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She gasps. “I’ve seen her. Kamila has introduced me to her on a video call! Ivy Lin’s her name, right? She was pretty. I remember that. It was years ago! Quiet little thing. She wants to fixyou?”
“Adamantly so.”
“You want her to fix you?”
Silence.
The waiter brings my ex-wife her new drink, and she makes him melt with her beautiful smile. She turns to me, fanning herself. “You do. You want her to fix you! Honestly, I never thought you’d move on. I’m so happy for you. Alex will be delighted….”
I let it sink in for a moment. Aretta can’t stop grinning, and it’s like a switch has flipped inside of me. I’m not over what we had as a family. I’ll always miss it, but it’s not the only thing I crave now.
Ivy wants to be myfriend. I’ll show her that I can be more than that.
“Nobody knows,” I inform Aretta. She nods enthusiastically. “You’re the first one to find out. The thing with Ivy isn’t set in stone yet. We’re still in the early phases, but I’m working on it. I messed up, but I’ll win her back.”
“We always say that I’m the catch in this scenario.” Aretta gestures between the two of us. I grin. I’ve always loved her confidence. “You’ve got to take a look at yourself, Daddy. You’re a killer, a fine motherfucker.”
“If I didn’t know you any better, I’d say you were flirting with me,” I reply, not the least bit uncomfortable. It’s taken her some time to be comfortable with thekillerpart. We’ve had our moments, but Aretta and I have fought hard to be friends for Alex’s sake.
“I’m not,” Aretta says. “You’re not mine. You weren’t meant to be, and that’s fine. Spread your wings. We know you got big wings. Give it a chance. You’ve never mentioned a woman in my presence before. You’ve been alone for so long. I hope she’s the one for you.”
I hope so, too.
* * *
I driveFelicita and I back to the palace after we’ve dropped off Aretta at the airport. She embarked on her long flight home twenty minutes ago.
We’re still in line, waiting to pass security at the palace’s gates.
“What did you two discuss last night?” Felicita casually asks. She’s fiddling with her dress, stretching it over her knee. “You came home very late. Did you do anything fun?”
“I didn’t fuck my ex-wife,” I inform my sister, and she’s flabbergasted at my honesty. “We had a couple of drinks at that hideous vegan place. Aretta loved it, so it was worth the visit. We talked about the old days and how everything’s changed, no funny business.”
“But you seem relaxed,” Felicita insists. “More so than usual.”
I know why, but if I tell my sister, it becomes real. Until I earn my little doe back, I must keep it quiet. Ivy might get wet while we play owner and object, but I doubt that she wants me to claim her in front of others before we’ve settled our issues privately.
“I feel good,” I admit to my sister. “Things are going great, aren’t they?”
“I guess,” she says. There’s a but in that statement, but I never manage to question her. We’re searched by security. My men take additional time to do their job when I’m present.
Måns is around, talking to the guard by the fence. I haven’t spoken to my favorite employee in a while. He’s been giving me the cold shoulder for days, and I don’t know how to approach him to make amends.
We pass security, and I drop my sister off at the house. The babies are all accounted for. At the palace, Penelope Jade is with her private teacher and Kendrick’s with his parents. Mandy and Weston have taken Amalia to Euphoria, a café-bar on the hill overlooking Katantia.
I go to work, taking it slow for the week. It’s a promise that I’ve made to myself. I still work the same hours. I simply do less, taking more breaks in between. I’ve given coffee a try to see why my little doe likes it so much, but coffee isn’t for me at all. I despise the taste.
The bills for the gym’s damages have finally arrived, and I sort it out with my private finances. I have enough to repair what I’ve done. My men don’t look at me the same ever since they found me unconscious in that gym. It messes with my brain, so I avoid overthinking it.
I spend my entire day at the desk, avoiding contact with other people.
My eyes tell me that my little doe’s at work, doing her thing as per usual. I try not to obsess over her whereabouts too much. She’s in my country, and I keep us safe. There’s no need for additional measures.
The day comes to an end, and I head for my car. I’ve got plans that have had me buzzing all day.
“Dad!” Alex calls from afar. He’s holding Kendrick, who’s cuddling his stuffed animal. Ever since his dad brought him this little hedgehog, he hasn’t parted with it. Kamila walks beside her husband, and Fylox’s right behind them, keeping an eye on everything.
“Where are you headed?” I ask them.
