Page 129 of Toxic

I nod. "Yes, you have. But it doesn't mean it's the right choice for Sean."

"I know what the right thing for my son is, don't insinuate I don't!" she snaps.

"Whoa! I never did anything of the sort. I'm asking you to reconsider. He has talent—a lot. He's worked hard, and he needs to do this, Bridge."

"He needs to go into a ring and have his head beat in?" she fumes.

I attempt to lighten the mood. "Or he can beat another kid's head in."

"Notfunny," she enunciates through gritted teeth. I put my arm around her, but she slides out of it, jumping off the couch.

I rise as well. "No, it's not. He's a natural, and you can't protect him forever. He's almost an adult. At some point, he's going to do it. The experience he'll get now—"

"You promised me if I let him train with you that you wouldn't pressure me about this."

I sigh, scrubbing my hands over my face. I count to five in my head, attempting not to get emotional about this. "I'm not trying to pressure you."

She puts her hand on her hip. "You are. And you promised you wouldn't. Is that what you want our relationship to be? Broken promises?"

I jerk my head backward, no longer able to keep check of my thoughts. "Broken promises? You're one to talk."

"What does that mean?"

"When are we telling Fiona and Sean about us? Hmm?"

She looks toward the window, her eyebrows pinched. Tense silence fills the air.

The longer it exists, the more pissed I become. The fear inside me comes out. "You're never telling them, are you, Bridge?"

Her glistening eyes meet mine. She softly replies, "Of course I am. I just..."

"You just what?" I seethe.

Her lips tremble. "It's not straightforward, and you know it."

My months of patience wears out. All I want to do is move forward with our lives—together. I want to propose and marry her as soon as possible. I don't want to spend another night in my bed without her. Yet, none of that can happen until Fiona and Sean know about us. I fire, "What exactly isn't straightforward about it? I'm not some guy off the street. I'm a man who's always been in their life. I was there the day Fiona was born, for Christ's sake. Or did you forget that?"

Her eyes widen. "Of course I didn't!"

"But I'm still not good enough for you, am I?"

"Dante! That's not true!"

"Then let's tell the kids right now."

More deafening silence fills the air. Anxiety overpowers her face and the truth I didn't want to admit, I can no longer hide from. I can barely say the words, but I manage to state, "I can't live in a lie with you anymore."

A tear drips down her cheek. She reaches for my arm, shaking her head. "Dante, I just—"

"Then give me something, Bridget. Tell me why you kept the O'Malleys from the kids all these years."

She scrunches her face, squeezing her eyes shut. She whispers, "I can't."

"Then tell me what happened to Sean. What about his death aren't you telling anyone?"

A slight tremor courses through her body before she reaches for the wall to steady herself. She opens her eyes, pinning fear, guilt, and grief on me.

It's all I need to see. I quietly state, "You have so many secrets. You're never letting me in. Are you?"

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