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Something told me I did hurt her—and I felt like shit. “I didn’t tell her the truth.”
“Then what did you say?”
I shrugged. “I wanted to see other people, basically.”
“Why not just tell her the truth?”
“Because.” I straightened in my chair and rested my arms on the surface of my desk. “If I told her truth, she would want to stay with me…” I knew this wasn’t just a fling for her, that she genuinely cared about me, that she would disregard her own safety so we could be together. “And if she said that…I would let her stay.”
I walked down the street I used to visit on a regular basis. I could navigate the neighborhood with my eyes closed because I’d been there so many times, had a couple drinks on the balcony as we plotted against our enemies.
Now I was back…and it felt like a dream.
I knocked on the door before I let myself in.
Sofia was holding Andrew, so she handed him off to Hades before she beamed and walked toward me. With her arms open, she greeted me like a mother and hugged me tightly. “I’m so happy to see you.” She rubbed my back before she squeezed me again. When she pulled away, her eyes were filled with deep affection. “This feels right.”
“I’m happy to be here too.” My eyes shifted back to Hades.
He walked up to me, holding his son with a single arm. The baby wore a blue onesie with airplanes on the front. “Andrew, you remember your uncle?”
I’d only seen him once, shortly after Sofia gave birth. “He’s so much bigger…” His face was more distinguished, he had hair on his head, and he already looked so much like his father. “Wow.”
Andrew stared at me, almost like he recognized me.
“You want to hold him?” Hades made the exchange before I even agreed.
“Uh, sure.” I took him in my arms and held him rigidly, holding him up the way Hades had just been. “Geez, you’re a big boy.”
“He loves that milk,” he teased. “I have a feeling he’s gonna be a big fan of the ladies.”
“Don’t be gross.” Sofia swatted his arm playfully before she walked away.
“So, are you hungry?” Hades asked.
“I’m starving after lifting weights.” I looked down at Andrew, who had a curious expression as he stared at me.
Hades chuckled, and we moved to the table.
Hades took Andrew and placed him in the playpen on the floor before he joined us at the table.
Sofia was far enough along now that her stomach was really noticeable in a tight dress. She immediately went for the bread in the center of the table and ripped off a few pieces before she placed them in her mouth.
I grabbed my silverware and started to eat, and even though we hadn’t talked much in a long time, I didn’t have anything to say. This all seemed too good to be true, sitting there with the two of them…like no time had passed. “How’s your pregnancy been?”
“He’s just as ornery as the first,” she said. “We’re gonna have two crazy-ass kids running around.”
“We can have a third if you want,” Hades said, teasing her.
“Two is perfect. Two is destiny.” She glanced at Andrew and kept eating.
Hades looked at me from time to time, not exactly himself because the restoration of our friendship was still a major change for both of us.
Sofia spoke again. “Anna told me the two of you stopped seeing each other.” She kept her eyes on her food, digging her fork into her pasta before she raised her head and took a bite. She didn’t ask any questions and left the floor open for me to respond in any way I wanted.
“Yeah…” I trusted Hades would tell Sofia the real reason I ended things. “Just wasn’t working out.” Annabella filled the void when Hades left, and now that she was gone, Hades filled that void in return…but I was never really satisfied.
Something was missing.
“Does that mean you’re never going to come to the hotel because you don’t want to run into her?” Sofia asked.
“No. I don’t have a problem seeing her.” I thought things ended civilly. She seemed hurt by my rejection, but not angry. We’d agreed we just wanted something casual, so she couldn’t take back what she said.
Sofia finally looked at me but didn’t say anything to contradict me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said, holding her gaze so she would believe me. “I’m not a one-woman kind of man, and I never will be.”
24
Annabella
It was a rough couple of weeks.
After I shed all my tears, I was just numb.
Didn’t feel anything at all.
I tried to convince myself that Damien didn’t mean anything to me, that I was mixing up lust and love, that I hadn’t seen him long enough to have deep feelings…like love. How could it happen that quickly? How could I love someone that fast after Liam?
