Page 72 of Angel Eyes

“How about we make a deal? Whatever we say on the bench, stays on the bench. We’ll never speak of it again after tonight.”

He cast me a wary look, searching for the lie in my words. Finally, he heaved a sigh, dropping his head between his shoulders. “It was just nice to be needed, okay?”

“What do you mean?” I frowned, trying to reconcile the overconfident man I had met weeks ago with the vulnerable guy sitting next to me now. “But you said your uncle—”

“Doesn’t need me. Or at least, he doesn’t act like it.” His eyes lifted, settling on a spot across the street. “You want to know the truth about me? Well, here it is. For half of my life, I’ve worked tirelessly to prove my worth, to show my uncle my true value.”

My throat bobbed. “I don’t understand. Why would you need to do that?”

“For reasons I won’t get into at the moment, my mother sent me to live with him when I was sixteen. I was a bit of a hellion back then, always getting into fights at school, walking around angry at the world.” He dropped his gaze, studying his hands. “I was all but certain my uncle would put me out, but he didn’t. Instead, he enrolled me in the local boxing club to give me an outlet for all my pent-up aggression. And he gave me an occupation, something to focus my mind on and keep me out of trouble. From then on, I worked at our family’s restaurant every day.”

“He sounds like a good man.”

Cristian nodded. “He is, and the closest thing I’ve ever had to a father. My biological father bailed when I was an infant, and my stepfather was a poor substitute. My life was headed down a dark path, but my uncle gave me a chance at a better life. I will be forever grateful to him.”

“But Cristian, if he did all that, then surely he must hold you in high regard.”

A muscle twitched in his cheek. “You would think so. But the truth is, no matter what I did or how hard I worked, all of his admiration was reserved for his son. It was like Ga—my cousin could do no wrong.” He dragged a hand over his forehead. “You know my cousin barely even showed an interest in the family business? But still, my uncle kissed the ground he walked on.”

“But he put you in charge of the restaurant in Paris. Surely, that counts for something.”

He released a hollow laugh. “Only because my cousin took off years ago. And me? I’m just the cheap replacement who stuck around.”

I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Cristian, you’re nobody’s replacement. It’s true the people closest to us can take us for granted and sometimes, in our desperation to be loved, we let them. But that doesn’t make you any less valuable or worthy of their esteem.”

His silver gaze landed on me like two high beams in the dark. “Tell that to my uncle.”

“I’m telling you. You have to decide how you will allow others to treat you. If you feel undervalued, then you need to tell your uncle the truth. Don’t fall prey to the narrative in your mind without having an honest conversation first.”

Cristian scoffed. “That’s a bit rich coming from you. Tell me, have you had an honest conversation with Gabriel? Or was there some other reason you called me tonight instead of him?”

My breath stalled. “What?”

“You heard me. Did you tell Gabriel the truth about how you feel? Or are you being a hypocrite and telling me to be honest when you have yet to do the same?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, his words spearing through my chest.

His lids lowered as he leaned into my space. “Don’t I?”

I pressed a hand to his chest to push him away but was caught off guard by the steady thrum of his heart beneath my palm, the warmth of his skin seeping through his shirt. His eyes flared for a fraction of a second before dipping to my mouth, sending my pulse into a frenzy.

“You know what I think?” he whispered. “I think you and I are alike, both afraid of the same thing.”

“And what’s that?”

“Rejection. Of the possibility of loving someone who doesn’t love you in return. Of opening yourself up only to discover the truth hurts worse than the lie ever did. So, you hide from the light, slinking around in the shadows to keep yourself safe.” I swallowed as the tip of his nose brushed mine. “That’s why you called me, isn’t it? Because you know I live in the darkness. I’m the place where you can hide all your secrets.”

“No,” I breathed. “You’re wrong. I’m nothing like that, nothing like you.”

He stilled, anger flashing across his features. “No, you’re worse. You’re a coward.”

His words were like a slap to the face, and I blinked, my eyes stinging as he pulled away, chilly air filling the space he’d occupied moments before. Rising to my feet, I backed away from the bench. “I never should have called you. You’re a cold-hearted bastard.”

His smile was brittle. “Trust me, sweetheart, I’ve been called much worse.”

I bit the inside of my cheek hard until I tasted blood. I wanted to scream and make him take back every word. Because it wasn’t true. I wasn’t a coward. Was I?

I swallowed thickly.

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