The Man Who Has No Love (Soulless 3)

I nodded. “I don’t want anything to change either.” I opened my heart to her completely, but I wasn’t ready to get remarried, to make that kind of commitment. It had nothing to do with her, just the institution. It would take me time to feel differently about all that stuff. I had to appreciate her honesty, the fearless way she showed me how she felt about me, especially since she could appreciate my hesitance. She didn’t give me an ultimatum. She didn’t tell me I had to have kids with her if I wanted to be with her forever. She left the future as a blank page.

She turned back to the fire, the light giving her face a lovely glow.

And I watched her, entranced by her beauty, thankful she was there with me.

Thankful she was mine.

Three

Cleo

When Valerie’s belongings arrived in the shipment, I had Matt put everything in her residence.

She was still missing a few pieces of furniture, so I had my designer complete the rest of it, knowing what kind of taste Valerie had after being inside her LA home a few times. I also decorated Derek’s room, making it warm for his arrival.

The day we’d been dreading and yearning for arrived.

Valerie’s car pulled up.

Deacon was there too, eager to see Derek the second he was in the city.

It was hard to stand apart from him, to keep my hands together at my waist when his arm should have been around my torso. It was a persona I was tired of putting on, behaving like his assistant when I’d told him I wanted to have his kids.

It was such an embarrassing thing to say, but he didn’t freak out like most men would.

It was a testament to his feelings for me, as well as his magnitude as a man.

The door opened, and a long leg appeared in a high heel. She stepped out, dressed in a short dress and jewelry, like she hadn’t just taken a plane across the country. She gave Derek a hand so he could get to his feet with his backpack on.

Derek turned to Deacon and ran into his arms. “Dad!”

Deacon kneeled and caught him, squeezing him off the floor in a bear hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too.”

I watched him, my eyes soft. One of the biggest reasons I thought about having a family with Deacon was because of my relationship with Derek, the boy who made me want to be a mom. And having a son who would look just like his father made me want it even more.

Derek moved to me next, running into my waist. “Hey, Cleo.”

“Hey, Derek.” I kneeled and hugged him. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” He pulled away. “Dad said we could go to the cabin every weekend.”

I smiled. “That sounds nice.”

Valerie walked up to Deacon, arching her back and practically strutting.

His smile was immediately gone. “How was the flight?”

She shrugged. “Uneventful.”

“Well, welcome to New York.” It was obvious he had to force himself to be polite, to initiate a conversation he didn’t want to have.

“Thanks.” She turned to me, watching Derek and me interact.

I straightened and walked over to her. “I’m excited to show you your residence. It’s lovely. Great view.”

“What floor is it?” she asked.

“Forty-four.” A bit higher than Deacon’s.

She nodded.

Matt got all the luggage out of the back and packed it onto the cart.

“Follow me.” I took the lead to the elevator and let them go in first.

Derek talked Deacon’s ear off. “Mom says I’m starting school soon.”

“Yes,” Deacon answered. “Best school in the country.”

“Are the kids nice?” he asked.

“They’ll be nice to you.” Deacon rubbed his head. “Because everyone loves you.”

We rode the elevator to her floor, and I unlocked the door for her. “Here you are.” It was decorated, stocked with groceries, and had vases of flowers everywhere. I wasn’t sure why I expected her to be impressed, to show some kindness, because she looked around with a bored expression—like she couldn’t care less. She threw her purse on the couch then looked out the window to the view, which faced in the opposite direction of Deacon’s.

“Wow, this place is cool.” Derek dropped his backpack by the door and moved down the hallway. “Which room is mine?”

“I’ll show you.” I took him into one of the bedrooms, which had a space theme like his bedroom at Deacon’s.

“Whoa…” He looked around, impressed even though he already had a bedroom like it. “The bed looks like a spaceship.” He rolled on top and started to bounce.

“Derek.” Deacon grabbed his shoulder and steadied him. “No jumping on the bed.”

“Come on, why?” he whined.

“Because I said so.” He pushed him down until he sat at the edge of the bed. Then he looked around. “It’s really nice, baby.”

My eyes widened.

Deacon realized his mistake and glanced at the door, but thankfully, Valerie wasn’t there.