No one listens to him, and Rosa is staring at all of us, smiling happily.
“He said paws. That must be a sign,” I whisper to Leo.
Harrison whistles the way he does when he wants Skye to come to him, but instead, she looks up and then decides to stay near me.
I smirk at his apparent agitation. “I’m the favorite now, Davenport. You better get used to it.”
He shakes his head, then kisses Rosa goodbye. “Let’s go. You two look like you’re about to pass out any second now.”
Harrison
My phone rings, and I look down to see Seb calling, and I freeze, letting the call drop off. Then it rings again.
“Can you answer that, please?” Jules grumbles next to me.
“Sorry, baby. Go back to sleep.” I kiss her forehead, then stand up and put my laptop away. It’s late anyway, and I shouldn’t be working anymore.
“Hello?” I answer and walk out of the bedroom into my office.
“Hey.” Silence hangs in the air, and I wait, letting him take the lead. “I’m sorry I didn’t come today…I was going to.”
“Why didn’t you then?”
He blows out an audible breath. “Because I’m a fucked-up person. I’m so fucked up in the head, Harrison, it’s not even funny.”
“Don’t say that,” I snap.
“It’s the goddamn truth, and we all know it. My sister died five years ago. I need to get my damn act together. The second I got home from your office that day, I threw up because I was so sick with disgust at myself after what I said to you, and still, for some reason, I couldn’t fucking apologize right away. You’re a great father, the best, and I wouldn’t want Claudina in anyone’s hands but yours.”
“I never thought you meant it, Seb.”
“That’s beside the point. The words should have never come out of my mouth.”
“You’re right, but I love you and told you I’m giving you this one pass.”
“I’m still fucking pissed you bombarded me in your office. It’s not even about the promise. Well, that’s a lie—it is, we shook on it, and you damn well know that it was never about me. It was always about Claudina’s protection. After your stalker ex went crazy, and you had to get a restraining order, I worried for all of us. We’re all targets, and that’s why you agreed, and then one day, I’m attacked by all my brothers, and suddenly I’m the piece of shit for getting mad. You should have come to me one-on-one before you started a whole fucking life with her. Claudina won’t shut up about Juliette. I know everything that goes on. You’re starting a family, and you told me last because you knew you were in the wrong.”
I lean back in my office chair and take in his words. Everything he’s saying is right, not one wrong word or thought.
“Before I get into it, I need you to know I never wanted to bombard you. Nate and Leo showed up on their own, and I asked them to leave several times.” I twirl my pen aroundanxiously, thinking of a way to convince him about Juliette, but I come up short, so I tell it to him straight. “In the five, almost six, years Claudina has been alive, I have never let anyone but family or close friends enter my home. Not one stranger, woman, or delivery person. The maintenance workers were even background-checked. I had Nate and Leo draw in a separate elevator in the blueprints for my office, so she has private access so she wouldn’t cross paths with most of my employees. Besides dropping her off from school, I normally don’t even pick her up or drop her off at activities to keep the little anonymity she has. I have always protected her from our life. You know all of this already, so you have to understand that when I met Juliette, my life flipped upside down because, all of a sudden, I wanted to let her in. I wanted to share my life with her…but I couldn’t.” I pick up a glass of water from about five days ago and chug it. “I pushed her away, Seb. This wasn’t a rash decision. I met her back in May, it’s now October, and I’d be lying if I didn’t want her from that very first day I saw her, but because I knew I couldn’t, I never got her number. I never called. I didn’t even know her full name. It was killing me. Without sounding like a complete fucking loser, the truth is my heart ached for her. Then another month went by, and there she was again. I knew I couldn’t walk away again…I was falling for her hard, and I had to figure out how to make this work. I couldn’t then, and can’t now, ever live without her. She’s going to be my wife, and I want your approval. I don’t need it…but I want it.”
“Harrison,” Seb drawls.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, and honestly, I never expected you to jump for joy. I only want you to give her a chance. No one says you need to be best friends, but do you know who she is best friends with? Claudina. They are inseparable, and Juliette loves our girl wholeheartedly.”
“I get it…I’m happy for you…”
“But?” There’s a long pause. I can practically hear him thinking. “Sebastian?”
He lowers his voice. “I’m afraid Camila will be forgotten…that she will be replaced.”
My head drops. Hearing the pain in his voice physically hurts me. How could he ever think that?
“Seb, I promise you that is not even a possibility. Camila is a huge part of our home life. I talk about her constantly. So does Mom, and I’m sure you do too. It will never happen.” I hate that he lives with these thoughts on his shoulders every day. I wish I could take some of the burden from him. I hope he’s still seeing a therapist; otherwise, I’m not sure how he lives day to day. “Listen, we’re going to take Claudina to the playground tomorrow after school. Jules has off on Mondays, and Claud has a half day. Come and meet her there. It’s informal, and you can leave whenever you want. You don’t even need to talk to her. Come and hang out with me. If you hate her or feel uncomfortable with the situation, you leave. I’ve known you since you were three. You process things differently than I do, so I’m not expecting you two to be best friends, but I’d like you to at least meet her, and then we can go from there.”
After what feels like five minutes, he says, “Yeah. Okay…I’ll be there. I can’t promise you anything. I still don’t feel good about this. But I’ll come for you and for Claud.”
“That means a lot to me, Seb. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. It’s late. Love you, brother.”
