Page 55 of Taken By the Fake Fiancé

Eli grits his teeth.

"You tricked me into trusting you so you could lie to me about your relationship with my dad! Mom said he's--"

I step out of the shadow and soothingly put my hands on Eli's arms.

"That's okay, Buddy. Go to your room. I'll tell Angelina to bring you a tray."

Without uttering a single word or sparing me a glance, he makes his way to the door and walks through it, his shoulders sagging so low as if he's defeated.

"I won twice and was just about to start the next game. Do you think he'll let me play again?"

"Possibly."

She smiles sadly, the expression breaks my heart. I tug her up gently, wrap my arms around her, and bury my face in her neck. She sighs and relaxes against me.

"I'm sorry, Felicity."

She chuckles. The sound is muffled since her face is buried in my chest.

"He's just scared, Declan. I feel bad about putting him through this. I hate to see him so-- broken."

Me too.

"He'll come around. Let's give him time."

She raises her head. Her expression appears like she wants to argue my words, but then she nods and nestles against me again, her breath fanning my chin.

"Okay," she whispers, like a prayer, a plea.

When I hear footsteps outside the door, I pull away, but not before placing a lingering kiss on Felicity's hair.

Angelina appears at the door. She retreats when she sees Felicity and me.

"We're just about to leave, Angelina. Come on out."

I turn to Felicity with a charming grin.

"Let's go for a ride. I need to clear my head and I'll appreciate your company."

She casts a skeptical glance at me. But unfortunately, Angelina's interruption prompts her to swallow her protest, making her reluctantly say, "Okay."

Angelina is in the kitchen, rinsing a glass as I make my way to the stairs. She flashes me a smile, but there's no hiding the concern in the depth of her blue eyes. I exhale and stop outside the kitchen door.

"It's 1 a.m., Angelina. What do you want to talk about?"

She chews her bottom lip. At twenty-seven, Angelina possesses a motherly warmth even though she's no children of her own. Her physical appearance may not conform to the stereotypical ideal of beauty, but there's no denying that she's attractive in her own right.

She wipes her hands on the towel and then turns to face me fully.

"It's Eli. He was up until an hour ago. I had to read a book from his favorite series to him like he was 5 years old to put him to sleep. I'm worried, Mr. Gray."

I walk into the kitchen and lean on the polished counter. The day's events was becoming hazy while I was with Felicity. But now, it's tumbling around my mind again, making it hard for me to breathe.

First, Angelina and I were in this room at this hour. It was about Eli. The first two weeks without his mom in the house were crazy. He threw tantrums. He became sick, he hated what we did. It took him a while to accept the idea that his mother and I were no longer together. And now, he's acting up because he's scared I'll abandon him?

"What did he say?"

She lifts a brow.

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