Surprise Delivery(100)

“He is,” I say, my voice harsh and bitter. “But I’m not that type of person. I don’t just up and leave when somebody pays me to leave.”

There’s a prolonged silence between us as we sit there, looking at one another. Both of us are processing all of our feelings and everything that’s been said. The tension in the air between us has mostly dissipated. Though I wouldn’t say we’re exactly back to normal, I have real hopes that we’re on our way there.

A smile crosses Duncan’s face. “Were you tempted, though?” he asks. “To take the deal?”

I let out a breath. Since we’re starting from square one and I know I need to earn back his trust, I have no choice but to be completely open and transparent with him.

“Honestly, I was, but only because when I didn’t hear from you these last few days, I was fearing the worst,” I tell him.

“And what exactly was the worst?”

“That you were lining up a legal army to take Aurora from me,” I admit. “I thought if that was happening, it might be best to take the money, skip town, and start over somewhere new.”

He nods as if he understands – and who knows? Maybe he really does.

“That’s – understandable,” he says.

I look at him, searching for some sign that will reignite that fire of hope within me completely. His face gives nothing away though. It’s cool, smooth, and neutral. There is barely a trace of emotion in his eyes. And seeing that detachment on his face hurts something inside of me – because I know I’m the cause of it.

“Are we – okay, Duncan?” I finally ask. “I mean, are we going to be okay?”

He lets out a long breath. “I want to be,” he says. “But I’m not going to lie and tell you that we will be for sure. You hurt me, Alexis. What you did cuts me deep. You broke a trust with me.”

“I know I did,” I say. “And I’m sorry. More than you’ll ever know. You will never understand just how much I wanted to tell you. How much I hate myself for not saying a word and causing all of this pain. I’m so sorry, Duncan.”

“I know you are,” he says, and his eyes lock onto mine. “I love you, Alexis. Just know that.”

“And I love you too,” I say. “And I am going to do everything I can to earn back your trust. I swear it.”

He gives me a small, warm smile. “Well, you can start by testifying against Brad,” he says and laughs.

“Testify against Brad? What do you mean?”

He fills me in on the attack and everything that happened. With his every word, my heart sinks and I grow a bit angrier. I can’t believe Brad did that. I can’t believe he could have killed Duncan because of his misplaced obsession with me. It kills me that Duncan paid the price because of me.

“How bad are you hurt?” I ask.

“Not very,” he replies. “He got me in the leg and across the torso. Superficial. I didn’t even need stitches. I’m lucky he wasn’t really into murder or I probably would be toes up right now.”

He says it with a laugh, but it only sours my mood even more. I want to kill Brad. Literally. I’m pretty sure if I had a gun in my hand, I would shoot him dead right here, right now.

“I’m so sorry, Duncan,” I say, absolutely mortified.

“It’s not your fault,” he replies. “That was just one very disturbed man. I’m just glad he fixated on me and not you, to be honest.”

“Well, whatever we need to do, I’ll do it,” I tell him. “I’ll testify. I’ll do whatever. I just want to see him locked up for a very long time.”

Duncan nods. “You and me both,” he says. “I want him out of our life permanently.”

Our life. He said our life. It’s a small thing, but it makes the hope within me explode into a roaring fire. The fact that he said our life, as opposed to any other phrase, to me, is significant. Not our lives, lived separate, but our one life that we live together. It means that he’s still picturing a future for us. And that makes me beyond happy.

Duncan stands up and closes the distance between us. He pulls me to my feet and pulls me into a tight embrace. My body melts against his as I return his hug. The warmth and sense of connection between us returns and it makes my heart swell with emotion. I fight them but can’t keep the tears from falling.

Duncan pulls back and gently cups my face, wiping away my tears with his thumb as he looks into my eyes.

“Why are you crying?” he asks softly.

I sniff loudly and scrub at my eyes with my hand. “I just – I have something so wonderful and amazing in you. In us,” I sob. “And I almost fucked it all up. I almost threw it all away because of my stupid fears.”

“They’re not stupid. Your fears are genuine, and I understand where they’re coming from,” he says, his voice gentle. “I can’t promise you anything right now, Alexis. But I want to get back to where we were. I want to put all of this behind us and move forward. Together. As a family.”

My lower lip trembles as I look up at him. “As a family?”

He nods. “As a family,” he repeats. “I’ve felt so connected to Aurora from the moment I laid eyes on her. There’s just something about her that fills some void in me I never knew existed.”