AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Christian said he was doing it for Capri and me, but I knew better. He was full of shit. He missed his best friend, and the more he was around him, the further his guard came down. It helped that Julian was determined to have Christian back in his life the way he used to be.
Julian didn’t lose.
Ever.
I shook off the constant thoughts, making my way into the garage to tell Julian and Capri dinner was almost ready.
I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard Capri ask, “Daddy, what’s going on with you and Momma?”
My heart dropped to the floor as did my jaw. I’d been waiting for her to start questioning things between us. I just never imagined she’d ask him over me. My heart began pounding against my chest, and I placed my hand on top of it, willing it to slow down for a second. I hid behind a wall, able to hear but not see them. They couldn’t see me either which only aided my current situation.
“Sweetheart, that’s a difficult question to answer.”
“Why? Don’t you still love her?”
“I’ll always love her, baby.”
“Then why don’t you tell her?”
“I have. Many times.”
“Then I don’t understand? I know Momma loves you too. She looks at you like Ariel looks at Eric from The Little Mermaid. Besides, she’s never had a boyfriend or even been on a date, so I think that means something because Momma is super romantic. But since we’ve been here, she’s smiled and laughed more than I’ve ever seen. You make her happy, like really, really happy, so I don’t understand. Can you explain it to me?”
He sighed. “You’re too smart for your own good.”
She giggled. “I’m a genius like you.”
Julian didn’t say anything for what felt like forever, and when he finally did, he admitted, “Capri, I’ve messed up so many times when it comes to your momma.”
“What do you mean? Like from before you left her?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He inhaled another deep breath. “I let everyone influence what I wanted. I didn’t want to ruin my friendship with Christian or my relationship with your grandparents.”
“Oh … so you broke Momma’s heart instead?”
“I did, baby. I’m not proud of it, but I broke your momma’s heart so many times I’ve lost count.”
“Then just say you’re sorry. When I’m a bad girl, I tell momma I’m sorry, and she always forgives me.”
He teased, “When are you ever a bad girl, Capri?”
Not backing down, she added, “Daddy, just tell how sorry you are. I know she will forgive you if you do. Momma is a super forgiving person.”
He laughed. “Sweetheart, sometimes people can forgive, but they don’t ever forget. I’ve hurt your mother deeply, and I don’t know how long it’s going to take for her to forget about the damage I’ve caused.”
“But I don’t want to leave. I want to live here forever with you. Can I stay, Daddy?”
Hearing Capri say those words to him was like taking a fucking bullet to my heart.
Did she want to stay with him over me? Would I lose our daughter to him if we left?
I shuddered, causing an eerie feeling to course down my spine.
“Capri, you’ll have both of us. I promise. You don’t need to worry about any of that.”
