Page 74 of Forgotten Romance

“And we will.” He opens his mouth again but cuts off. “We’ll figure it out. I promise.” He stops me before I can push some more. “And no, it won’t be because you all uproot your lives for me. I’d love that. Knowing I got to come home to my family, but the guilt would kill me, Mack. The kids love school. Their friends. They need stability.”

“They need you.”

“I know.” His jaw sets. “And I need you all as well. So like I said, we’ll figure it out.”

I can’t lie, I’m relieved that he didn’t want to take that option. Sure, leaving the library would have been hard, but I’d do it in a heartbeat. It’s the upending Kiera and Van that’s the problem. We didn’t realize how much more complicated our whole arrangement would be by adding kids to the mix. They were this golden ideal of family life, and while I don’t regret them at all, I do wish parenting and life with kids was more transparent.

“What does this all mean?” I ask. “For us?”

“It means … I think it means we’ll see. I don’t want to jump back into a relationship only for us to end up miserable again. Just … let’s try and work it out.”

“But no dating anyone else,” I hurry to add. “We’re going to fix this, and I don’t want anyone getting in the way of that.”

“Agree.” He scowls. “No more Luke.”

“He’s my friend. That’s all it ever was and all it was going to be.”

“He wants more.”

“I don’t think he knows what he wants. I think he wants to settle down, but not necessarily with me. I do hope he finds his person, though, because I like him.”

Davey’s mouth flattens. “I’m going to have to be okay with that, aren’t I?”

“I hope you are.” The note in The Hobbit shifts through my mind, leaving me uncomfortable for a whole second before it changes. My memory tickles over Davey bringing up The Hobbit. Davey talking about the dwarves.

Was that a coincidence?

Or … could it have been Davey?

Each note flits through my mind, and this time, I hear them in his voice. With his love behind them.

If that last one was left by him, the whole context changes.

I won’t give up.

Wild how something can go from creepy to romantic just based on who it’s from.

I smile. “You’ll like Luke. And you have nothing to be jealous of. My heart has always been yours.”

The relief that crosses his face is something I feel in my bones. “In that case, I’ll be friendly.”

“Thanks.” I stand up and yawn. “We should probably leave it there. That was a whole hell of a lot we covered.”

“It was.”

I pick up my book and send a cheeky grin his way. “Besides, I have porn waiting for me.”

Davey groans, pretending to melt into the couch, while I leave with an “Oooh, his ravaged hole!”

I’m not sure what comes next for us, but I know it’s leading one way. All this time with winning him over, I’d wanted someone on my side to help us succeed, but turns out the only person I needed was him.

23

Davey

When I wake up in the spare room to the sound of laughter downstairs, I breathe the easiest I have in … fuck. Maybe ever. My good mood lasts the whole morning, through breakfast with the family, joking with Mack and getting the kids ready for school.

If I’m honest, I hadn’t realized how heavily this decision has been weighing on me. No matter what I did with the kids or Mack, it always had that tinge of darkness to it that I’ve never been able to consciously identify. Now, I can. Because looking at them, I know I’ll have to leave again, but if I have my way, it’ll be the last time. I’ve never had that freedom before.

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