Chapter 41

FREYA

“Is Aiden my Daddy?”

Her question stunned us both. We exchanged a confused glance, unsure how she knew. After the initial shock, I managed, “Yes, Aiden is your Daddy.”

Gia mumbled a small “Oh” and looked down at her hands. A tear fell onto her lap. Rylan stared at me with a mixture of confusion and concern. I gestured for him to comfort Gia.

He gently touched her head. “Sweetheart?”

Gia looked up, though her eyes were welling with tears. “I wished you were my Daddy.” Her chin trembled. She didn’t know Aiden was her father; she just wished it were so. And she never told me. My poor baby!

Aiden sat on the couch beside her and patted his lap. “Come here.”

She hesitated for a few seconds before joining him. He positioned her so she faced him.

“Do you not love me?” Her voice quivered. Aiden wiped away her tears with his thumb.

“Of course I do, Princess. I love you so much.” His soothing, affectionate tone was one he reserved only for her.

“Then why did you leave us?” I closed my eyes, hating how small and upset she sounded. How had I not realized how much she needed her father? I’d presumptuously assumed I was enough. How could I have done that?

“Gia, baby, it was Mommy’s fault.” I gulped. “And I’m so sorry, sweetheart!”

She stared at me with furrowed brows. “What did you do, Mommy?”

Before I could answer, Aiden intervened. “Nothing. It’s not your Mommy’s fault.” He gave me a pointed, warning glance. “It was a misunderstanding, sweetie. Your mommy and I lost each other back then.”

His eyes met mine again. “But now I’ve found you.” The intensity of his words made me gasp. He clearly meant both Gia and me, and I wasn’t sure how to feel. Offended? No. Ready to jump into something with him? Also no.

“That means you’ll always stay with us,” Gia said, her voice brimming with hope. She looked to her father for reassurance.

He smiled. “Always.”

“I love you, Daddy.” She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

He hugged her back, kissing her head. “I love you too, sweetheart. I love you.”

I took the mugs to the terrace. Aiden was by the fireplace. He noticed me immediately, his eyes fixed on my face. I offered him a mug. “Hot chocolate!”

He didn’t look at the mug, only at me, with an unnerving silence. I set it down and sat beside him.

His intense gaze made me shift uncomfortably. “What?” I asked.

“What were you doing?” he finally said.

My forehead creased in confusion for a moment before I understood. I sighed. “I didn’t want her to think you abandoned her.”

“That could have been handled better, you saw that.” He muttered. I probably sounded like a broken record, but that’s what guilt does to you.

Chapter 11 (This chapter seems out of order. It should be placed after Chapter 41, or a different chapter number should be assigned. This edit assumes it should follow Chapter 41)

“And some of us thought I told you to forgive yourself, get over…” I looked up from my hot chocolate, irritated by the condescension in his words. “Yeah, well, I still feel guilty, and I can’t help it.”

His lips were drawn tight. I saw his jaw clench before he relaxed his face. “Treja. She’s a child. She won’t understand what you did and why you did it. Your confession will only leave her hurt and confused. She means everything to her. You don’t want that for her. I sure as hell don’t. You want to make things right? Start by forgiving yourself.”

Aiden was right. He knew it, and I knew it. But that didn’t mean I had to like it.

“I hate it when you’re right,” I said, surprisingly breaking the serious mood. His lips curved into the tiniest of smiles before he took a sip of hot chocolate.

“Good,” he said, and suddenly all my focus was on his lips, how his tongue darted out to lick a bit of chocolate from the corner of his mouth. I felt heat rise in my cheeks. Did the temperature actually rise that quickly? Probably not.

I needed a distraction, fast. “Earlier, that went better than I expected,” I blurted.

He looked up and nodded. “Yeah, she took the news well.”

“Turns out she already saw you as her father.”

“Well, that felt good to hear.” His mouth turned upward in a genuine smile. I realized how much this meant to him, his relationship with Gia, how much Gia meant to him.

“You’re a good father.” His eyes met mine, searching for deception. Unfortunately for him, I meant it. Since the second he met Gia, he had been the best father I could wish for my child.

He leaned back. “I do hope so.” Something told me his doubt stemmed from his relationship with his father. He never talked about them. “Still putting off that family dinner?”

I expected a glare or silence. Instead, he gave a mock smile. “On the contrary, I’ve agreed to one tomorrow night.”

“Oh wow! That’s great. You’re giving it a shot.” Even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t true. Nothing about his expression said he was enthusiastic.

He snorted. “Hold your horses. I’m getting them off my back for the next six months.”

“You’re such a warm person.”

He ignored my remark. “The thing is, you’re coming with me.”

“Sorry, what?” I squeaked.

He considered me and sighed. “I said you’re coming with me to the family dinner.”

“Fuck off!” Anger flared. Who did he think he was, giving orders?

He turned towards me. “Excuse me?”

“Why the hell do you think it’s okay to order me around? Everything’s an order with you, a declaration. You need to learn how to say ‘please’!”

“You want me to say ‘please’?” That wasn’t a question, just an observation. I didn’t know if I should answer, but the look in his eyes sent a thrill up my spine. I decided not to answer.

I addressed the other part of my concern. “And why would I go to your family dinner? It makes no sense.”

Aiden nodded thoughtfully. “My brother’s big mouth about Gia… now they want to meet my daughter. I don’t give two flying fucks about their demands, but the last thing I want is my mother showing up at my doorstep. So I agreed.”

I understood. His family. He wanted Gia to meet his family.

2:32 PM

Chapter 41 (Continued)

“I think Gia would be more comfortable if you come along. It’s going to be a new place for her,” he said, looking to me for a decision. It was surprisingly thoughtful. It made sense, but I could already smell the awkwardness from miles away. A daughter, their granddaughter, they knew nothing about for all these years, and a woman who kept them apart.

I sighed. It was going to be one hell of a dinner.