Page 58 of Devour
“I like the flowers,” I called out. She pauses, then turns back with a radiant smile that steals the breath from my chest.
“I thought I'll look good on your desk.”
“They do.”
And then she slips out the door like sunlight.
That night, I stood outside Noah’s bedroom, staring at the door. I can’t make out what’s being said, but I wait anyway—anxious,uncertain. What if he doesn’t accept me? Can I really be a good father to him?
A few minutes pass before the door opens and she steps out. When she sees me standing in the hallway, she smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes. I walk up to her, concern—tightening my chest.
“What’s wrong?” I say as I pull her into my arms.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
Ariel
“He’s mad at me.”
“You don’t know that.”
“He went to bed without asking me to read him a bedtime story. Not even a goodnight kiss.” My voice breaks. “Luca, I lied to him. He must hate me—”
“Shh… don’t say that.” He cups the back of my head, pulling me into his embrace. “He’s probably just hurting. He needs time to process it.”
His arms wrap around me in a firm, grounding hug. I press my ear to his chest, letting the steady beat of his heart calm me. He kisses the top of my head, soft and slow, and I cling to him like a lifeline.
If he hadn’t been standing here waiting for me, I would’ve fallen apart the moment I stepped out of that room. I lift my head from his chest, needing to hear the words again.
“Do you think he’ll ever trust me again?”
“With time,” Luca says, his voice steady. “He will.”
“Come. I have something to show you.”
He takes my hand and guides me down the hallway, then downstairs and through the front door. “Where are we going?” I ask.
“You’ll see.”
We walk passed the flower garden, along a pathway I’ve never taken before, the soft glow of the garden lights casting warm pools of light along the stone walkway.
The night air is cool and quiet, wrapping around us like a secret. Luca doesn’t stop until we reach a massive tree.
Its wide trunk looks ancient, gnarled with age and wisdom. The branches stretch out like open arms, thick and low-hanging, perfect for lazy afternoons and quiet hiding spots.
It’s the kind of tree you could lay a blanket beneath and lose hours watching sunlight filter through the leaves. Luca leans in close, his breath brushing against my ear.
“Do you remember?” he whispers, his voice sending a shiver down my spine—a shiver that has nothing to do with the night breeze. Thinking I’m cold, he wraps his arms tighter around me. I stare at the tree, eyes narrowing as recognition blooms.
“It looks like the tree we had our first picnic under,” I breathe. Luca presses a soft kiss to my temple.
“It’s a replica. I had it planted when I bought the house.”
My eyes narrow further as I spot the bench a few feet from the tree, worn and familiar in shape. “Even the bench,” I murmur. “You remembered?”
“Kitten,” he says, a slight smile tugging at his lips, “I remember everything about you. From the way you smile when you’re truly happy, to the way your brows crinkle when you’re thinking too hard. How you bite your lip when you’re shy… every little detail stuck with me.”
We bask in the moment in silence. The tight knot of anxiety in my chest loosens just a little. But I know this isn’t over. I don’t know if I should be trusting what I’m feeling for this new version of Luca.
