I exit the text thread without answering.
Footsteps on the stairs. I look up expecting Neli.
It’s Jag instead. His expression is carefully neutralbut I’ve spent enough time around Marco’s security to read the signs.
Something’s wrong.
“He wants to see Ben,” Jag says. “Just Ben. For a few minutes.”
Just Ben.
Not me. Just his daughter.
“Okay.” I stand. Brush off my jeans even though there’s nothing to brush off. “I’ll get her.”
Jag nods. Doesn’t move from his post at the top of the stairs.
When you realize the security team is now also functioning as emotional bodyguards keeping you away from the man you’re in love with.
I find Ben in the kitchen. She’s sitting at the island watching Rosa make something that smells amazing. My stomach reminds me I haven’t eaten since this morning.
“Hey,piccola,” I say. “Your daddy wants to see you.”
Her face lights up. First genuine smile I’ve seen in days.
She slides off the stool. Frederick comes with her obviously. They’re basically attached at this point.
She pauses at the hallway entrance when she realizes I’m not going with her. “You’re not coming, too?”
“He just wants to see you,” I explain gently. “He’s still pretty tired.”
The smile dims but doesn’t disappear completely. “Oh. Okay.”
Jag escorts her upstairs. I watch them go. Watch the door to Marco’s room open just enough for a small body to slip through.
Thenit closes.
And I’m standing there like an idiot wondering what the hell I’m doing here.
Twenty minutes pass. Maybe thirty. I lose track.
When Ben finally emerges, her face is blotchy. She’s been crying.
My heart cracks straight down the middle.
She doesn’t say anything. Just comes down the stairs and wraps her arms around my waist. Buries her face in my stomach.
I hold her. Stroke her hair. Count breaths with her like we’ve practiced a thousand times.
One. Two. Three.
When she’s calmer I kneel down. “You okay?”
She shakes her head. Tears still streaming. “I saw... Neli took off... I saw his face...”
I hug her tighter. “Was it scary? Seeing his face?”
A nod this time.
