”
I nodded and for the first time in a long time, I held his hands in mine.
Victor sucked in a breath and bit his bottom lip, shaking his head.
“If we do this, we have to be completely honest with each other.” I watched as his shoulders shook beneath the weight of the motion he was carrying. “If we do this, there isn’t any room for fuck ups. Not like last time.”
He shook his head almost violently. “No. Never.”
The baby moved, and this time I moved his hand to my tummy, tracing her movements. He’d been hoping to feel her for a few weeks, but the timing wasn’t ever right.
But now? How was she moving now? Like she knew…
