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LUCA

“ C AN I HAVE ANOTHER piece, Jules?” Aria asks after licking her fork of any residual chocolate.

“You absolutely can, sweetie. Would you like some more milk as well?”

“No, thank you.”

Jules grabs her and Aria’s plates and stands from the table. Her eyes move to me just as I shovel in the last bite of the delicious chocolate cake she made.

Her smile is bright as she asks, “Would you like another slice?”

“I’m good, but thank you.”

She sets her plate down on top of mine then picks them both up before walking to the kitchen. My eyes follow her swaying ass until she’s out of view. When I look back at Aria, I know I’ve been caught by the big chocolate-covered grin on her face.

“Jules!” she yells. “Uncle Luca was looking at your butt!”

I narrow my eyes at Aria. The girl is way too perceptive for her age. “Brat,” I mutter.

“And he just called me a brat!”

I hear dishes clatter into the sink, and I glance at Jules. Her face is scrunched up like she’s holding back a laugh. My lips twitch in amusement. Aria giggles and the sound is magic. She hasn’t been doing much laughing lately, according to Mom. She’s taken Theo disappearing pretty hard, which is to be expected. It’s been a week and there’s been no word from him. He hasn’t been back home, nor showed for work. I have no desire to see my brother, but it pisses me off that he hasn’t even called Aria. He’s done so much damage to this family.

Jules brings Aria’s plate and sets it in front of her before reclaiming her seat.

“Thank you,” Aria says before shoving a big bite in her mouth.

I sit back in my chair and watch Jules as she watches Aria. The cuts from Theo’s attack are mostly gone. Except for the deeper one on her forehead, which is scabbed over, the others are just faint pink marks. The bruises on her wrists and thighs have faded as well.

My eyes move to Aria. This is the first night she’s been here since everything went down with Theo. I can tell Jules has missed seeing her just as much as I have. We all thought it was best that Aria stayed with my parents, so it didn’t rile Theo if he came by to see her. With him not making contact so far, Jules and I decided to take her for a night to give Mom and Dad a break. Aria was ecstatic, to say the least. It’s not that she doesn’t like staying with her Gamma and Pa, she’s just used to seeing me more than she has lately. We’ve always been close and she’s normally at my house at least once a week. It warms my heart that she missed me too .

“I’m done,” Aria announces, dropping her fork on her plate. “Can I let Goodie roll in his ball for a little while?”

“Sure,” I answer. “But not for long. You need a bath before bed.”

“Okay.”

She gets up from her chair and takes off for her bedroom. Jules gets up and grabs the milk glasses and Aria’s plate to take to the kitchen. I follow behind her and pin her to the counter as she rinses the dishes.

“Mmm…,” I mumble as I nibble on her neck.

She tilts her head to the side, giving me access to a particularly sensitive part.

“We can’t do this,” she breathes out heavily. “Aria could come in at any time.”

“I just need a taste,” I groan, slipping my tongue out and licking across her shoulder. “She’s occupied for the moment.”

It satisfies a primal part of me to hear the catch in her breath and see her hands gripping the edge of the counter. I press my hard cock against her backside, showing her just how crazy she makes me. Tonight, I’m forced to sleep on the couch because Aria doesn’t need to know we’re sleeping together. Jules and I both agreed it’s better that way, especially since Theo constantly had a woman over. Of course, Jules tried adamantly to claim the couch, but I just as adamantly refused. There’s no fucking way I’ll make her sleep on the damn couch, even if I know my feet will hang over the edge and my back will be as stiff as a board tomorrow. My girl’ll be comfortable no matter what.

However, I’m really not looking forward to sleeping by myself after knowing what it’s like to sleep with her in my arms.

I spin Jules around and place my hands on the counter on either side of her, caging her in. Her hands press against my lower stomach and she peeks up at me through her thick lashes, a soft smile playing on her lips. I will my cock down before it splits my damn jeans. The woman is lethal to my body.

