Page 119 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two

She fidgets the longer I stare at her, bringing her attention back to Tempest.

I don’t look away.

If she never forgives me, it’ll be a just punishment.

“Your mother is right, Tempest,” I say softly, trying to play good cop. That was obviously the wrong decision.

Tempest’s face screws up, and she screeches, “I hate you!” Leaping to her feet, she sprints inside and out of sight before Shae or I can say anything.

Pain, sharp, pressing pain, stabs me right in the heart at her words.

Raiden follows after his sister, leaving me alone with the mother of my children.

I take my time standing and facing Shae, and she seems rooted to the spot, chewing her bottom lip as she stares after our daughter.

“Don’t take her words to heart,” Shae says, still not looking at me. “She doesn’t know you enough to actually hate you.”

Ouch.

I open my mouth to say something, anything, but she talks over me.

“We need to talk about boundaries. I thought it went without saying that you’re not to be alone with the kids. At least, not right now.”

My eyebrows come together.

“Run that past me again,” I bite out, and Shaetsksand turns to face me more. Her robe falls off one shoulder.

Don’t get distracted, Sandoval.

“Listen, they don’t know you. They’ve spent all of ten minutes in your presence. You think just because you share DNA that you should be around them unmonitored?”

I hate what she’s suggesting, but then, I almost laugh, because all I’ve done is demand things since coming back into her life.

I stand up straighter but keep my expression open.

“What are your concerns?” I ask, and I can tell the question surprises her, and her shoulders drop. She’s prepped for a fight; she’s ready for me to be the bastard I’ve been over the last few days we’ve been reunited.

“I-I don’t want them to get confused,” she says, finally.

“What would they get confused about?” I shoot back, and Shae bites her lip and looks down at the pool as if the water holds the answers.

“This is new to you. I know you’re in a honeymoon phase right now with everything, but being a parent is hard. Especially to those two. They’re twins, but they couldn’t be more different humans. They both have specific needs that are a lot to meet, so if you find in a few weeks or months that it’s too much?—”

“Stop.” I infuse as much energy into my tone as I can without coming off as hostile. “There’s not a scenario in which I’ll walk away from them.”

She looks at me, probably feeling the conviction in my words. I take another step closer and damn near shiver when my hand lands on her jaw, tilting her head up.

Looking into her face, I get lost.

Even for all the anger and righteous indignation I felt in Versailles…right now, I can’t feel anything but guilt, regret…and hope.

Although we’re islands apart right now, there might be a universe in which we could come back to each other.

We could be a family.

God, I want to kiss her. I want to draw her into me, meld our souls together until I can’t tell where I end and she begins.

I want her full heart again.