Page 54 of Hidden By His Side

“Even Sebastian,” Summer continued. “You could have let him figure things out on his own, but you brought him in.”

“He’s an asset, Summer. They all are. They’re useful, that’s all. I wouldn’t keep them around if they weren’t.”

She snorted. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“A child is different,” he said.

“I watched you with Diego’s daughter yesterday. You took such good care of her. You never yelled at her once.”

Ramiro shuddered. “I was terrified the whole time. She’s still so small.” A baby would be even smaller.

“You might not have liked it, but you still did your best.” Summer’s hand stroked his chest. He didn’t think she even realized she was doing it.

“I had no idea what I was doing,” he admitted. “The baby stage will be even worse. They’re so fragile.” He couldn’t picture holding one.

Her smile faded, her hand stilling. “You’re right. Babies are fragile and needy and completely reliant on the people taking care of them. They need someone who would be good at that, at taking care of them.”

Ramiro thought about his own parents. “They might need that, but that’s not how the world works. There are a lot of shitty parents out there.” His eyes focused on the precious woman in front of him. She bit her lip.

“Exactly,” she mumbled. Her hand lifted from him to hover over her stomach. He still hadn’t seen her touch it. “I don’t need to add one more.”

Ramiro’s chest ached as he watched her chin lift.

“This baby would be better off without someone like me taking care of it,” she said.

“Someone like you?” he asked, his breath trapping in his lungs afterward.

“Selfish,” she whispered. “I’m so damn selfish. All I think about is myself.”

“You’re wrong,” he said, frustrated when she was already shaking her head.

“I’m needy, Ramiro. You already know how needy I can be.”

“You never ask for a goddamn thing!” he snapped. His hands gripped her shoulders, wanting to shake her. “I always have to pay attention. I don’t mind, because I like paying attention to you, but you can be hard to figure out sometimes.”

“I know.” Her hands twisted together between them, gripping so hard it must have hurt. “I make things so hard on you. I keep thinking—” She cut off, her eyes squeezing shut.

His fingers curled around her shoulders. “What? What are you thinking?”

“You’re going to get sick of me!” she yelled. Her eyes widened, her hands flying up to cover her mouth.

Ramiro gentled his grip, tugging her against him when she started to cry again.

“Not gonna happen,” he said, his voice thick and rough, but he couldn’t help that.

“It will! I know it will.” Her words were muffled, buried beneath her hands against his chest.

He sighed, kissing her hair. “I want you to ask for the world. I’ll give you every bit of it, as much as I possibly can.”

“No. I can’t.” Her hands turned, clutching at his shirt again.

He knew she believed that. When she had asked for something as a scared teenager, not because she wanted it but because she needed it to survive, her parents had turned against her. Just as she’d always feared they would.

“You know all about shitty parents, Summer.” Ramiro often regretted not killing them.

“They did what they thought was right.”

“They tore you down. They taught you to hate yourself.”

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