After thoroughly exploring her mouth with mine, I ask her something that’s been on my mind lately.

“Why haven’t you tried therapy to get your memories back?”

The smile slips from her face and her eyes drop to my chest. She looks contemplative for several moments as her head slightly tilts to the side and frown lines appear between her eyes. It’s several minutes before she brings her troubled gaze back to mine and answers.

“I don’t know for sure. The doctor suggested it along with regular therapy. He gave me a card of a place to call but said there was a chance it wouldn’t work. I never used it.” Her frown deepens, and her voice lowers when she continues. “Maybe a part of me didn’t want to remember and didn’t want to take the chance it would work. Maybe a part of me still doesn’t want to.”

Her words hit me hard, because a selfish part of me doesn’t want her to remember either, and it fucking kills me that there’s a chance she still might. It terrifies me to think of her remembering such a dark part of me, a part I know will change her opinion of me. My guts twist into knots with thoughts of her hating me, especially after being with her the last week. She has no idea how easily she could decimate me if she were to remember and her passion and tenderness turned to fear and loathing.

It also petrifies me at the thought of me remembering that side of myself. Anytime the thought of hurting Jules enters my mind, I want to jam nails in my fucking ears and ram my head through a brick wall until they go away.

I’m an asshole, but I also don’t want her to remember her life with Theo. Even if he is a fucked-up twisted bastard now, at one point in their past, Jules must have loved him. I don’t want her to remember the life they shared or the love she felt for him. It makes me sick to my stomach to think of her missing him or wishing things back to the way they once were.

On the other hand, having a part of your life stripped from you is torturous. Jules and I both share this hardship. We both have pieces of our lives missing. As much as I don’t want to remember, I feel like I should , since it’s had such a huge impact on so many people. The guilt and pain of those memories would be crushing, but it would be no less than what I deserve. Watching Jules go through her own pain of having those memories returned would be excruciating. Seeing fear in her eyes as she looks at me would be agonizing, but I would go through it all if it eventually led to her being at peace.

Jules looks at me warily, as if she should be worried about feeling the way she does about not wanting to remember. I wrap my arms around her and tug her closer to me.

“It’s okay to feel that way,” I tell her. “I’m sure it’s normal to be scared of remembering the unknown.” I clear my throat and force the next words out through a thick throat. “But if you want to try therapy, I want you to know I’ll support you. And if you prefer for me not to be there but would like someone to be, you can always ask Ella or Mom.”

Her head hits my chest and she snuggles against me. I soak up the feeling and hope I’ll always have it, no matter what she decides.

“Thank you,” she whispers against my chest.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come to your appointment with you tomorrow? I don’t like you going alone.”

She shakes her head then says, “No. You’ve missed too much work for me lately. I’ll be okay. ”

I tip her chin up until she’s looking at me. “If at any point you change your mind, call me.”

“I will.”

We stand there for several moments, just holding each other, when something hits my boot. Looking down, I spot Goodie in his ball. I pull back from Jules with a frown and look into the living room, expecting to see Aria close by. When I don’t, I bend down and pick up the ball. Jules and I share a look as we leave the kitchen. Hearing sniffles coming from the hallway, I head toward Aria’s room with Jules following. What I see has my stomach clenching painfully.

Aria’s on her bed, curled into a ball, stuffed animal clutched tightly in her grasp, crying. A quick look to Jules says the sight isn’t any easier for her. I pass her Goodie’s ball, knowing she’ll safely put him back in his cage, and walk over to Aria. Without a word, I lift her up and deposit her on my lap then lean back against the headboard. Her sniffles and hiccups completely destroy my insides. This precious little girl has always had the ability to pull out my emotions. Whether it be love, mirth, joy, surprise, heartache, or fear. She has a heart of gold, is funny, extremely smart, and kind. Seeing her in so much pain renews my anger for Theo to lava levels.

“Shh….” I rub Aria’s back and try my best to soothe her pain away, but I’m still left feeling so fucking helpless.

