Page 50 of Forgotten Deeds

“That wasn’t supposed to be funny!” I huff.

“Look at you getting all jealous. So cute.” He nips playfully at my downturned bottom lip. “We met at the park, and the rest is history.”

“I like that,” I tell him, standing on my tiptoes and giving him a kiss. “I’m ready to go. But I mean it about the sweatpants.”

“Wifey’s already on my nuts about my wardrobe,” he jokes. Not his nuts, but his dick I’m concerned about—and other women ogling it.

He grabs my bag, and we walk upstairs to find Kat entertaining Iris. We’re greeted by a crewman, and Darius helps us aboard the small boat to be ferried to the mainland. I haven’t seen as much as a glimpse of the crewman who was being a little too friendly with me. Honestly, it’s for the best, because I’d be afraid of what Darius would do to the guy.

“What’s that smile for?” Kat asks me.

“Oh, nothing.” Just that red flags are turning out to be my love language after all.

We reach the mainland, and Kat parts ways with us to meet up with some childhood friends. Darius, Iris, and I explore Portara.

“This is amazing!” I’m in awe of the magnificence of Apollo’s door and the stunning view the islet offers. “What do you think?” I ask Iris.

“It’s a big door,” she says, clearly unimpressed, and Darius chuckles.

“That hurts my heart,” I say dramatically, but I guess an eighty-ton, 6th century BC archeological ruin isn’t a four-year old’s thing.

Our next stop is Naxo Town. We’re strolling through the charming stone streets, when Iris spots an ice cream shop—definitely a four-year old’s thing. “We haven’t had lunch yet,” I warn her.

“It’s a tradition in Naxos to have ice cream after visiting the Portara, as tribute to Apollo.”

“Really?” I say, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Trust the local.” Darius winks at me. “What flavor, rainbow goddess?” he asks Iris.

“Chocolate!”

“Lily?”

I give him a dubious look, but concede defeat. “Pistachio.”

He pops into the shop, and Iris asks me, “Is Darius my dad now?”

I pause, considering the best way to explain this. “Darius is your stepdad—like an extra bonus dad,” I tell her. “But your dad will always be your dad.”

“I want Darius to be my dad,” she tells me. “He likes me more than Dad does.”

Picking her up, I give her a big hug. “I’m sorry your dad’s so busy with work.” God, I hate covering for that piece of shit Harrison. I’ve turned my cell service off while we’re out of the country, so I don’t know if he ever texted me back; I can’t wait to hear his excuse this time. “I want you to know your dad loves you.” That’s only halfway true. A man like Harrison is too self-centered to love anyone other than himself. “But hey, now you have two dads. That’s pretty cool, huh?”

“I guess.”

Darius returns holding two cones. “Chocolate for the rainbow goddess,” he announces.

“Thank you!” She hops down from my arms, grabbing the cone.

“My pleasure. And pistachio.”

“Thank you. You don’t want any?” I ask him.

“Nah, I don’t eat many sweets. Well, there is one sweet thing I love to eat—”

I shove the cone at his mouth to shut him up.

His big smile is now covered in green ice cream. “Wifey, you’re going to pay for that.”

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