Page 49 of Best Friend's Dirty Ex

“I feel the same way. It's been so hard to give you space, to let you cope and come to terms with things. All I've wanted to do is break down your door and demand that you listen to me.” I run my hands up her arms and skim the back of my fingers up her throat before gently wrapping my fingers around the soft skin there.

She inhales, her pulse thumping against my hand as I lightly hold her, applying almost zero pressure.

“All I've wanted to do is get you back into bed.” There's a slight curve at the corners of her lips, and I gently press my thumb and index finger into the sides of her neck.

“I wanted that too.” I'm not about to lie to her. When I said I was going to tell the whole truth, I meant the words. “But that's not all I want. I want you.”

She inhales again as I speak, but I'm not done talking.

“I will give up anything or everything for you. The club, my money, my job, my company, my secrets... anything.” The part that surprises me the most is that I mean every single word. None of those things compares to her. None of them are more important than having her in my life. I would gladly give up everything if it meant that she would stay with me.

“And I want to tell you the truth about what happened between Lyla and me.”

“Shhh,” she says, kissing me again.

But I shake my head. “No, this is a secret I need to tell you before things continue any further between us.” I feel her pulse quicken under my fingers, and I gently release the pressure. Her eyes shift back and forth between mine, as if searching for the truth. Not that she needs to look, because I'll gladly give her anything she wants to know.

“Lyla doesn't have a niece.”

Her eyebrows furrow, as if she's not following what I'm saying.

Which is absolutely fine because I know it doesn't make sense. “Emma is my daughter.”

Immediately, her brow lifts. Her eyes widen, and I feel her slightly pull away from me. I let her go, well aware that her response is warranted and fair.

“She didn't tell me that she was pregnant until after the divorce. I found out because she slapped me with child support payments as part of the divorce settlement.” I can still feel the old anger welling up in me. It's muted now, or that betrayal is. The thought of everything I’ve lost, all this time... that hasn’t dulled at all.

“She wanted alimony and child support and because of a loophole in the system, she got it. Of course, she also told them that my lifestyle wouldn't mesh well with children and that I'm an abusive bastard when I drink.”

Her lips part a fraction of an inch and her brows knit together as she gives her head a slight shake. “I've been around you a lot when you've been drinking, and you've never been abusive.”

“Because I’m not. She lied.”

She seems to accept this truth.

“Did you really cheat on her?” She studies me, her gaze soft, concerned, compassionate.

I shake my head no. “She cheated on me, then realized she could get my money without my demands for fidelity and respect, and she did exactly what she wanted.”

“But she said she'd signed a prenup.”

“There's a clause in it that protects any future children and their quality of life. It was designed so that if we ever split up and had split custody that she would be required to give them the quality of care and life that they deserve. But because she lied, because she took my child from me because she claimed that I was abusive, that clause actually became a weapon.” There's something else I want to clear up so it doesn't come across the wrong way and I quickly continue. “Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that my child is taken care of, and I don't mind spending that money to take care of her - I mind that I was falsely robbed of years of her life.”

“That's how she always has money, even though she doesn't work.” I can see the realization dawning for Everly, and I nod my head.

I have no doubt that now that I've shared this, a lot of things are clicking into place in her mind.

“I'm so sorry that she did this to you.” Once again, her forehead wrinkles slightly as a confused look crosses her face. “Wait, why did you need to tell me this before we continued?”

“Because I don't like hiding that I have a child, but it’s not an easy topic to broach. You’re the only person I’ve ever told.” That realization hits me like a blow to the stomach. I've never shared this news with anyone. I've never trusted anyone enough to tell them. But I trust Everly, no matter what happens. Even if we were to split up way down the road, I imagine she'd carry the secret to the grave. And that's one of the things that I love about her; she’s loyal, kind, and fair.

“You don't owe me answers. You don't owe me anything. Even if we do get into a relationship, you are allowed to keep your secrets. I mean, obviously, not if your secret is that you're cheating on me or something like that, that's not okay.” She gently pats my cheek, her expression soft as she studies my face. “But things like this? You're allowed to have your secrets.”

I don't think anyone has ever said that to me before, and it may be the most freeing statement another human has said to me in the history of my life.

“Thank you.” I don't know how she manages to so perfectly encapsulate the human being that I want to spend my life with, but she is amazing in every possible way.

“Don't thank me. It's the truth.” There’s amusement in her smile now. “I have to admit, this is going to make our relationship a little bit more complicated.”

---