AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I lied to you,” he admitted.
“About what?” she asked hesitantly as her shoulders tensed.
“About the myth, Lyra. How it ended. Orpheus went to the underworld to get his wife. The deal was neither one of them were supposed to look behind until they crossed over to the land of the living. He forgot that tiny detail. As soon as he arrived, he turned to look at her. She was sent back to the underworld and they were never reunited. He fucked it all up,” he explained.
“I know,” she said, surprising him.
“Then, why?”
“The thing was, even though they didn’t get their happy ending, Orpheus left something behind that brought joy to others through beauty and music. His lyre was forever immortalized in the stars by the Muses. I looked it up.”
He swallowed at her confession. The tension thickened between them. Her interest, loyalty, and everything they had shared added kindling to the long-suppressed need that spun through him. He wished upon invisible stars that he could get another chance.
He reached out his hand to cover hers, needing to touch her. She grounded him like no other, and he’d missed her.
She turned to face him. Even through the pain in her eyes, desire glowed. She still felt something for him too. But the flash of worry told him that they were on a precarious ledge, one she had worked hard to avoid. She had picked up the pieces he’d left her in and molded herself into who she was now as a woman. Fragility and strength beamed from her. Goodness and light poured out, just as he’d remembered. Only this time, she seemed more guarded.
“You’ve really done an amazing job with her.”
She blinked a few times as she took a deep breath. “Thank you. I wish I could make this easier for you and Lyra.”
“You already have. What you told her about me was the truth, but it painted me in such a better light than the reality.”
“You were never a bad person, Mikel. You just made some bad decisions.”
Her words were a punch to the chest. After all he’d put her through, she still saw him as a good person, worthy. Why had he been so selfish all those years ago? He’d ruined the best thing in his life.
“Remy.” His voice was husky.
Her gaze locked with his. So much was being said without words. The internal struggle of past hurt and current hope played across her expression.
Fear won out. She pulled her hand from under his before settling it on her lap.
He’d do anything to fix this, to earn back her trust. He’d travel to the moon if it meant he could hold her in his arms again. He’d have to take it slow. “When can I see Lyra again?” he asked, staying in safer waters.
She turned to where their daughter waved goodbye to her friend before heading towards them. “Friday, Bently was going to babysit for me. You can be there if you want.”
That was five days from now. Too long. “Can I see her sooner?”
Remy took a deep breath. Her body trembled slightly as she rubbed her palms on her knees, making the soft fabric of her dress ride up a little more.
He needed to be patient. “I’m sorry. I just feel like I missed out on so much. I don’t want to waste another minute.”
She nodded. “I have dinner at my parents’ tomorrow. You’re welcome to come. But if you’d rather not, we could meet on Wednesday after I get done at the bakery. We usually do dinner around six. She goes to bed by eight.”
He wasn’t quite ready to face her parents. He had a lot to make up for with her whole family, but he was going to start with his daughter and Remy. “Can I bring dinner to you guys on Wednesday?”
“Sure. You should know, she’s celiac like me.” Remy opened her arms to Lyra as she approached.
“Mommy, I’m hungry.”
“We were just talking about food. How about we go get some ice cream?” he asked, not ready to let their time together end.
Remy’s body stiffened.
Shit.He should have checked with her first.
Lyra jumped up and down excitedly. “Can we, Mommy?”
Remy’s expression softened when she looked at their daughter. “Sure. We can do that.”
“Yay!” Remy clapped her hands before grabbing on to one of his. “Can I ride with you, Daddy?”
Mikel pulled his gaze from his daughter’s pleading brown eyes and glanced to Remy for permission. “There’s a car seat in Bently’s truck?”
She hesitated, wringing her hands together. “Let’s go, then.”
She didn’t trust him with their daughter’s safety yet. He got that. She had no idea how far he had come from the man she used to know. The idea of having his two girls with him for another hour sent tingles of anticipation through him.
He would do whatever he could to draw out their stolen moments.
