Page 88 of Fool Me Twice

“Oh, Sebastián.” Georgia wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

“You’re fun,” he said. “You always play with me and listen to me.”

She kissed the top of his head. “I try.” Taking his hands, she looked him in the eye. “I can’t be your mother, but I can be your friend.”

I held back the urge to ask Georgia to make everything official right then and there.Marry me, Georgia. Be my wife and Sebastián’s mother.

I had a lot of damage control to do before we got to that point, though—if we ever got there. While I was still head over heels in love with Georgia, her current feelings about me were yet to be determined.

“I love you, Sebastián,” she said.

“And I love you.” I poked him lightly. “I’m sorry for not telling you the truth from the start.”

Over his head, I caught Georgia’s eye. “Really, really sorry,” I added, my gaze locked with hers.

“It’s okay,” Sebastián said. “Apologies make everything better. Now I know you weren’t trying to hurt me.”

“Exactly. And I’ll do better from now on. Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you all about your birth parents and the life you had before you lived with me.”

His face lit up. “Really?”

“Absolutely.” I stretched my arms to the sky. “How about we start with a talk over breakfast?”

“Pancakes?” he asked hopefully.

I grinned. “Yes. It’s still pancakes.”

CHAPTER26

GEORGIA

Standing at my bedroom window in Rodrigo’s house, I gazed at the city lights. Almost seven million people were out there, going about their daily lives, surviving and doing what they needed to in order to get through each day.

And, somehow, out of those seven million, Rodrigo and I had bumped into each other. Not just once, but twice.

What if we’d never met? Would I be able to find the same kind of connection with someone else?

My intuition told me no. There was no one else in the world exactly like Rodrigo, and there could never be a situation exactly like the one we’d lived through.

Don’t get me wrong. The man drove me crazy sometimes. More than once, I’d wondered if I ever should have accepted the job and returned to Rio.

Just when I felt like giving up on him, though, he came through. He proved his dedication to his son. Proved his love and devotion.

If that didn’t mean something, then I didn’t know what did.

Turning away from the window, I walked through the house. It was another sleepless night, though thankfully Sebastián had gone to bed without any fuss.

My heart was full. Confused.

At this point, I loved Sebastián so much that I couldn’t imagine living without seeing him. As for Rodrigo…

The same held true. I’d developed such an attachment to him, breaking it would be agony.

But maybe it would be for the best. Rodrigo had promised to do better, to be more honest, but what did that mean for our personal relationship? Was he someone I could count on as a boyfriend? As a partner?

I was terribly afraid of being let down, and I needed to take action. I needed answers.

Unsurprisingly, I found myself in front of his room. Just like the other night, the door was open and he was on his balcony. This time, though, I suspected the open door was intentional. He’d been hoping I would stop by.

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