Page 68 of The Devil In Disguise

Leaning back to make sure they both hear me, I tell them, “You two are my parents, no matter what. Nothing will ever change my love for you guys.” They both soften further at my words and I stand up from where I’m sitting to move next to my dad.

“Papa, I met her. Estelle.”

His face turns ashen and his body tenses. “What? What do you mean? How?”

“After the accident, I was in a coma. At the time I didn’t know it, but thinking back on it, maybe I was stuck in the in-between. It was a beautiful place and we talked about so much.”

Never in my life have I seen my dad cry before today, but now the tears are uncontainable.

Knowing there’s one final bandage to rip off, I rub my hands over my thighs in preparation. They wait quietly, gearing up for what’s to come next.

“Papa, can I ask you something?”

His demeanor is open and relaxed with a curious gaze. “Of course.”

“If you wanted to keep me safe growing up, why did you push me away so much?” My voice is smaller than I intended it to be. As soon as the question is out, my chest constricts and I avert my gaze, inhaling a deep breath.

It hurt to want his fatherly love and watch him stop himself from giving it freely.

A cloud of sadness sits over him and he takes a deep breath of courage to speak as well. “I don’t believe it was right of me, but there was a small part of me that broke every time I saw your face and saw my Estella. She was the only family I had left. There were days I couldn’t stand it, not that it was your fault. It’s selfish of me, but I admit that I couldn’t bear another loss so big. Because of that, I tried to love you from a distance. I never thought about how that might make you feel or how apparent I made my feelings. I am so, so sorry for pushing you away and hurting you. I will be a better father until my last days and beyond that, I promise.”

Fresh tears fall from my eyes at his admission. “I’d love that,” I say, wiping away the tears. “Ugh, okay. No more crying, I’ve done enough,” I joke–only halfway kidding.

My dad hugs me again and we spend the next hour talking about lighter topics. Eventually, they ask me what I’m going to do next, assuming that I’m back to stay. In the back of my head, I know I’ve already made my decision.

“Since you prefer to work over staying home, maybe I can find an entry position at my firm for you,” my dad mentions.

I take a deep breath for courage and steel my spine. “I don’t want to work at a job that leaves me drained at the end of every day. If I want to live a happy life, I need to make that for myself. While I was gone, I started baking more. I have a passion for it and every time someone enjoys a dish I’ve made, my soul bubbles up with happiness. What I’m saying is, I think I want to open up my own bakery somewhere.”

The thought has been swimming around my mind, but saying it out loud makes it feel more real. Overcome with nerves, my eyes move to the ground and I chew on my lip while I wait for their response. They stay quiet for longer than I’d like, but when I look up they are smiling at each other, having a silent conversation between themselves.

“I am so proud of you, mi amor. Personally, I know how well you can bake. You started outshining me years ago. We support anything you choose to do as long as we get the first batch you officially put up for sale,” Mama says sincerely with a bright smile. It has always been infectious. This time it’s no different as my smile matches theirs.

“We are also here to help you. I happen to know a good lawyer you can use to help you start up the business,” my dad adds, placing his hand over Mama’s.

“Thank you guys so much.” I leap up and give them both a hug.

I’m reminded when I want to leave that I don’t actually have my own mode of transportation since I got dropped off.

I still can’t believe Kylo totaled my bike. Asshole.

Thankfully, my parents don’t mind taking me to the dealership. We go to the same one I went to the first time around. When I see the same make and model as Diablita, I don’t bother looking for anything else. That is the one I’m taking home today and she’s freshly washed—just perfect.

My parents go on their way back home. I say bye to them and head back to Lucifer’s lair. Ace is still there and so are my clothes—not that I really need the clothes, but still they are cute. While I let the GPS guide me, I allow myself to mull over Kylo and think of what’s next for us. If there will be an us.

During our time together, he managed to burrow his way into my heart when I wasn’t looking. Together we created magic.

Am I willing to work through this with him?

Does love really have to be safe?

The betrayal strings, yet he still feels worth the effort to try for more. Find out what we can really be.

He put his life on the line to rescue you, too.

The picture-perfect house I left is turned upside down when I step inside. Lucifer is always making sure things are in the right spot or wiping smudges off of random surfaces; there’s no way this was his doing. If it was, all hell must have broken loose.

Ace runs into the room when I whistle, whining at my feet and leading me to the hallway he came from. I have no choice but to follow him.

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