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As soon as Wolfe pulled into the drive, I was climbing out of the car and running towards the house before he’d even hit the brakes. He was right behind me, though, as I slammed inside, calling out for Ariel. We found her and Belle in the bathroom, both sobbing and standing under the cold running water in the shower. Florian and Tiana watched on, their faces pale and eyes wide with distress.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice strained as I tried to take in the scene.
“Th-there was an accident…” Ariel stuttered between sobs. “I w-was making boiled eggs… I only l-left for a moment… And then…”
Her words trailed off, but I could see the angry, red burn on Belle’s arm that told me enough. My heart ached for my little sister, and I fought the urge to break down myself.
“Shh, it’s okay, baby,” I whispered to Belle, gently checking her injury. “We’ll get you taken care of.”
“Esme, I’m so sorry,” Ariel choked out, her face ashen and her eyes drenched in guilt.
I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat, forcing a calm into my voice that I definitely didn’t feel. “Hey, accidents happen,” I reassured her. “You did the right thing, putting her under cold water. It’s not your fault, Ariel…” I left the rest of the sentence unfinished because now was not the time. But I knew exactly whose fault it was, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to forgive myself.
Wolfe looked at me, the starkness of his gaze searing me. “What do you need?”
“I need to get Belle to the hospital. It’s probably okay, but I want a professional opinion.” I forced my lips into a stiff smile. “Can you stay here with the kids? I’ll call Mrs. Thompson the minute she gets off work to come and take over, but—”
“Of course.” He reached out, as though to touch me, but I pulled back. Letting his hand fall to his side, his gaze shuttered. “No need to call Mrs. Thompson. I can stay as long as you need.”
“I want to come with you.”
I looked at Ariel, standing in her wet clothes, anguish in every line of her small frame. Recognizing that she needed to be part of this, I nodded. “Get changed as quick as you can.”
We climbed into the car two minutes later, Ariel sitting in the back with Belle. The ride to the hospital was done in complete silence, which left me waaay too much fucking time to think everything over. Everything between me and Wolfe was amazing, and so perfect, but something had to give and although it tore at my heart, I knew what that something was.
Hours later, Ariel, Belle and I returned from the hospital. Wolfe, Florian, and Tiana were sitting on the couch in the living room watching a movie. They all stood up when we stepped inside. Florian asked, “How is she?”
I smiled, doing my best to reassure them. “She’s okay. It’s a second-degree burn, so they’ve put some cream on it, bandaged it, and given her some pain relief. She’s going to be okay.”
“Thank goodness,” Wolfe replied, his shoulders visibly relaxing.
“Yeah.” I hesitated, swallowing the lump in my throat. “So, um, I think we’re good here. Thanks so much for staying and watching Tee and Florian for me. I’ll see you out.”
“Sure.” Wolfe followed me outside, his blue sports car glinting under dim street lights.
I took a deep breath, knowing that this was the moment to let go. As much as it hurt, it had to be done. “Wolfe, I can’t do this anymore. We... we can’t keep seeing each other like this.”
His eyes widened, a flicker of something akin to pain crossing his face. “Esme, please don’t—”
“Please don’t make this harder than it already is,” I interrupted, my voice wavering. Twisting my hands together to stop myself from reaching for him, I continued. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s not you, it’s me. Today was the wake up call I desperately needed. While I was sitting with the girls in the waiting room, I did a lot of soul searching, and let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty. I’m this fucking close to being my mother, dumping the kids on the oldest sister so I can go fuck around.”
“Esme—”
I kept talking. “But the reality is, I’m not my mom. I’m better than that.” The lump in my throat was so big I could hardly breathe. “And... these kids… I’m all they’ve got. I’m the only thing standing between them and... fuck, I don’t even know what! I can’t condemn Ariel to the life my mom gave me. I just can’t.”
“I never meant to hurt you, or the kids.” Wolfe’s face was inscrutable in the wash of light from my porch.
“I know that. And honestly, it’s been amazing…you’ve been amazing. Like a knight in shining armor, swooping in and saving the day for us so many times. I let myself get swept away by it, but I can’t do that anymore. I have responsibilities, and today showed me just how dangerous it is to let myself get distracted. The kids need me, and I can’t risk losing sight of that. I know now that if I’m ever going to have a serious relationship, I need someone who’s going to get down in the trenches with me, get dirty, raise these kids with me. Not someone who pulls me away from them. I need a king, Wolfe.” We stood for a long moment, frozen, while I waited for him to reply.
Wolfe looked down; his jaw clenched. “I can’t do that.”
I let go of the tiny little sliver of hope I’d held onto that he would say the exact opposite of what he just said. Fuck, what did I really expect, honestly? That he would go down on bended knee, declare his undying love for me and offer to adopt the kids? Live in my little rental in Esperance Valley? Give up his whole life to grind away at enforced parenthood with me? Of course not.
“I’m sorry, Wolfe. But I need to do what’s right for them. Like I said, I’m all they’ve got.” I forced another smile, despite the tears welling in my eyes. “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Esme,” he said in a low voice. As I turned back towards the house, I felt sick to my stomach and my heart ached so much it was hard to breathe. But I knew I was making the right choice, the only choice, for my family.
CHAPTER31