But not yet. Not until this supervised bullshit ends and I can take my sons somewhere without asking permission.
The model car is nearly finished when Julian appears in the doorway. “Time,” he says.
Just the one word. Like I’m a prisoner whose visiting hours are up.
The resentment flares hot and immediate. I’m their father. These are my sons. And I’m being dismissed like hired help.
But I swallow it down because losing my temper now means losing access to them.
“Alright, boys. I have to go.”
Finn’s face falls. “Already?”
“Yeah. But I’ll be back Saturday.”
“That’s so far away.”
“It’s only three days.”
Liam carefully sets down the piece he’s holding. “Can we finish the car then?”
“Absolutely.”
They both stand up. Finn hugs me first, wrapping his arms around my waist and squeezing tight. Then Liam joins, more tentative but just as genuine.
I close my eyes and memorize this. The weight of them against me. The smell of their shampoo. The way they fit perfectly under my arms.
They pull back, and Aurelia herds them toward the kitchen, where Nadia’s waiting with snacks. I’m left alone with Julian.
“Thank you for coming,” he says. Polite. Neutral.
“They’re my sons. I don’t need thanks for seeing them.”
“You’re here on our terms. Don’t forget that.”
“How could I? You remind me every visit.”
His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t rise to it. Just gestures toward the foyer.
Aurelia is waiting in the hall. Must have left the boys with Nadia. She walks with me to the front door. We’re close in the narrow hallway. Close enough that I can smell her perfume again, see the pulse jumping in her throat.
Our eyes meet.
Neither of us speaks.
The attraction is still there. Buried under anger and resentment and years of lies, but it’s there. I can see it in the way her pupils dilate, the way her breath catches slightly when I step closer.
I want to kiss her. Want to back her against the wall and taste her again. But Julian’s watching from the other room, and this is already complicated enough.
“Saturday,” I say.
“Saturday,” she agrees.
I leave before I do something that gets me banned from seeing my sons. But the want follows me all the way to my car.
Declan’s waiting in the driver’s seat. “How’d it go?” he asks as I slide into the passenger side.
“Fine.”
