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Nate steps into the night, carrying a photo album, then offers it to me. “She forgot, but she intended to give you this.”
“What is it?”
“A journal of sorts in which she added commentary to every picture of herself. She wanted you to have this so you can see how she grew up over the years.”
I hug the album to my chest and touch his arm. “Thank you, Nate.”
He pats my hand. “You would’ve been a great mother, Aspen. You still are. Don’t let King or anyone else tell you otherwise.”
I don’t know if it’s his words, the treasure in my hands, how close Gwen felt throughout this night, or the gloomy feeling inside me, but I can’t control the tears that stream down my cheeks.
“Hey.” Nate pulls me into a brotherly hug with one hand on my shoulder.
“It hurts. Not being there for her from the beginning really hurts and…I don’t know how to show how grateful I am that I’m getting another chance. I wish I could’ve watched her grow up into who she is.”
“You can do it from now on. It’s never too late to be a part of her life.”
I nod and we start to pull away from each other when Nate jerks backward. I gasp when Kingsley appears like a dark shadow with his fist raised.
27
KINGSLEY
When Gwen sent me a side angle shot of Aspen beside her with “Guess who’s my date tonight?” I had the decency to ignore it.
Or pretend to, anyway.
Fifteen minutes later, the pretense wasn’t holding so well and I might have flipped poker night at Nicolo’s the middle finger and flown here.
Partly because Gwen’s attempts at playing cupid are embarrassingly obvious and I couldn’t just ignore them.
Partly because…fuck it. I wanted to see Aspen’s face. She’s been claiming every reason under the sun to avoid me lately and that’s something neither my dick nor I were going to accept.
Actually, my dick gets his fill of her cunt just fine. It’s the disappearing after part that’s frowned upon in his limited emotional repertoire.
The worst part is that it isn’t always physical disappearance. I got used to her enough to recognize when she’s performing a mental slam, witch style. She’d be there in body but not in spirit.
And that shit needed to end.
So imagine my fucking reaction when I find her hugging Nate. Or him hugging her or what-the-fuck-ever.
My vision has been a hazy red ever since, so I’m not keen on the details right now. Except for the need to bash the motherfucker’s head in. I raise my fist to dislocate his jaw and send him to the nearest ER when something hard smashes against my head.
The hit takes me so completely off guard that my hold loosens around his collar and I’m ready to murder whoever interrupted me. When I turn around, however, I find a furious Aspen holding on to the weapon of the crime—a thick album.
Only the scattered light posts offer a view of the otherwise dark night, but it’s enough to highlight her rigid posture.
My jaw sets into a harsh line. “You stay put. I’ll be with you in a minute.”
If eyes could catch fire, hers would be a volcano as she gets between us, forcing me to release Nate. Her nostrils flare and her chin is tipped so high, it nearly reaches the sky. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Step. Aside.” I don’t know how I speak in mock calm when lava courses through my veins.
“So you’d be a barbarian and hit your partner and best friend who, oh, I don’t know, happens to be your damn daughter’s husband? Have you thought about what she’d think if she saw this?”
“Did you when you threw yourself into his arms, thirsty for attention?”
Theslapcomes first, and the sting follows. My face hardens, and in one single motion, I wrap my hand around her throat, squeezing the sides until I nearly lift her off the ground. I have enough control not to choke the living fuck out of her, but my hold is firm enough that she and Nate know she’s mine.
