Page 69 of Lumi

I held him and stroked his arm, asking him again. “What happened?”

“We lost the baby.” His speech was muffled from pressing his head against my body.

My eyes shut tight as I felt my heart bleed for my friend. “How?”

“It was sick.” He sniffled and eased his firm hold on me. “Don’t ask me to explain because I don’t understand it myself. It’s somethin’ about chromosomal abnormalities and genetics.” He sniffled again and reached for a tissue to blow his nose.

“Can’t you try again?” I asked.

Damian shook his head. “Turns out that Siobhan had three miscarriages with her ex. The doctors… they…” His voice broke as he shook his head. “We can never have a child. The chances of the same thing happening are too great.”

Stroking his back in soothing motions, I felt all the anger lift that I’d carried in my body for so long. Damian had broken my heart, but I never wanted to see him suffer like this.

“How is Siobhan handling it?”

“She’s not. We had a massive fight. The doctors asked her if she’d taken any medication when she got pregnant, and she said no. So, I told them she was on the pill, but then she admitted that she’d never taken the pill while we were together. Who lies about somethin’ like that?”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered and liked Siobhan even less now.

“I know I should be there for her, but I’m so angry at her for lyin’ to me. I was excited to be a dad, ye know?” Damian’s eyes were still glistening with tears. “Now, I’ve lost my baby, Lumi.” Damian’s elbow dropped to the table as he leaned his head against my collarbone again. “And I lost ye.”

I let my hands run through his hair.

“I focking miss ye, princess.” Damian looked at me and tears welled up in his eyes again.

I’d known Damian for years, but I’d never seen him cry before.

“I’m so sorry that I hurt ye.”

I couldn’t hold back my own tears when he caressed my face and looked at me with such despair that I had to break eye contact and hug him again. “I miss you too. I miss you so much.”

For a long moment, we cried together. I cried because even my mountain of love for Damian couldn’t make his sorrows go away. Damian had always been my rock, and now he was falling apart.

Pulling back, Damian looked at me with wet eyes. “Please don’t give up on our friendship.” His eyes burned with need, and his voice was pleading. “I know I can’t give ye what ye wanted, but I love ye, Lumi. I’ll always love ye.”

My nose itched, and tears fell from my eyes when I whispered back. “I’ll always love you too.”

Damian leaned his forehead against mine. His strong hand clasped the back of my head. “Can you forgive me?”

Closing my eyes, I let my soul speak for me. “I forgive you.”