Page 148 of Delilah In Discretion

“Should I be afraid of him? Of Uncle Eugene?” I asked him.

He didn’t say anything for a moment.

“I think we should be cautious of him, but it’s clear he cares for you and would do anything to protect you—even if he’s shady and working with my father.”

I nodded; however, we still didn’t know for sure if that was the case. I didn’t want to explicitly say it, but it seemed as though all signs pointed to Eugene still working for Calvin. Part of me wanted to know why. Why did he know I would be in the alley? Why is he so secretive, still having connections to my father’s rival? Why did he not even hesitate to pull the triggerlike this came naturally to him?

We stayed in silence for some time, and I shifted positions as I laid my head on his chest. Archer’s phone unfortunately rang, and he gazed over at it in anger. Picking it up, he sighed as he spoke.

“Yes, Father,” he muttered, and my mind drifted elsewhere as I let him finish his conversation.

Hanging up the phone, he placed his head in the crook of my neck and sighed.

“I don’t want to go to the office.” He pouted, and I giggled for the first time in a few days. He smiled, hearing my laugh, and I kissed his forehead.

“You’ll be fine without me for a few hours, Lockwood,” I muttered.

He groaned as I wrapped my arm around his neck. “Wipe that smile off your face, Princess,” he muttered childishly, and I giggled as he reluctantly smiled and placed a kiss on my lips.

Hearing a knock at the door, I slowly turned away from my reading and closed my book.

“Come in,” I said, and my mother entered the room as Kimi stood in the hall angrily.

“She doesn’t want to spend time with me, Bribri. Force her to!” she yelled and walked away, stomping her feet in the process.

My mother sat on the bed beside me and sighed. “As crazy as that girl is, I can’t help but feel like she’s right.”

I remained silent as she rubbed my knee.

“What happened, baby?” Mom asked, and I looked into her eyes, which held so much concern. I wanted to pour my heart out to her, but I couldn’t. As much as she hated Uncle Eugene, she loved him even more, and being pregnant, I don’t know how she would react to the news that her brother killed my father, her “brother-in-law.”

“I’m fine. I’m just confused, is all.”

Although she knew it wasn’t the entire truth, she didn’t push too hard for an answer.

“Mom,” I said softly, and she hummed as I thought for a moment about my choice of words. I didn’t want to share what happened with Michael, but there was something that had beenon my mind about a certain someone, and she is one of the first people I want to ask for advice. Ever since he’s helped me come to terms with having Michael both in and out of my life, my feelings towards him have grown. I look forward to hearing his stupid voice in the morning and reading his sensual and impulsive text messages in the evening... even right now, I miss him, and he was just here a few hours ago.

“I... I think I’m falling in love with Archer.”

She smiled as I continued. “He’s just so affectionate, caring, and protective, and I am slowly growing to love everything about him,” I said truthfully as my heartbeat went a little faster, simply thinking about him.

“Falling in love with men like your father or Archer isn’t easy...But once you fall, you sink,and their flaws become meaningless. At that moment, you love them for who they are when they’re with you and who they can potentially be too,” Mom explained.

“When do you think I should tell him?” I asked genuinely, and she shrugged.

“Whenever you feel ready, honey. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you when to tell him.”

I nodded my head, and for some reason, both of our phones rang, directing our attention to them. We picked both up, and lo and behold, Calvin had sent the two of us a message.

Calvin: Good evening, Kitten and Brielle. It’s been a while. Blaine has so graciously invited you all to dinner once again, and I took the liberty of hosting it in my home. The younger ones do not need to come as business matters will be discussed, but Kitten and Masahiko’s angry clone are welcome to join. Details about the dinner will soon be provided. Ta-ta for now.

“Blaine already told your father and me, and hearing this again... I don’t think my blood pressure will benefit from it,” Mom muttered.

I smiled. “I agree with you on that... But going wouldn’t be the worst.”

She sighed as she rubbed her temples. “I’ll have to think about it,” she muttered, and I nodded, understanding.

We talked for another fifteen to twenty minutes, and then the door opened. We both looked over to see Kimi standing with the twins in her arms, who seemed to be having a blast with her.

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