Page 106 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two

It feels like a goddamn party when I reach the foyer. A dozen guards move around the space, while another dozen stand just outside the door and down the driveway. Riale comes from the back of the house, while Shae comes down the stairs. She looks fragile, like she might break at any moment. But then, when she spots me, her face hardens, her spine straightens.

Her fire flares bright.

The doorbell rings, and Shae rushes forward. One of the new guys steps in front of her and says, “One moment, ma’am.”

Shae releases a choked, startled sound, her mouth settling into a hostile grimace.

“If you value your life, you’ll get the hell out of my way!” she nearly shouts, but then the door opens, and two small figures run inside.

“Tempest! Raiden!” Shae practically wails their names, and within a second, she’s down on the floor with both our babies in her lap and all three of them holding on to each other and sobbing.

“Mommy, you were supposed to meet us on Auntie Yenn’s plane!” Tempest says.

“Mommy, I thought you died!” Raiden says.

I am the biggest fucking idiot in the history of idiots. What was I thinking? I was so damn focused on making a power play with Shae that I didn’t even stop to consider the fact that the kids would be absolutely freaking the fuck out.

Shit, maybe Shae was right to keep me away from them, because clearly, I’ve got the sense of a fruit fly when it comes to this.

The air shifts as one of the guards closes the front door after more people enter. A familiar perfume hits me, bright and happy.

“Hello, Storm Sandoval.” Mrs. Opal Rivers materializes in front of me, her smile pleasant, but her gaze holding just as much fire as her daughter’s.

Oh, fuck. This is a showdown I am not prepared for. Yennifer pops up to her left, giving me a similarly cold grin.

“Hey, Yenn,” I say, and when I’m about to greet Shae’s mom, Yenn sneers.

“I’m going to help mybest friend. It’s been aparticularly tryingday,” she says, immediately spinning on her heel so quickly that the tail end of her locs whip across my face.

Right. Clearing my throat, I face Shae’s mother fully, sticking out my hand to shake hers.

“Ms. Opal?—”

“Mrs.Rivers,” she cuts in, and I cringe while trying to smile. I pull my hand back and shove it into my pants pocket without looking at it.

“Right. Excuse me, ma’am,” I say deferentially. “It’s…been a long time.”

Yeah. Fucking idiot here.

Shae’s mom hums, tilting her chin up and looking down her nose at me like a Claire Huxtable clone.

“Well. I most certainly wasn’t expecting to see you…ever,” she replies.

“Gigi, you know this man, too?” Raiden asks. He must have just registered that he’s in a completely unfamiliar place, because he looks around the spacious entryway with his face scrunched in a worried look.

“Mommy, what’s he doing here? What arewedoing here?” Tempest whispers this, but her whisper is nearly as loud as a shout.

Shae sniffs and wipes beneath her eyes with the back of her hands.

“Well, honey, that’s because…” Shae starts to speak but trails off, looking at me with completely wide-eyed panic.

We haven’t discussed what we’ll tell the children or when we’ll tell them that I’m their father.

“Duh, Tems, he’s mommy’s friend,” Raiden says, putting more attitude behind the delivery than I’d rarely seen him use.

My chest tightens at the words as Shae opens and closes her mouth. And even though I know she’ll hate this—hate me forwhat I’m about to do—I take one step, then another closer to my children.

I kneel in front of my family.