Page 110 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
“I’m not asking for permission, Leila,” I said. “You raised him. You did what I should’ve been there to do. I see that. And I hate that you had to do it alone.”
She looked away. Her jaw clenched so tightly I could see the tremor in it.
“I hate that you were scared of me,” I continued. “That I made you feel like you had to protect him from me. That’s not the man I want to be. Not to you, and definitely not to him.”
I took a step forward. “And now…I just want to be there. For my son.”
I saw it in her eyes. The trepidation. The fear. She had once been excited to tell me she was pregnant. And now…she was terrified of what would happen if I stepped into our son’s life.
That realization hollowed something inside me. My wolf winced, the weight of that pain too much to bear.
“I can’t stop you, Luca. We both know that,” she said quietly. “But we’ll do this on my terms.”
I could insist that I had as much right to the child as she did. But I didn’t want to further push her away. I’d take even the glimmer of an opportunity to be with my son. And I’d rather we did it when Leila and I weren’t at loggerheads with one another.
“Tell me how you want it, Leila, and I’ll follow it to the letter. I’m not losing my chance with him.” A beat. “Or you.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Luca’s POV
Leila didn’t saya word to me the entire car ride back to the Bronx. I was surprised she didn’t protest when I offered to give her a ride, since we were both heading to her place. She just nodded and got in. Then she went quiet, her eyes fixed on the window like the passing buildings had something more interesting to offer.
When I pulled into her driveway, I half expected her to unbuckle and bolt out before I could even put the car in park. But she didn’t.
We sat there in silence for about ten seconds before she turned to me.
I had a thousand questions swirling in my mind. About her pregnancy. The birth. What he’d been like as a baby. His first steps. His first words. All the things I’d missed. She’d raised him for five years on her own. I could only imagine how tough that would have been. I wanted to hear all of it.
But I realized I might be pushing my luck already. Leila still didn’t seem particularly pleased that I knew. Even though I’d caught the unmistakable flicker of relief in her eyes—like maybe it was a burdenshe didn’t have to carry alone anymore. Like maybe it hurt her to keep him a secret, too.
After her outburst last night about how she felt five years ago, I’d felt nothing but guilt and regret threatening to swallow me whole.
Because deep down, I knew the truth.
Leila would never really cheat on me. She would never steal. And maybe, back then, a part of me knew that. But I’d been overwhelmed. Blindsided by what was in front of me. The money was traced to her account. There was that photo of that bastard in bed with her.
It all looked too…real. Too hard to ignore.
And as a rational man, I had acted on what I saw.
“You should let me do the talking,” she continued. “I wouldn’t want to overwhelm him.”
“Do you think he’ll be overwhelmed by the truth?”
There was a beat before Leila responded. “I think he’ll be very happy. He’s wanted nothing more than to meet his father.”
I smiled. “Thank you for giving me a chance here, Leila.”
She looked at me for a brief second, and without responding, she climbed out of the car and headed into the house.
I heard Ollie’s laugh the moment I stepped in—bright, infectious, and bubbling from somewhere upstairs. My chest tightened with emotion. Leila had raised a smart, happy child. All on her own. It was no small feat, and I admired her even more for that. I loved her even more for that. At the same time, I felt immense regret and guilt toward Leila. And more than ever, I felt a strong desire to protect her and my child.
“You can sit,” she gestured to the sofa. “I’ll go get Ollie. Val is babysitting him.”
I grimaced.
“What?” Leila gave me a questioning look.
