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“I’m sorry, Damien.” She reached up and hugged me. After breaking our embrace, she hooked her arm around mine as we walked through Central Park.
I’d never told anyone, not even Charlie, what I told Willa, for it was a private piece of my life. For the first time in my life, I opened up to someone other than my father with something so personal. That had to count for something, right?
ChapterSeventeen
Willa
His views on relationships stumped me. But I guessed not everyone shared the same feelings. His was based on what his father told him about his mother. A betrayal like that would shape anyone. His father never should have told him, but he probably meant well, thinking Damien, an almost adult, could handle the truth. Instead, it had confirmed for Damien that love wasn’t reliable and that people who claim to love you could hurt you the deepest. I needed to work on that with him.
He dropped me off at home around ten p.m. After the park, we window-shopped down Fifth Avenue, grabbed some dinner, hit up an ice cream shop, and then he took me home. It was an unforgettable day, and he left me with something I couldn’t and wouldn’t ever forget—feelings that intensified every time we were together. The one thing I knew for sure about this fake marriage was that I was one turn away from walking down heartbreak lane, and I wasn’t sure if my heart could handle it. I thought I loved Liam and the others I’d been in relationships with, but the truth was, it wasn’t love at all because what I felt now was something I’d never felt before. Just the mere thought of Damien sent electricity soaring through me.
It was midnight when Matt and James entered the apartment.
“There she is.” Matt walked over and kissed my cheek.
“How was your night and day spent with Husband Blackwood?” James asked.
“It was nice. We had a great time. We went to the museum, had a hot dog in Central Park, window-shopped on Fifth Avenue, went to dinner, got ice cream, and now I’m home.”
“Damn. That was a bona fide date.” Matt grinned. “I see you’re still wearing your wedding ring.”
“I forgot to take it off last night after the Vales left.”
“Uh-huh.” James smirked.
“Why are you still up making boxes?” Matt asked.
“This one is for Damien. It’s calledPut the Guard Down, Sir, box.
“Excuse me?” James laughed.
“Today, Damien began to peel back layers of himself that he usually keeps hidden. He has so many emotional scars from his past that he’s built a ginormous wall made out of bricks from pain and fear so nobody could touch him. I’m going to drop it off at his office on Monday.”
“Darling.” Matt hooked his arm around me. “Mr. Damien Blackwood doesn’t seem like the type of guy who would enjoy something like aPut the Guard Down, Sir, box.”
“Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. But I’ll feel better for giving it to him.”
“You are one special lady.” James kissed my cheek. “Come on, hubby. Let’s go to bed.”
“Right behind you, stud. Good night, darling.”
“Night, you two.”
* * *
I Googled Blackwood Holdings,wrote down the address, and handed it to the cab driver when I climbed into the back seat.
“Can you wait for me? I’ll only be a minute.”
“It’s your dime, lady.”
“Thanks.” I smiled, grabbing the box and climbing out of the cab.
I stepped inside the building and was immediately stopped by a security guard.
“Can I help you, Miss?”
“I need this delivered to Mr. Damien Blackwood. Can you make sure he gets it?”