Feeling the bed dip, I look over Aria’s head and see Jules sitting down beside us, her watery eyes flickering back and forth between Aria and me.

“I m-miss Daddy,” Aria cries softly.

“I know you do, honey,” I tell her, my voice gruff.

“W-why doesn’t he come see me? Does he n-not miss me t-too? I don’t understand w-why h-he just left. He d-didn’t even say g-goodbye.” The more she talks the louder her cries become .

I pull her in closer and kiss the top of her head. “He misses you, Aria. So much. But he has some issues he has to work through at the moment. I’m sure he’ll call or come see you soon.”

It grates on my nerves to defend Theo, but this is his six-year-old daughter, and I’ll damn near do anything to comfort and reassure her.

“I hate him.” She utters the words so low it takes me a moment to realize what she said. “I hate him for what he did to Jules. But I still love and miss him too.” She lifts her head from my chest and looks at me with red and swollen eyes. My heart feels like it’s in a vise grip and it hurts to pull in air. “Am I bad for hating him?”

I push her damp hair behind her ears and wipe her cheeks. “First, you don’t hate him,” I say softly. “You’re just angry. And you aren’t bad for being angry. It’s normal.”

She nods, and then her eyes move to Jules. She maneuvers herself from my lap and onto hers, her arms going around Jules’s middle and she buries her face against her chest. Thankfully, her cries have quieted down to sniffles. When Jules’s gaze lifts to mine, silent tears track down her face. I can see the tremors running through her body and know she’s fighting against breaking down just as Aria did, but she’s holding herself together for my niece’s sake.

“I wish you and Jules was my mom and dad,” Aria mumbles.

Jules’s chest deflates, and she closes her eyes. I break my gaze away from her and look at Aria. Her head is turned toward me. Using the back of her hand, she wipes her nose as she looks at me with sorrowful eyes.

“You don’t mean that, honey. You’re confused right now. Things will get better in a few days.”

I hope like hell I’m not lying to her.

She pulls her stuffed bear closer to her chest. “I don’t have Mr. Waffles. I left him at home.”

Mr. Waffles is the stuffed giraffe Theo got for Aria a few years ago. She used to tote it around everywhere. Mom’s had to restitch the head on a couple times because she carried it by the neck and has gotten caught on things.

“How about I stop by tomorrow and grab it for you?”

She nods then turns quiet for a while after that, except for the occasional sniffle.

“I’m tired. Can I take my bath now and go to bed?”

I lean over and kiss the top of her head. “I’ll go run the water for you.”

I start off the bed, but stop when Aria says quietly, “I love you, Uncle Luca.”

I close my eyes for a second before turning back to her. “I love you, too, Aria. Never ever forget that. Okay?”

“Okay.”

I get up. Just as I pass over the threshold, I hear Aria softly say, “I love you, Jules.”

Then Jules’s just as soft response. “I love you, too.”

My limbs feel like there’s ten-ton weights hanging from them and my head is pounding as if a set of drums has taken residence inside my skull. I push the uncomfortable feeling away and run Aria’s bath, adding a shit ton of bubbles, hoping it’ll lighten her spirits.

By the time I make it back to her room, both woman and child are asleep.

I SIT MY WEARY ASS down on the couch and stare down at my phone. My jaw aches from clenching my teeth so hard. I fucking hate what I’m getting ready to do, but know it needs to be done. I’m only doing this for Aria because it’s what she deserves .

I bring my phone to life and pull up Theo’s name. I don’t trust myself to talk to him, so it’s our text thread that appears on my screen.

Me: Your daughter misses you. Stop being an asshole and call her.

That’s it. That’s all I can manage. So many more things run through my head that I want to spew at him, but I don’t. Aria doesn’t need to be punished any more than she has been by Theo’s disappearance, and I worry if I say what I really want to say to him, it’ll keep him away from her.

