Page 85 of Almost

“That poor child,” Mrs. Lewis says sympathetically.

From what I’ve seen, Henry seems to be a normal kid, but I really only see him when he’s with Thalia. Henry adores her, so he’s happy 99 percent of the time, and not to toot my own horn, but he really seems to like me too.

Mr. Lewis nods in agreement, his gaze flickering to me. “At least you and Kiera weren’t already married when you found out about her pregnancy. It would have been a completely different situation, son.”

That thought has crossed my mind more than a few times since finding out the truth, but I try not to linger on it. There’s nothing I can do to change anything, so moving forward is the only path.

To my surprise, Owen is the one who interjects in my defense. “Dad,” Owen scolds, but I quickly shake my head.

“He’s right, Owen. It would have been a lot more complicated—actually, it’s still fairly complicated, but things could always be worse,” I agree as Thalia squeezes my hand reassuringly. I’m lucky to have her in my life.

“Have you found a new place to live yet?” Mrs. Lewis asks, redirecting the conversation into a slightly less awkward one. I’d prefer talking about where I’m going to live as opposed to how I almost married the wrong woman.

“My realtor and I found a house in a neighborhood near the stadium. It has a decent sized backyard, which will be nice for Zeus, but the rest of it is nice enough,” I say, causing Thalia to scoff.

“Men. Mom, the house is beautiful: marble countertops, high ceilings, and don’t even get me started on all the natural lighting from the windows. Bash only picked it because it’s close to the stadium, and is in a gated community.”

“Well, the deal on the house in our neighborhood was almost closed when you backed out. You could have lived there until you found something different,” Blake adds from across the table, and I resist the urge to make a face. I had zero interest in that house beyond making the wrong woman happy.

“I hated the house. I only put an offer in on it because Kiera loved it.”

“All I’m trying to say is it would be better than the hotel room you’ve been staying in,” she continues as Thalia tries to hide her laughter by taking a sip of water. I’ve definitelynotbeen staying in the hotel room I’m paying for.

I’m trying to maintain some boundaries, but realistically, I’m staying at Thalia’s every night. It’s not that I’m afraid tobe alone. I’ve spent plenty of time alone and plenty of time feeling alone while I was with Kiera.

I am afraid to be without Thalia. Ever since her nightmare after the incident at the bar, I’ve been trying to keep a closer eye on her. She’s good at putting up a front, and there’s been a lot of changes recently.

I love being the one who gets to fall asleep holding her, and how we can resume our secret conversations in the dark when her insomnia keeps her awake, or vice versa. I even like having Zeus sleep with us, despite telling her it drives me nuts.

“Lia, why don’t you bring Henry to the stadium tomorrow? He can sit in on a practice, and decide if he still wants to be a football player,” I suggest, rapidly changing the subject. Owen catches my drift, probably not wanting to discuss my current living arrangements any more than I do.

“I think that’s a great idea. What do you think, Thalia?”

She smiles brightly at the idea, and I’m momentarily stunned by how beautiful and happy Thalia looks. Her green eyes are bright as she makes eye contact with me, and my heart races. “I think that sounds perfect.”

~

“Do you have to go?” I grumble, watching her pack more clothes into her duffle bag.

“I do.”

“I don’t want you to go.”

“Really? I had no idea. Grow a pair, Sebastian, and deal with it. I’ll be back in a few days.” She rolls her eyes, having been in a mood ever since she dropped off Henry back at Chris’s.

“I know that, but am I not allowed to miss you?”

“I’m not gone yet, so there’s nothing to miss. Besides, you spent years with another woman, so I think a few days by yourself won’t be a problem,” she teases. I know she didn’t mean it that way, but I also don’t find it amusing to joke about Kiera.

I’m not sure what’s going on right now, but like it or not, we’re going to talk about it now before she’s gone. It took too damn long for things to be right in my life to let shit fester. “Okay, what happened with Chris when you dropped Henry off?”

She glances up at me, her wry smile gone. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that you’ve been in a mood since you got back from his place. So what happened, because something obviously did?”

Thalia shakes her head, her hands faltering as she refolds a shirt. “I’m not in a mood. If you want me in one, then I can think of some way you’ve pissed me off recently.”

Bullshit. I’m not stupid.

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