Page 80 of The Devil

“Ok, Topolina, you win,” he says, then swallows hard, not really liking the outcome but accepting it anyway. “But remember, so have you. You deserve happiness too.”

“I know. I’m sure you two will get along fine,” I reply in a pitched voice and a slightly maniacal smile.

“Really?” he asks, having picked up on the fact that I don’t exactly sound convincing.

“Honestly? I don’t know. You two are a lot alike.”

“Amazing, intelligent, and witty?”

“More like stubborn, volatile, and brooding,” I correct him.

“That’s it, we’re doing it in the playhouse,” he says with a devilish grin and begins walking over to the old Wendy house which I put together years ago. “Come, Topolina.”

He’s already whipped off his t-shirt. Thank God I don’t have any neighbors for a good few miles.

Chapter 32

Helena

“Stop pacing, Topolina,” Lucius sighs over my anxiety, which is coming out in spades all the while I wait for Jess to come home. “And stop chewing your nails.”

“Sorry,” I mumble, not really meaning it. “This is kind of a big thing to me.”

“Really?” he says sarcastically while sitting back casually in one of my armchairs that is far too girly for his massive, masculine frame. “You’re hiding it so well!”

He’s gifted with a fake smile and a narrowing of my eyes. This is ahugedeal! The love of my life is about to meet my daughter; what if they really hate each other?

“Mom!” I hear Jess yell from the front door, and I freeze on the spot.

Initially, I look at Lucius, who merely raises an eyebrow, but then I run through the house like an excited kid to greet my girl. When I finally lay my eyes on her beautiful little face, with her hair tied up in a French braid, looking so much older than I remember her being, I grab hold of her as tight as I can.

“Mom, I can’t breathe!” she mumbles against my chest, so I reluctantly let go.

“Sorry, Baby Girl, but I’ve missed you so much!” I kiss her face all over while the sting of tears attacks my eyes. She groans over my over-the-top reaction to her homecoming, but I ignore it. This is every mom’s right and I’m not wasting a moment of it.

Before I’m done hugging my munchkin to the point of her pushing me away, I hear the sound of Lucius clearing his throat dramatically from behind me, causing Jess to step back and frown at me.

“Sorry, I thought the poor girl needed a swift rescue,” he says with a shy smile on his face. She cranes her neck to look at him more closely, her brow still scrunched up with confusion as to who this strange new man is.

“I’m Lucius,” he says as he offers his hand out to Jess. She slowly accepts it before they shake.

“Jess,” she returns confidently. An awkward silence follows before both sets of eyes fall on me for an explanation.

“Er…Jess, this is Lucius. We’ve known each other a long time and recently…well, recently…” I trail off at the same time as I begin scratching my head uncomfortably.God, I should have rehearsed this beforehand!

“Your mother is trying to explain, very badly I might add, that we are seeing each other,” he cuts in.

Jess looks stunned for a moment, so I hold my breath in anticipation of her impending reaction. She says nothing for a moment or two. Instead, she drops her things on the floor and walks over to where he is standing so she can study him more closely. She shows no sign of intimidation or fear while he stands before her, confidently and with his hands in his pockets. She narrows her eyes, and he almost immediately returns the action, making her smile with her teeth on show.

“Ok,” is all she eventually says, to which I drop my mouth open and flap my arms up in the air.

“Ok?! Is that it?” I ask, sounding completely gobsmacked.

“Ok, as in, I’mOkwith that. It’s about time you started seeing somebody else, and if he treats us better than Dad did, then I’mOkwith it.”

“Oh, my God, child! I’ve been chewing my fingers off worrying about how to tell you about it and you just say ‘Ok’? Oh, my life!”

“Don’t chew your nails, Mom,” she says before heading into the kitchen, “it’s a filthy habit.”

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