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He sighs, rubbing the tension from his forehead. “Do you remember the apartment in Sangue Amour that we stayed at on our wedding night?”
I nod. How could I forget the airy and spacious apartment, one complete with a kitchenette and guest bedroom? “I do.”
“I’ll stay there,” he says. “It’s closer to the office and works better for developing the building I’m buying from the Vox’s. You and Lucy can have the mansion to yourselves. Or you can find a new place and give yourselves a fresh start. I’ll pay for your living expenses either way. Regardless, after a few years, I’ll have established residency and can apply for citizenship on my own.”
The deal seems reasonable enough, but there has to be something more to it. There’s always a catch with him. “Okay, and what else do you want?”
“You mean the catch?” he asks. “It’s that I still get to see and spend time with Lucy.”
I balk. Hasn’t he heard a word I’ve said about being afraid of how he’ll treat her? “I don’t think…”
“She’s my daughter, too,” he says, cutting me off. “I can’t give up on her. Lucy has lost enough. It would be cruel to her, and you know it. I owe it to her to be a stand-up father, and I’m going to do it, dammit. Even if you make it hard for me, you won't scare me off from giving her everything I promised to give."
He really does care about her, I think with a sense of wonder.
“You’re a great mom, Felicity, and that little girl is lucky to have you,” he continues. “But I’m not going to give her up. Lucy means a lot to me, too, and she deserves two parents like you always wanted for her. Even if those two parents screwed up with each other.”
“And for what it’s worth,” he says, resting his elbows on his knees and looking exhausted. “I am sorry. You are right that I broke my word, and I should have been honest with you about why I wanted to marry you from the start. I shouldn’t have lied, and I shouldn’t have said what I said when you called me out on it.”
I’ve never heard him say he was sorry before. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if he was capable of it. Even now, he looks pained, like the words physically hurt for him to get out. I mean, he is a demon. Maybe it does actually hurt him,
I take a slow breath in and out. It takes a lot for a person like Argoss to admit when they’re wrong, so even though I’m still hurt, I should encourage this. “Apology accepted,” I reply.
He looks up at me, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Are we okay then?”
That’s the question of the hour, isn’t it? Am I at peace with Argoss being in my life, even if it is only for Lucy’s sake?
I may have issues with some of the things he’s teaching her, but I think that he is ultimately a good influence. She shouldn’t have to suffer for her parents’ problems or be treated like a pawn in our arguments.
But Lucy is only a part of this. She’s my number one priority, but I do have to think of myself. Argoss broke my heart, and I don’t know if I can trust him with it again.
I bite my lip, chewing as I struggle to come up with a good answer. “I’m not sure if we’re okay yet,” I finally say honestly. “But I do agree that you’re a good influence on Lucy. I won’t try to keep her from you. As for you and me, maybe we should take things slow, like we should have done in the first place.”
He sighs. “Well, I suppose I deserve that.”
“I do appreciate the apology,” I say. “Seriously. I know it must have been hard.”
“But worth it,” he declares, turning to face me. “I have come to the realization that I may have been the primary problem. Not only in this relationship but in the rest of mine, too. Though I have not yet earned back your trust, I will try to be better from now on.”
I smile. “I’m glad to hear it.” I get to my feet, about to go call Lucy when I have an idea. “Do you want to get her while I order pizza for dinner?”
His eyebrows shoot up, but he nods and heads up to her room. As I order the pizza – cheese for Lucy and meat lovers for me and Argoss – I just hope I’m doing the right thing.
Lucy said to listen to the little voice in my heart, but I sure hope it knows what it’s doing this time.
26
ARGOSS
Irealize I’m creeping toward Lucy’s room and stop to straighten my posture. I don’t need to enter my daughter’s room looking as guilty as I feel. Everything in me screams that it’s a beta move and one my protege will most likely look down upon.
“Well, well, well.” Her voice creeps out from around a mountain of clothes. To me, it looks like she’s bunching everything up to make a landing pad of sorts. “If it isn’t Argoss.”
She pulls out her portable mini trampoline from beneath her bed, which tells me I might be onto something. Between her bed, trampoline, and the pile of clean laundry, my guess is she’s planning on some kind of bounce party.
“What’s this all about?” I gesture to her setup.
“Just a little game I like to call...” She scrunches up her face, then plops both hands on her hips. “Something I forgot just now.”
