Page 143 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two

“I don’t lie to you, Storm. That’s ayouproblem.”

Storm doesn’t move except for the delicious press of his fingers into my back.

“But you’re right. We can talk. Now that things have cooled down between us, you can see this whole big happy family fantasy you have will never work.”

Storm hums and keeps pressing into my shoulders.

“Why not?” he throws out, seeming unbothered, which is the complete opposite of my current state.

I’m bothered. Very bothered.

“First, we don’t have to be together for you to be a father to the kids. You know that, right?”

He doesn’t respond.

“And second is…we don’t know each other. Not really. Not who we are today. Whatever feelings we have are from memory, not reality,” I say, and my throat heats as I blink away hot tears.

“Do you believe that, Shae?”

“That we don’t know each other? Yeah. Eight years is a long time. That’s a lot of life to live apart, Storm.” I’m proud of myself when my voice doesn’t crack.

“I agree with you there, but I disagree with most of your previous statement.” He pulls me in even closer, and his nose tickles the hairs at the back of my neck.

“What I feel for you is too potent, too visceral, too holy to be anything but real,” he whispers, his breath tickling the shell of my ear. “And if there’s anything I know to be true, it’s that my soul knows yours. All the other details can change, but that fact will not.”

Oh, God. He’s killing me—killing me again with his words and promises and declarations. Before he waltzed back into my life, I’d shut the door on anything remotely this emotional. But now? With him?

It’s like my will to fight against this vanished with the slightest pressure from him.

“I’m trying to be different, Shae. I’m trying to be better for you,” he whispers, and that snaps me out of my haze. Turning, I lean against the door I was just trying to exit.

“You don’t need to do anything for me,” I reply, my voice just as low. “Just don’t let Tempest and Raiden down.”

Storm shakes his head sadly.

“Never. I’d never hurt them, Shae.” He takes my hand and places my palm over his heart. “I know you have no reason to trust my words but feel my heart. I wouldneverhurt them.”

I sniff, losing the battle against my tears.

“You might not mean to,” I whisper. Storm wipes away one of my tears and keeps his palm pressed to my cheek.

“I’m going to be better for them, Shae. I’m going to be better for you, too.”

I meet his gaze, and I believe him. Goddamnme, I do believe him—I believe he means that he wants to try.

But has he changed enough not to fail?

“Storm—”

“Let me show you, Sweetness,” he says, still holding my gaze. “Starting with a week from now. Okay?”

He waits patiently for my response, but then, he’s always been patient—so patient with me.

Why? Why did he do all of that just to break me in the end?

He says he wants no more half-truths between us, but there’s so much still unresolved. The question is, are we ready to face it all?

“Okay,” I say, because in this moment, that’s all there is to say.