Page 89 of Truth (Wicked Empire 2)

Twenty-One

Amethyst

“I’ll be backin a few hours to take you to the appointment,” Davit said a week later.

“It’s not necessary,” I responded as I took a sip of coffee.

“I know it’s not necessary, but I want to be there,” he said.

I nodded, but didn’t say anything.

It was still taking some time to get used to this…whatever it was.

I still didn’t have a name for it, at least not one that I dared say out loud, but we had fallen into a rhythm, a comfort, and I was reluctant to shake it up.

I had known that he was excited about the baby, but, at least in the beginning, I thought it was more about possession, ownership.

I was slowly coming to realize that it wasn’t.

Just like me, he felt a connection to our child, looked forward to meeting him and building a relationship with him.

Just thinking about it made my heart pound with happiness that I dared not express.

“And Elias wants to know if he can come by for dinner one day this week,” he said.

“Of course. Anytime,” I said.

Yet another development I certainly hadn’t expected.

My first meeting with Elias had been intense. And, in the several times I had seen him since, I realized that the intensity was always present.

But he genuinely seemed to like me, and I enjoyed watching him and Davit, a little bit jealous of the sibling bond I would never experience, but also amused.

Those two tough, dangerous men, being so normal. Older brother and younger.

“I’ll see you later,” he said.

He stopped to give me a kiss on the cheek, and I smiled as he walked out.

This could work.

I kept that thought in my head, told myself that it could, that I would do everything in my power to make sure it did.

I put on a jacket and scarf and set out for my walk.

They had gotten shorter, but I still tried to do them every day, despite the chill that was creeping into the air.

Today was no different, although rather than sitting in the park, I found a spot in a café to try to keep out of the cold.

As I sat there, the disbelief that I hadn’t quite been able to shake settled in.

This was really happening, and so far, at least, it was working.

I dared not hope, but with each day that passed, I started to believe a little bit more.

“May I get you something, ma’am?”

I looked up at the person who had approached the table, and smiled.

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