Page 58 of Black Mark's Heart

"Miss Trent has already left," Steffen announced, following me.

I frowned, "She just left him with you?" I asked, walking into the reception room.

"With me," Darius's tenor boomed across the room.

I stopped mid-step and felt my eyes widen. It had only just gone five. "What are you doing here?"

Darius raised a brow from where he lay on the floor, Jacob crawling over him while they played. "I live here."

"Yes, but..."

"Warren told me Sophie was babysitting Jacob today. I took the afternoon off to come and see my son," Darius rationalized, standing up.

I swallowed. Marshall had told me to prepare for this. "I'm sorry I'm so late. The interviews went longer than I anticipated." My jaw dropped when Jacob stood up and walked towards some of his toys. "He's walking?"

"Yes, most of the afternoon." Darius observed the look of amazement on my face. "I'm guessing that's new?"

I looked at him and wanted to hit him for not even knowing Jacob took his first steps with him. "He walked for you?"

Darius hesitated, watching my face carefully. He cleared his throat and stepped towards me. "Sophie said you are interviewing nannies?"

I nodded, putting my hand to my stomach. "I can't do this alone, and I can't keep relying on everyone to babysit so I can work," I educated him. "When number two comes, that would be asking too much."

"You got the first child support payment?" Darius asked with a frown.

"I did. Thank you. It's a very generous amount." Made more generous by the months of back pay.

"It's the right thing to do, Mora," Darius replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. There was an undercurrent in his words I understood. He hadn't forgotten I'd hidden his son from him. He was still angry with me. "Will you stay for dinner?"

I hadn't expected the invitation. "You know I can't."

Darius's eyes turned hard. "Do you have a previous engagement?"

"No," I answered bluntly. "Are you still a member of the Fehu?" I asked, letting a little of my anger seep through. Darius pressed his lips together in restraint. My face softened. "That's why I can't stay, Dare. You know that."

I went to walk past Darius to collect Jacob and his stuff. Darius grabbed me around the waist, pulling me to him and kissing me deeply. I pulled back from the kiss almost instantly.

"I miss you," Darius growled.

"You chose this," I whimpered. "Twice now that you have walked away from me, Dare. I can't do this again with you. I'm not that strong."

I slid out of his embrace, kneeling to pack away Jacob's things. I put the bag over my shoulder and picked Jacob up. I turned to leave and saw Darius still standing there watching me, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.

I cleared my throat. "We should discuss custody arrangements," I instigated the conversation. Darius's brows lifted with surprise. I soldiered on. "Did you want every other weekend or were you thinking more often?"

Darius looked dumbfounded. "I wasn't..." He shut his mouth and scrubbed at his face for a moment. When he dropped his hands, there was almost fear in his eyes. "Could I have Sundays? It's the day least likely to have work for me. I can drop him home on the way to the gym on Monday mornings."

I opened my mouth to speak, and Darius cut me off.

"Or I can skip the gym in the morning if that is too early for you?" Darius rushed on.

I waited to ensure he wasn't going to interrupt again. "You'll need a car seat installed."

"Of course," Darius braved a small smile.

"You could probably get Zander's off him, since he's not using it anymore."

"Zander had a car seat for Jacob?" Darius asked, confused.

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