Page 36 of Lovesick Titan (Lovesick #2)

“I should have said it days ago, and I know I don’t deserve to say it at all.

I didn’t expect it, didn’t want it when this started.

I wanted to wallow in anger and ruin something beautiful because I didn’t think I’d ever get beautiful for myself.

But you changed me.” Danny leaned closer, enough that Mal’s breath caught once more and he couldn’t bring himself to move.

“There is good in you, Mal. And there is something rotten in me. Because we’re just people.

Part of me wishes I could go back and erase it all.

Do it better. Do it differently. But trying to change the past doesn’t do anyone any good. ”

The sadness and darkness Mal noticed behind Danny’s eyes that first night were still present, but whatever part of this had been fake, Mal knew this moment wasn’t.

“Even if you could never love me again, and maybe never forgive me, all I’d ever want is for you to see that I’m trying. To be better. To be more like you . ”

Mal’s instincts were to pull away, because he wasn’t—

“I made that deal with you because I saw the good in you that no one else did,” Danny squeezed his hand tighter, like he knew what Mal was thinking, “but you’re the one who changed me .

You’re so much more than you think you are.

I wish we could…not start over. Not over.

Just again. I wish we could start again. ”

There had been too many days of Mal’s eyes feeling this hot.

Danny had cracked him open and left him vulnerable in ways he hadn’t known in years, in ways he’d never allowed with anyone else.

He hated it. He needed it. He was addicted and trapped and couldn’t breathe for all the ways this might blow up in their faces.

Mustering the strength to pull his hand away, Mal shook his head at those haunting, downturned eyes that looked at him with such pleading.

“Say we solve the old problems. Say we forgive. Move on. What then? What about everything else? I’m a criminal.

You’re a hero. You can never be seen in public with me outside the safety of this neighborhood or behind your mask. Even that’s a risk.

“What about your family?” Mal pushed on when Danny attempted to counter him.

“You gonna tell me your father approves of this? What about the next time I commit a heist?” He stepped closer, making Danny back up this time.

“Because it’s not the same anymore, not after this escalated. And I know that’s on me.”

The sting of vulnerability in Mal’s chest wasn’t just from how Danny made him feel, but how Danny made him want to act. Danny had been changing the rhythm of Mal’s strides since the moment they met.

“Thought I had you figured out, so I pushed. I was wrong. I’m sorry I did that to you, Danny. You deserved my anger, but you didn’t deserve that. But what comes next? There are complications to this we won’t even think about until they’re snapping their jaws at us.”

“I know. You’re right,” Danny said, looking down at his feet before he summoned some unseen strength to look up again and smile. “You’re right. But there’s one thing you keep forgetting.”

When Danny didn’t finish the thought, Mal readied himself to ask ‘what?’, to find out just what the kid was grinning about, only for the apartment door behind Danny’s back to open.

“Oh!” Carla stood there, jacket on but not zipped, while she held the curve of her extended belly. Michael was with her, blinking at Mal and Danny from beside his mother’s legs, which was about the time Mal realized that the front of Carla’s shirt and all down her leggings was soaking wet.

“You are his friend,” Michael said with a triumphant look at Danny.

“Uhh…” Danny glanced back and forth between Michael, Mal, and Carla, clearly noticing the state of her clothes.

“Carla,” Mal stepped toward her, “you have more than three weeks to go.”

“Yep…should have been.” She nodded, then grimaced as she clutched harder at her belly.

Shit .

“Mom got the floor all wet,” Michael said, and Mal and Danny looked to each other with equal shades of panic.

“Malcolm…” Carla groaned.

“What do you need?” Mal flew to her side, allowing her to lean into him, which eased some of the discomfort from her face.

“Prep bag,” she wheezed out a few deep breaths, “just inside the door. But this is happening now . Knew she’d be an anxious one,” she chuckled lightly as she breathed a few more times and cringed. “I don’t think I can make it to the hospital.”

“St. Andrews is just off 5 th . We can make it.” Danny appeared with the bag in tow from around the door and put a hand on Michael’s shoulder, though Mal assumed he’d simply missed Danny moving, not that he’d actually lightning jumped to achieve that.

Lightning jump .

“Danny.” Mal looked at him with all due seriousness. “Carla can’t go to St. Andrews. Dunkirk has men all over that neighborhood. It has to be Olympus City General.”

“But that’s…” Danny’s eyes widened. “Halfway across town!”

“I know.”

The color drained from Danny’s face as what Mal was really asking sank in. “Mal…”

“Has Rivers done any research on what one of your trips does to a person?”

Danny cringed like he was the one in pain. “Yes, including this exact scenario. She figured it was bound to happen eventually. She’s weirdly thorough like that. ”

“ And? ”

“And everything should be fine! Worst case scenario would be someone being induced into labor—”

Carla groaned louder and her knees nearly buckled, but Mal managed to keep her upright.

“…which obviously isn’t an issue right now.

Okay.” Moving around Michael, Danny crouched down and set the bag aside as he looked first into Michael’s face, then up at Carla, who seemed understandably confused.

“Carla. Michael.” He flashed them his best—and entirely unfair—smile. “Can you two keep a secret?”