He stared at me defiantly, like he wasn’t going to go anywhere. But then he dropped his arms and stepped aside.
I moved down the hallway and started to descend the stairs.
He was close behind me, his bare feet loud against the hardwood floor.
I didn’t want him to take the stairs when he was still recovering, so I turned around to say goodbye.
He wore a slightly sad expression in his eyes, like it was hard to watch me go. He never asked me if I wanted to be with him or if my stance on our relationship had changed. He just assumed we were together again.
But that was a fair assumption to make.
His arm circled my waist, and he pulled me close, his lips near mine. “It’s hard for me to let you go…when I just got you back.”
My hands gently rested against his chest, my eyes on his mouth. “It’s not for long.”
“It’s an eternity to me.” He pressed his lips to my forehead, letting his warm mouth linger as he embraced me. “I’ll be back to normal soon. I’ll be the man you fell in love with. I’ll be the man who protects you, the man who can lift you with a single arm and throw you over my shoulder.”
I pulled back so I could look him in the eye. “Babe, I don’t think less of you.” My attraction to him hadn’t changed. He was still the most desirable man on the planet, even with his scars.
He sighed quietly, as if he thought less of himself.
“I know that’s your entire identity, but there’s more to you than that. And all those things are still there.”
“Yeah?” he whispered.
“Yeah. Like your arrogance, your sarcasm…”
He smiled slightly, immediately feeling better when I teased him.
“The way you look at me…the way you kiss me…”
His arm tightened on my back.
“And I’ll never forget the way you looked in that cage. You’ve come so far, survived when anyone else would have died. Look at you now, and it’s only been a few weeks. I don’t think less of you… I think more of you.”I worked over the weekend, back to the stage after telling everyone I was sick with the flu—again. But no one seemed annoyed by my absence, especially not my understudy, who finally got to take the stage for a few nights.
When the performances were over, I went home to my apartment—alone.
I wanted some time away from Heath because I’d been at his side since I’d seen him in the cage. We’d been inseparable, and I’d barely had the opportunity to process what had happened.
Damien texted me. Want to come over for dinner?
Maybe Anna had told him how miserable I was, and he felt bad for me. Or maybe the invitation was completely unrelated. Or maybe he was proving how my life would be if I stayed with Heath—that the man I loved would never be included. Just the three of us?
Hades and Sofia are coming too. Hades is also bringing his brother Ash. And Dad.
I didn’t know Hades had a brother. That’s quite the dinner party. It made me feel worse that I couldn’t bring Heath, because if I’d wanted to bring anyone else, the answer would have been yes.
Well, it’s a special occasion…
I read his text a couple times, growing suspicious of his meaning. Is that supposed to mean what I think it means…? I didn’t want to spell it out in case Anna got a glimpse of his screen or his messages popped up on his iPad.
Yes.
I cupped my mouth with my hand as I understood exactly what was about to happen. I’ll be there in 15 mins.We gathered in the dining room, our loud voices bouncing off the vaulted ceiling and becoming even louder when they echoed back at us. The empty bottles of wine were quickly replaced, and Hades had Andrew in his arm, while Sofia took care of Demetri, who managed to sleep through most of the dinner.
“Your babies are so cute,” I said. “Are you guys going to have more?”
“No,” Hades answered. “Two is enough.” He moved Andrew to the other arm when he started to get fussy.
His brother Ash was beside him, similar in appearance and just as quiet. He seemed to be older than Hades, but not by much. My father clearly took a liking to him because he kept talking to him.
Ash was nice enough to pretend to be interested.
Damien clinked his spoon against his wineglass to get our attention. “Hey, shut up for a second.” He rose to his feet.
“Yeah, that’s a great way to get us to be quiet,” I said sarcastically.
Anna smiled up at him, clearly having no idea what was about to happen next.
I knew Anna didn’t have a family and she’d adopted us as her own—so it was the perfect way to ask.