Page 219 of Vicious Temptation

Fifty-Three

remi

The room feels as though all the oxygen has been sucked out as the truth unfolds before me.

I heard the story once, years ago, about a detective who was killed and the young son he left behind. Back then, I was more interested in cars, racing, and finding new ways to be reckless than remembering the details of something that happened long before I was born.

Never could I have imagined that little boy was Thiago.

I look up at him. His eyes are glassy and rimmed with red, and he seems almost frozen beside me. Cupping his face, I brush away the tear still clinging to his cheek.

“Let’s sit down,” I say, gently taking his hand.

He doesn’t move. His attention remains fixed on Aunt Athena as she slowly approaches us with a confused Zara at her side.

“Thiago,” Aunt Athena says softly. “I still can’t believe it’s you.” Her gaze drops to our joined hands, returning to my face as realization dawns. “And you’re here with Remi.” She looks between us. “Are you two...together?”

“That’s Remi’s boyfriend, Mommy,” Zara announces before either of us can answer. “Officer Thiago.”

Of course she does.

Aunt Athena’s eyebrows lift. “Boyfriend?”

Her surprise gives way to a smile as she looks at Thiago again.

“Wow. What a small world.” Her eyes soften. “You’ve certainly grown. You look so much like your father.”

Thiago drops his gaze for a moment, his fingers tightening around mine.

“How did you know his daddy?” Zara asks.

Aunt Athena turns to Thiago, silently asking permission to answer. Taking a breath, he gives her a small nod.

“A long time ago, sweetheart, when I was only a little older than Remi is now, Thiago’s daddy was my neighbor.” Her eyes return to Thiago. “He was also a good friend.”

Thiago’s expression crumples briefly before he manages to pull it back together. Zara steps in front of him, clasping her hands together.

“Does this make us family?” she asks hopefully.

The question hangs in the air, and a small, shaky smile tugs at the corners of Thiago’s mouth.

“Princesinha, I let you do my hair. I think that makes us pretty close already.”

“Oh,” Aunt Athena says with a laugh. “I was wondering what happened there.”

Thiago lets out a soft laugh, but it fades when he looks at her again. He stares for a long moment, then closes the distance between them and pulls her into a tight embrace.

Aunt Athena wraps her arms around him just as fiercely. Nearly twenty years have passed since she last held him, back when he was still just a little boy.

“Are you okay?” I ask, working my fingers through his hair as I remove the last rubber band while he sits on the floor between my legs.

Aunt Athena and Zara left a little while ago after spending the better part of an hour with us. She wanted to know everything about Thiago’s life, his career, and what had happened to him in all the years since she last saw him. Zara, on the other hand, started calling him Uncle Thiago before they even made it out the door, which is a little silly, considering I’m not technically her aunt. But I love the friendship they’ve built, and I have no intention of correcting her.

“I am.” He lets out a slow breath. “And I’m sorry if I seemed…”

“Don’t apologize. That had to be rough. Grief has a way of finding us when we least expect it, and I can only imagine what seeing her again stirred up.”

He goes quiet for a moment, taking one of my hands and pressing a kiss to each of my knuckles. “It felt like a piece of my father walked through that door,” he says softly. “Like a part of my past found me.”