Page 411 of Dark Love

All of this is wrong. I shouldn’t be sitting on a cloud next to the most beautiful woman in the world. A monster like me doesn’t deserve her.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.” She sets one of her small little hands on my forearm.

That’s why I’ll never let her go. A good man would have walked away and left her to live a beautiful life with someone else. “Why aren’t you afraid of me?”

Dahlia shrugs. “Regardless of what anyone else sees when they look at you, I see a hero. A good man hiding beneath a veneer.”

“I’m not a good man.”

“What would you call a man who took care of me when I didn’t feel well? A man that made me tea? A man that watched chick flicks with me?”

“Determined.”

Her laugh is just as sweet.

Something about it draws the truth out of me. “No. I don’t enjoy what I have to do sometimes, but that doesn’t stop me from doing what needs to be done.”

Her hand reflexively squeezes my arm. “Then why don’t you stop—”

The doorbell rings.

She jumps a little.

“Are you expecting someone?” I’m half off the bed before the ringing stops.

“No. I was planning to spend the day wallowing in bed, feeling sorry for myself.”

There is no way I’m ever leaving her alone when she’s in pain. “Are you glad those plans changed?”

Dahlia’s eyes move to the bed, then up to mine. “Yes. These garlic knots are better than anything I had planned.” She winks.

Whoever is at the door will be leaving immediately. I move towards the stairs.

“Wait. What if it’s my mother?” She hops out of bed.

This isn’t the way I want to meet her parents. I mentally shake my head. There’s no way Dahlia is ever going to introduce me to them. Whatever this is, it isn’t ever going to be something normal. “Does your mother just randomly show up?”

“Not today.” Dahlia shakes her head. “She has a chiropractor appointment. My dad always goes with her to those.”

“Then climb back into bed. I’ll take care of the door.”

“Vex, it’s my door.”

“And you don’t feel well. Go rest.” I take the stairs two at a time as the bell rings again. Like we didn’t hear it the first time. Though Dahlia doesn’t have the best security system, she has several decent locks on the door. She needs a better security system. One that lets me know if something happens. Not that she’s in any danger living on this street, but you can’t be too safe.

After twisting and turning several locks, I yank the door open to find a man standing in front of me. “What do you want?”

“Oh sorry. I must have gotten the address wrong.”

Is the confusion on his face real or feigned? “Who were you looking for?” Like I know any of the neighbors.

Movement across the street draws my eyes to where Max Vincenti is leaning against a lamppost watching the door. This guy was let through, but they don’t know him.

“Prue.”

My body goes tight. Why is this guy calling my Dahlia by a nickname?

“Sorry, Dahlia Fleur. I must have transposed one of the numbers. Do you know which house she lives at?”

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