“Yes, and you should be too. Unless meeting your daughter for the first time isn’t important to you.” She turned her head toward the window.
Damn, her dig at me hurt. She cut the fun out of our playful sparring and made it a serious game.
“Oh, it’s important to me.” I slammed my door shut. “Let’s go,” I barked at Paolo.
Isla could try to push me away, but I would never stop pursuing her. She was mine, and I wasn’t going to lose her or my baby.
No matter what she thought, Iwasfurious. It took everything in me to not drag her out of her dumpy apartment, collect my child, and throw them on my private jet to fly them to Canada.
But, like Roman and Fabio had said, I needed to stay calm. If Isla kept putting up a fight, I would fight back to get what I wanted. Although, I had a feeling it wouldn’t come to all that.
Isla still loved me. I felt it last night while I’d spooned her. Her tense muscles had relaxed against my chest, her breathing deepened and she mumbled my name in her sleep.
I was pissed at myself for hurting her. Hated how she left and stayed away because of me. Worse yet, she didn’t come to me when she was pregnant after seeing me with Courtney. It was because of me she’d been carrying the load of raising our daughter alone.
I needed to make this right. I needed myMy-laback.
We needed to talk more but there wasn’t enough time to talk about anything on the drive to Alba’s house. And… My nerves were freaking out. I had a daughter, and I was about to see her for the first time.
Would she look like me?
Would she cry if I touched her?
Would she hate me for being absent from her life?
“What are you doing?” I cut my gaze to Isla tapping on her cell phone quickly.
“Letting Alba know we’re on our way.”
“Letting her know your douchebag of an ex is with you?” I bit down on my back molars. Maybe I should’ve sat in front with Paolo, instead of in the back with Isla. I couldn’t stop looking at her and wanting to touch her.
She adjusted herself in her seat, putting her back against the door, and stared at me.
“What?” I smirked to hide the anxiety I felt.
“I don’t hate you.”
I hiked my eyebrows. “But?”
“But nothing. I don’t hate you. You’re Pippa’s father. I would never call you a douchebag or any other derogatory name.”
Fuck me. This was why I loved her. She was the kindest, most caring woman I’d ever known… next to my mom and sister. She may not hate me and might still love me, but it didn’t mean she wanted to be with me.
“I appreciate it. I’ll make it up to you for all of this.” And I meant it. I would make up for the time lost between us.
“You don’t need to. This isn’t all your fault. I intentionally kept Pippa from you. You should hateme.”
I didn’t want to have this conversation in the car where I couldn’t pull her into my arms. I reached for her hand, hoping she didn’t pull it away. She didn’t.
“I could never hate you.” It was the truth. She was a wonderful and amazing woman.
“Seriously? I moved out of SoCal after seeing you with that woman. I don’t know if I would’ve changed my mind as Pippa got older and started asking questions. But last week, even just hours before you walked into the bistro, I wasresolved to never tell you. I betrayed you, Ciro. That kind of thing isn’t something you take lightly. You’re too calm right now. It’s confusing me.”
I let go of her hand and clasped mine together.
Anger. Betrayal. Pain. It all coursed through my blood. They were valid feelings, but I wouldn’t let them consume me. I had to stay level-headed. I needed to stay focused on the bigger picture, having Isla and Pippa in my life.
In time, all would be forgotten, all forgiven, and all this would only be a blip in our lives.
