Page 126 of Psychotic Obsession

I look up at Tobias. "Okay?"

He takes a deep breath. "Okay," he replies with a short nod.

"Do you want to go see him?" I ask Luciella, and she nods enthusiastically before she runs at him, followed by Kade.

"Daddy!" they yell in unison as they launch themselves at him, both wrapping their arms around his neck. The smile pulling across his face, causing his dimples to dent in deep, makes my heart swell, and I tear up. "Mommy took us on ahugeplane!"

He holds them tight, burying his head into Lu's shoulder, then Kade's, messing his hair while he smirks at him. "It's good to finally meet you two," he says with a sniff, trying to keep himself together, holding them even tighter. "You're both so big."

"I'm five!" Lu says with a massive smile. "Kade is five too."

"Wow," he replies with wide eyes. "Five is a cool age."

I bite my lip to stop it from trembling, my eyes flitting to the therapist I've had weekly calls with, and she gives me a thumbs up.

Watching them converse easily, I take a seat at the picnic table, nervously playing with my fingers. The kids eventually run to the sandpit, and Tobias looks over his shoulder at me, shoving his hands in his pockets while he takes careful steps towards me. "Hi."

I smile as I look down at my fingers. "Hi."

"What do you think of the place?" he asks as he looks around, his blue eyes dancing under the bright lights.

"It's beautiful," I reply, glancing at our surroundings, the little speakers playing sound effects of wind, quacking ducks, chattering people, anything to make it seem more realistic. "They said you helped design it?"

“Well, I gave a few suggestions.” He nods, taking a seat beside me as he watches the kids throw sand at each other. "I wanted it to be perfect for them. I wanted it to be different.”

I turn my head to look at him, smiling. "Itisperfect."

Tobias smirks, his eyes searching my face. "You seem to get more perfect every time I see you."

I blush, shaking my head. "You said you'd stop saying stuff like that."

Laughing, he rolls his eyes. "I guess I can't help myself." He leans forward and moves a strand of curly blonde hair behind my ear. "Especially when you're so close to me." He huffs out his nose and leans away from me. "Shayla..." He looks over at his therapist. "She wants me to do this exercise where I say exactly how I feel, so I want to try it with you, okay?"

I nod, looking from the twins to him. "Of course."

"First, I want to say sorry. I don't mean for falling in love with you, but for all the havoc that came with it. I lost...I lost myself often, and when I did, I wasn't me. I let myself fall into a dark hole, and every time I tried to get out, it got deeper. I should have listened to you and gotten help before things went as far as they did. Maybe I wouldn't be incarcerated in a mental institution for the rest of my life. Maybe I'd have a chance at a happy ending with you and our kids." He glances at Kade and Lu, the corner of his mouth tugging up. "But I can see how happy you all are, and that's enough for me. If Ewan is your forever, if he is the one who can show my children the right path in life, then I'm happy too."

"Really?" I blurt out.

This is the first time Tobias has ever mentioned Ewan without losing his head–the name was a trigger for him for years, landing him in solitary confinement. But to hear the name fall from his lips in such a positive way… It's making my eyes water.

"Don't get me wrong, I wish it was me, but I can see he gives you all something I can't."

"What's that?" I ask.

"Happiness," he replies with a shrug. "And I've recently found out that happiness means more than anything. Yeah, if I was given the opportunity..." He lowers his voice to a whisper. "I'd happily find one of the broom closets in here and fuck you senseless." My eyes widen, and I snort out a laugh.

We both burst out laughing, and the kids snap their heads in our direction, grinning as Kade whispers something to Lu, making her giggle and toss more sand at him.

"But you're okay?" I ask him, serious, my eyes burning into his. "You're really okay?"

"As long as you and the kids are, then yeah." He nods, shrugging as he stands.

“Ewan asked me to marry him.”

He tilts his head. “Do you want to?”

“I still haven’t given him an answer.”