Page 57 of Let Me Love You

“You made it.” Her voice is breathy. “I thought you’d be in meetings until nighttime.”

“I’m finished for the day.” The new information I received about the intruder pops into my mind. “I found out something, but we can talk about it later.” I motion to Summer. No need to upset her.

Serenity nods once. She doesn’t have to say anything else. For once, we’re on the same page, working together.

A little hand grabs mine, and I look down into Summer’s eyes, which mirror her mother’s. “I found some glittery shoes. Do you want to see?”

“Of course. Show me the way.”

She leads me away from her mother and over to a section toward the back with dozens of pairs of shoes—ranging from sneakers to heels—and she doesn’t stop until she reaches the little girl section. One pair of tennis shoes is splattered with pink and purple glitter.

Summer picks one up and slams it down on the floor. “Look, they even light up!”

She looks up at me with a huge smile, a little dimple dipping in her right cheek. The pure joy she gets from showing me curls into my heart, and heat spreads to my chest.

I never thought I’d have a child. Not because I never wanted one but because I don’t know how a father is supposed to be. And since I work so much, I never wanted them to feel the neglect I did when I saw my nanny more than either of my parents.

My mind is made up. Work will never be more important than my family. I’ll move mountains if I have to, but they’re my priority.

“That’s the coolest. I don’t think I’ve ever owned shoes that light up.” It’s sad but true. My parents dressed me in designer clothes since I was a newborn. “Maybe I can find some, and we can match.”

She giggles. “Grown-ups don’t wear light-up shoes.”

I tap my chin. “Really? Well, that’s a bummer. I was really excited.”

“Maybe Mommy can find some online.” Summer looks to Serenity. “Can we find Bubba light-up shoes?”

Something I don’t recognize swims in her eyes. Uncertainty? Shit. I knew being a father wouldn’t be easy, but if I can’t even look at a pair of shoes correctly …

She comes over and twines her fingers with mine. My heart suddenly slows to a regular rhythm. Summer goes back to inspecting the glittery mess that is classified as sneakers, and Serenity turns to me.

“She’s really going to miss you when this is over,” Serenity whispers. Something like a tinge of sadness darkens her words.

My heart plummets. Serenity is already thinking about divorce as if it’s set in stone. Though I haven’t mentioned my proposal from earlier, even after the hotel, I can’t think of a future where Serenity and Summer aren’t part of it.

But I promised I wouldn’t push her, so all I say is, “I’ll miss her, too.”

I fully turn to face Serenity. She looks up at me. Her eyebrows scrunch together in the most beautiful way. If only I could know what’s going on inside her head. But Serenity isn’t one to open up easily, and I’m still trying to gain her trust—not force it.

She laughs softly. “I can’t believe I ever thought badly about you.”

I swear my heart stops for a few seconds as her words wrap around me. We continue to stare into each other’s eyes as if we aren’t in the middle of her best friend’s boutique. As if we aren’t two people married because of a contract. As if we’re just two people who met and are starting to really get to know the other person.

Summer’s happy squeal makes us bounce away from each other as if we were caught doing something unacceptable in public.

Clearing my throat, I say, “I’m sure I’ll do something to upset you, and then your previous assumption will be proven correct.” I bend down to look at the pile of boxes, varying sizes of the glitter shoes waiting to be picked up. “Now, what size is Summer?”

Two hours later, we walk out of the boutique with three bags. And the huge smiles on their faces make my heart soar.

Even though I don’t know where Serenity stands on our relationship, I’m going to do everything I can to keep them. These two are it for me. Even if that means coming clean to Serenity about my family’s secret.

Chapter 26

Serenity

With the growing danger and finding out a gang is connected to the break-in, I can’t settle. My mind always races to the worst-case scenario. What if they find where we are now and hurt Summer? On top of everything, Victor has become a rock for me. I seek him out without realizing it. When I catch myself doing it, I slap myself internally.

We haven’t talked about the night at the hotel, and I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse. I feel like we’re a bomb about to explode if we don’t confront it.