I grab my beer from the end table and take a long pull, then rest it on my knee. If it were up to me, Theo would never see Aria again. He’s been a shit dad, and after what he pulled the other day, it just solidifies my belief that he doesn’t deserve her. I’ll fight tooth and nail to take custody from him, and I know my parents will as well. I’ve already been in contact with a lawyer and have an appointment set up for next week. For Aria’s sake, I wouldn’t push him completely out of her life though. She loves her dad, and I would never take that away from her, no matter how much I want to.

I look up when I spot Jules out the corner of my eye. I smile when I see her sleepy expression. I left her in Aria’s room an hour ago, not wanting to disturb her when she looked so peaceful.

“Hey,” she says with a yawn.

I pat my lap and she walks over. Once she’s close enough, I pull her down so her back is against the arm of the couch and rest my hand on her thigh.

“She still sleeping?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

“How are you doing?”

She thinks for a moment, her lips pursing together. “I want to maim Theo for what he’s putting Aria through, but other than that, I’m okay.”

“I sent him a message,” I tell her quietly, and watch her expression. Her eyes move to mine, but she doesn’t give anything away on how she’s feeling. “As much as I hate the bastard, Aria needs him.”

She smiles bitterly. “I know.”

“I’ll never let him near you again though. I don’t even want his eyes on you.” I need her to know that just because Theo will be in Aria’s life, and more than likely mine, he won’t be in hers.

Her smile softens, and she relaxes deeper against me. “I know that, too.”

I grab her hair and pull it over her shoulder and up to my face. I breathe in deep.

A smirk curves her lips when I pull the hair away.

“Did you just sniff my hair?” she asks playfully.

I chuckle. “I love the smell of your hair. I love the smell of you .”

She’s so fucking adorable when she wrinkles her nose. “What do I smell like?”

“A field of wildflowers and sunshine.”

Her mouth opens on a rushed inhale of air. The smile she gives me is breathtaking. She’s entirely way too beautiful to resist, so I lean forward and settle my lips against hers. Her mouth is just as sweet as the rest of her.

She wiggles on my lap and one of her hands clutches my shirt, as if she’s trying to bring us closer. My cock stiffens in my jeans, and I have no doubt she can feel it. My hand travels under her shirt until I reach her silk-covered breast. I tweak her nipple through the soft fabric and swallow her moans.

We make out for a while before I rip my mouth from hers. I want to devour her whole, but know it’s not in the cards tonight. I won’t take the chance of Aria waking up and finding us in a situation she shouldn’t.

I rest my forehead in the crook of her neck, trying my best to calm the raging need in my body. From the rapid beat of the pulse in her neck, I know Jules is fighting the same need. I smile, pleased as fucking punch that she wants me just as strongly.

After several moments, both of our breathing is back to normal. My cock is still a steel pole in my jeans, and I know I’ll be jacking off in the shower later, but my hormones are now in check.

When I pull back and look into Jules’s eyes, my resolve almost crumples to dust.

“You better go to bed before I don’t give a shit about anything but taking you.”

The smirk is back, and Jesus fucking Christ, it does nothing to help my current situation.

“Good night,” she whispers before dipping in for another kiss, this one not so passionate, but still just as good.

“Good night.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.” Another torturous kiss.

“Mmm… hmm,” I mumble against her lips.

“Sweet dreams.”

She licks her lips only inches away from mine, and a growl leaves my throat.

“Sweet dreams.”

“I wish you were sleeping with me.”

Fuck me, but I do, too.

Her ass wiggles more, and I groan deeply.

“Jules….” My tone is a warning.

She giggles and gets up from my lap. “I’m going. I’m going.” Before she walks away, she bends for one more kiss, and my will cracks wide fucking open. I reach for her, but she’s too quick and is out of my reach in a flash.

Her laughter is soft, but I hear it all the way down the hall. I throw my head back against the couch and close my eyes.

The term “she drives me crazy” doesn’t even come close to what Jules does to me. She completely unmans me, but at the same time makes me feel more like a man than I’ve ever felt before.