Page 13 of Love Unspoken

"Sparky, not all men will have a problem with your scars, you know that, right? I don't."

"I know. If only you and I could have sexual chemistry."

"Fuck, that would make life so easy. I already love you."

But Darren and I were like siblings, and we'd discovered long ago that there was no sexual anything between us. Our chemistry, alas, was platonic.

"Do you think I have no fashion sense?" I asked while Magnus entertained himself with more soup.

"What?"

I wiped Magnus's face when he pushed his bowl away. That was his way of saying he was done, and now he wanted a toy. He'd last another ten minutes max on the high chair before he'd want to hop all over Darren, who would indulge him. We did this often enough that we had it down to a science.

"I overheard a conversation Amias had with his girlfriend," I told him.

Darren raised an eyebrow and waited. Magnus dropped the rattle he was playing, and Darren picked it up, handing it back to my nephew.

"It was while I was just about to go into his office. She…" I dropped my face in my hands and shuddered. "This is so embarrassing."

He put a hand on my shoulder from the across the table. "Hey, this is me; you can tell me anything."

I raised my eyes to look into his and let him see how hurt I was. I didn't let many people see my pain…in fact, just my father, Darren, and my doctor who'd fixed me up after the accident. My father was dead, I didn't see my doctor anymore, so that only left Darren.

"What the fuck happened, Sparky?"

I told him what I overheard and how ashamed I was that everyone knew about my crush on Amias.

"You like this asshole?" Darren demanded.

I shrugged. "Not anymore. And it wasn't…it was a crush."

Darren finished his beer and picked up Magnus when he began to demand his attention. Magnus hopped on Darren's knee as he held him. "You've got strong legs, Little Man."

I smiled at them. Darren had his heartbroken a few times and now at the age of thirty-nine was gun shy as hell. I wish he'd find someone and have a family because his heart was so big, and I knew he'd make one hell of a husband and father.

As Magnus began to tire, I took him into my arms, and he sat quietly, holding me.

"I've got to get him home. He's ready for a nap," I told Darren.

"I'll drop you guys off," he said.

His SUV had a bicycle holder, which I knew he'd installed because of me. I tried not to drive as much as I could. Even in the Bay Area I had lived within bicycling distance of my office. It wasn't like I didn't drive at all or didn't get into cars since the accident; I just preferred to bicycle.

I was packing up Magnus's toys while Darren held him when I heard my name.

"We have to stop meeting like this, Naya."

I closed my eyes to regroup. I wish I didn't have to see Ann right now, right after I'd bared my heart to Darren and was still feeling vulnerable.

I straightened and smiled. "Hi."

And, of course, because the universe sucked, Amias was with her.

"You look familiar," Ann said to Darren, and he looked at me pointedly.

"This is Darren Wright. Darren, this is Ann, and this is Amias. Ah…Amias is Nolan's friend and the CEO of the company I work for."

"And I'm Amias' girlfriend." Ann leaned into Amias, and he wrapped his arm around her.