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It made Jack tip his head back and stare at her like a love-sick puppy. “You promise you’ll visit all the time, right? What am I supposed to do without you driving me up the wall?”
“Dunno. Get a cat?”
He planted a fat kiss on her cheek before plopping her back onto her bare feet. “Nope. Much better idea. I’ll clone you. I’ll make myself another little fish so this big one before me can swim in the huge open ocean, and I can keep another version of you safe, here, tucked up in my arms forever.”
Tears suddenly glittered in Neri’s eyes. “You are the biggest sap in the world.”
“Only for you, my love. Only for you.” Planting his hands on her shoulders, seriousness filled his tone. “You know I’d do anything for you, right, Nerida? Whatever you’re dealing with at the moment, you can tell your silly ole’ Dad, and I’ll do anything to make you happy again.”
Neri sniffed, and Anna clutched her hands to her chest, sending soapy bubbles from doing the dishes down her garish shirt. “Ah, Jack. You still know how to make my heart skip.”
Jack threw her a wink. “Fancy making another one of these, my darling? I know we said we only wanted one, but this one’s flying the coop, and I don’t think I’ll cope with an empty nest.”
Anna chuckled. “I’m over the hill, and you’ve had a vasectomy. No more. Besides.” Anna stepped toward me, wiping her hands on the tea towel hooked in her shorts pocket. “We already have another one. Right here.” Wrapping her arms around my waist, she slotted into my side, tiny to my height, slim to my size. “We have a daughter and a son. One born for the ocean and another delivered by it.”
Neri sucked in a breath, locking eyes with me.
Jack gave a fierce nod. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I hope you realise you’re one of us, Aslan. I’m sorry for pushing you before. I know better than to dredge up the past. But I hope you know that we’ve grown to care for you like you’re our own.”
Everything inside me howled and clawed.
All the pain, all the grief, all the secrets and the ghosts and the hiding—it all crashed over me like a drowning tsunami.
I buckled.
I couldn’t catch a proper breath.
Extracting myself from Anna’s embrace, I bowed my head. My legs threatened to crash me to the floor, and I was so close, so fucking close to blurting out everything.
I’m in love with your daughter.
I want to marry your daughter.
I want to be your son...just not in the way you think.
I looked over my shoulder at the ring box just waiting for me to spill out my entire heart, and I couldn’t do it anymore.
Rocking on the balls of my feet, I went to turn. To grab the ring. To drop to bended knee. But Neri rubbed her wrists again, swiftly, inconspicuously, and the smallest smear of concealer came away.
And what I saw beneath made my heart wrench to a godawful stop.
Just stop.
Dead.
Mortified.
Horrified.
Broken.
I grunted as if she’d sucker-punched the entire life out of me.
Because she had.
She’d fucking slaughtered me.
Her eyes met mine, and the ice-blue clarity darkened with fear.
