Funny.
Dad:
How is Zara?
Me:
She seems good, really good.
Dad:
Good.
I switch my phone off and lean my head against the back of the sofa, closing my eyes briefly. When I open them again, I find Zara’s mum watching me.
“She’s in the shower. How is she doing? Be honest with me, Ares. I know she tells you more than she’ll tell me.”
“Honestly? I actually think she’s good. She seems… happier, lighter, and she’s smiling a hell of a lot more than she used to.”
“I’m vouching for you, against my husband, Ares. Don’t disappoint me. And don’t break her heart. Because if you do, I really think I will lose her and I can’t lose my daughter. Despitewhat you might think, we love her and nothing matters more than her happiness to me and her father.”
“I won’t break her heart,” I tell Mrs McKinley. I have every intention of making sure Zara’s heart continues to beat until she’s old and grey. I won’t be the reason she loses herself.
Chapter Thirty-Five
The moment I walk into Ares’s room, I drop my bag on the floor and run over to his bed, jumping on him like a monkey. My legs wrap around his waist, my arms around his neck.
“I missed you,” I whisper right before my lips fuse with his.
“Probably not as much as I missed you,” he says.
“You do know you two saw each other less than twelve hours ago. You need help, both of you.” Cara’s voice has me pulling my mouth away from Ares, reluctantly.
“Twelve hours can be a really long time,” I tell her.
“It’sreallynot.” She smirks at me.
“Is there a reason you’re in here?” Ares asks. I can feel his cock hardening underneath me. Damn, I wish we weren’t interrupted.
I’ve been home for a month now and have had mostly good days. I still have moments of self-doubt and sadness, but it helps to be able to talk to Pepper, and I’ve also been receiving house visits from Dr Finn.
“Yeah, you got an Amazon delivery. Box is in the foyer,” Cara says.
Ares stands up, with me still sitting on him. Then he turns around and drops me onto the bed. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” He runs out of the room, leaving me with his sister, both of us staring after him.
“What did he order that’s so important he has to run off to get it?” Cara looks to me.
“No idea.” I shrug. “Shouldn’t you be at school?”
“I should be, but I gave myself a sick day,” she says.
“Are you okay?”
“Yep, can you keep a secret?”
“Depends. Is it something I have to keep from Ares? If so, then probably not, to be honest.”
“I met someone I really like, but I can’t tell if he likes me or hates me so I’m going to drop by his place of business and find out for sure today,” Cara whispers. “Ares does not need to know yet.”
