Page 101 of Unsure in Love

I had to apologize and make things right.

37

DAMIAN

I watched Cass move around the kitchen of her secret house. She told me about the extra money she’d had from selling her paintings years ago and was able to afford the place. She said she needed somewhere quiet to work on her paintings.

The living and dining rooms were lined with canvases. Most of them were covered so I didn’t get to see any of her work. As she made us hot chocolate, my attention was split between her and checking the place out.

Of course, I was horrified by the lack of security. “Do you know that anyone can pick the lock on your backdoor with just the flick of a wrist? And why is there no alarm system? It’s in the middle of the woods. First thing tomorrow, I’m going to—”

“Damian.” She stopped and turned to me. “Can you get out of security specialist mode for a few minutes?”

Holding up both hands, I said, “Of course. It’s a habit.”

She smiled. “I know.”

“How are you doing after the ordeal with your sisters?”

Placing a steaming mug in front of me, she shrugged. “Not great but I don’t want to talk about that.”

My gaze snapped to her face as she settled on the chair beside me. “Okay.”

We were quiet for a while, indulging in the hot beverage. I stared out the window into the backyard that led into the woods.

“How did you find me?” she asked.

“I have the resources to find anyone, sweetness. All I had to do was conduct a little cyber investigation to find this property in your name. Of course, that was after tracking your cell’s location. Discovering it was near your apartment with you nowhere in sight almost gave me a heart attack, by the way.”

Because of my job and the things I’d seen over time, my mind had instantly gone to the worst possible scenario. I massaged the bridge of my nose as I relived the horror of thinking something awful had happened to the woman I loved and our unborn child.

“Again, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’d planned to head home tomorrow because I didn’t want this to happen. For you to call and not get me, I mean. I didn’t think my family would notice I was gone either considering they were so upset when I left Lucy’s and Nic’s.”

My heart constricted at the forlorn note of her voice. Cassandra Bennet was always so tough on the outside, but she had such an incredibly sensitive and vulnerable soul. “I wish I could have been here for you when you broke the news about Henry.”

She gave me a sad smile. “Me too but I had to do it alone. I missed you.”

Since communication between us has been scarce… and awkward lately, I was caught off guard by her admission. “So, you finally told Nic about us… I mean, that we’re…” My eyebrows furrowed.

She sighed. “It's my fault you don’t even know what to label our relationship. There’s an us, Damian.”

I gazed at her, not sure what to say. The last thing I wanted to do was say the wrong thing and scare her off.

Cass pulled her chair closer to mine. “You called me your love earlier.”

I shrugged. “Of course. Just because you’ve pretty much avoided talking to me for weeks doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

Her cheeks turned pink as her lashes lowered to hide her eyes. “I’m so sorry about that.” After a few beats, she looked me in the eyes. “I meant it when I told you I love you, but I’m still scared. I’ve never felt this way about anyone… I never wanted to. I’m still so terrified of what might happen if…”

“I know. I get it, Cassandra. I get you.”

“What if I ruin things between us again? One of my biggest fears is turning out like my mother. What if I do to you what she did to Dad? I know he’s no gem, but Mom wasn’t innocent either. I think she frustrated Dad to the point of—”

I pressed a finger to her lips. “That’s not us, and it will never be. I love you, and you love me. That’s all we need right now.” Still, the fear gleamed in her eyes. What could I tell her to boost her confidence in us? Better yet, in herself because she seemed hellbent on holding on to the idea that she’d mess up.

I took her hand and planted a kiss on it. “What else makes you think something will go wrong? I know it’s more than just your parents. Talk to me, Cass.”

Her gaze fell away from mine, but she didn’t shut down as I had feared. “It isn’t just about my parents.” She shrugged. “When it comes down to it, it's mostly me.” Our eyes locked again, and she kept going.

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