Page 118 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two

She glances at me sideways, her jaw still set like she’s mad at the whole world.

“He’s a baby,” she says with disdain. “And you’re a stranger.”

Ow. How can a seven-year-old pack such a punch with her words?

“You’re right,” I say, voice low. “I am a stranger. I’m hoping that doesn’t stay true forever.”

She gives me a long, squinty look.

“Are you really my daddy?” she asks matter-of-factly. There’s no awe or hesitation in her tone, and she faces me head-on when she asks.

I smile slowly and vault myself out of the pool to sit next to her with my feet in the water.

“Yes,” I say simply. “I’m your dad, and I’m so da— um, I’m so happy about that fact. I can’t wait to get to know you and Raiden.”

She looks at me hard for a second before looking down at the water. Her jaw moves as she clenches her teeth, and I realize…that’s somethingIdo.

“How do you feel about things?” I ask, realizing I haven’t looked into how the twins are taking the information. Well, if that doesn’t show how shit of a father I am. The kids just had their world turned on its side, and I’m sitting here arguing with Axel and Riale and swimming laps like everything is fine.

My chest starts to burn, and I grip the pool’s edge to hide my shaking hands.

Tempest doesn’t answer; she just keeps staring at the water and kicking her tiny feet in a slow, alternating pattern.

I suck in a deep breath.

“I know this is different and hard, but?—”

“Tempest Amaya Rivers! What in the world are you doing?” Shae’s sharp reproach echoes over the water, and Tempest and I look at her in unison. Shae storms down the side of the pool toward us, and I spot Raiden hovering near the exit.

I let the fact that she calls them “Rivers” rather than what they are, “Sandoval,” slide.

“Mommy, I just wanted to swim! Miss Peppers says I’m anexcellentswimmer,” she emphasizes.

“You aresevenyears old, and no matter how good a swimmer you are, youknowyou arenotallowed to swim in a pool unattended. That’s so dangerous! What if you fell and hit your head? You could drown, Tempest, and then what would I do?”

By the time Shae finishes her speech, she stands over the two of us, the rising sun behind her. She’s in a short, black, silky robe and is barefoot.

With her hair half falling out of her bonnet, I want to pull her into my arms and hold her.

Just hold her.

Why did things have to get so fucked up?

Oh. Because of me.

I look down at the French tips on Shae’s toes. Riale’s right. There’s no one I can blame but myself and my immature plans when it comes to Shae. Now, I’m sitting here next to my daughter, who seems to hate me, with the reality of a murderous family member gunning for me and my family.

You’ve been given a gift, son.

I shiver, looking up at the sky as the clouds roll past the rising sun. It’s not often that my mother’s voice comes to me, but when it does, it’s always for the important moments.

I return my gaze to Shae.

And just like that, something inside me loosens. The anger I’ve been dragging like armor falls away—pointless now. All I feel is the wreckage I helped create…and the woman still standing in it.

What the hell am I doing carrying so much animosity toward her? Sure, she didn’t have to erase me from our children’s lives the way she did, but can I really blame her?

What could I expect with how thoroughly I broke her heart?