The Boy Who Has No Redemption (Soulless 8)

I crossed my arms over my chest and cupped my chin, trying to think this through, trying to understand what had happened that day.

And how I could fix it.

My phone lit up with a text message. Where are you? It was Emerson.

This was probably the last place on earth she would check. The rocket hangar. I put my phone back in my pocket and continued to think.

A few minutes later, the door opened behind me, and her heels echoed to the ceiling because there was no other sound to drown it out.

I turned around and set the schematic on a nearby table before I looked at her, looked at my whole world. Now that I had her, I knew everything would be okay. Anything that came our way, we’d figure out. Married or not married, we would get through the worst and the best—together.

“What are you doing in here?” When she came close to me, she looked at the old pieces I’d just been staring at, before she looked at me again.

Now that she was there, I didn’t care about the rocket anymore. “Trying to figure out what happened…so I can fix it.”

She stared at me for a long time, her eyes softening, a slight smile moving on to her lips. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Derek.”

“Yes, I will.” I would never run away from my problems again. I would confront them—like a man.

She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at the broken pieces of the previous rocket. She went quiet, like she had nothing to say, but if she continued to stand there, she obviously did.

I waited.

“What did you do to Paul?” She turned back to me when she had the courage to meet my gaze.

I assumed Paul was the asshole I’d scared off. “I broke his nose.”

She dropped her gaze.

“I threatened to kill him if he came back.”

She ran her fingers through her hair nervously, like she was embarrassed that I knew about the loser she’d dated. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t do it for you. I did it for myself.” I wouldn’t let anyone unkind come near my girls, the two people I cared about most. “I’m not letting a man harass my girls like that. Not gonna happen.” The memory of that night made me angry, but right now, I wasn’t angry. It was in the past. Now, I was happy, because I got her back. That was all that mattered.

“And you tutoring my daughter behind my back?”

“I wanted to help her, regardless if we got back together. I’m a teacher…that’s what I do. I want my students to succeed—always.” I cared about Lizzie like one of my other students, and I would stay late after class or take calls on the weekend to help them with whatever they needed. It wasn’t about the grades, it was about the knowledge, and if anyone asked me for knowledge, I would provide it. “Lizzie is very bright, and she deserves to have her brilliance cultivated.”

“Her brilliance?” she whispered. “I know my daughter is smart, but she’s no Derek Hamilton.”

“I disagree. I think every person has the ability to be Derek Hamilton if they have the right resources. People dismiss themselves too quickly. I’m the son of a Nobel Prize-winning physician who’s also a billionaire, and I had access to resources other people don’t. Yes, I’m naturally gifted, but that intelligence was accelerated by my privilege. Give all kids the right resources, and they can all be brilliant.”

She continued to watch me, her gaze soft like old times. “That’s a sweet thing to say.”

“It’s not when I mean it.”

She looked away for a while, keeping a couple feet in between us. “That whole thing with Paul—”

“You don’t have to talk about it.” I didn’t want to explain hooking up with Fleur again. It was humiliating, and I didn’t want to spend another moment thinking about it. I didn’t want to think about the other women either. It was in the past now—locked and sealed.

“I just don’t want you to think I went out with an asshole knowing he was an asshole—”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re with me now. End of story.” I didn’t want to hear about the guys she’d been with. I didn’t want her to feel she had to justify her choices. “None of that would have happened if I hadn’t been a jackass, so I take responsibility for those events. Let’s just forget about it.”

She turned back to me and stared for a while. “Alright.”

Her eyes were so blue in that moment. Her hair framed her face perfectly, like she was ready for a photo shoot. She was naturally beautiful, naturally stunning, and I couldn’t believe she was mine. “Lizzie wants you to tutor her in person again…if that’s okay.”

“I’d love to.” Lizzie had texted me a couple times about it, but I wanted to talk it out with Emerson first. I loved having my own relationship with Lizzie, but I had to be respectful of Emerson’s choices because she was her mother. “And I’d love it if you joined us. We can make it our weekly pizza night.”