His brows curve. “Ooor…my two nephews.”
“Why not two nieces?”
“Two nieces will mean I have to kill a profound number of teenage boys, and I’d prefer tonotdo that since it’ll pave my way to hell so much faster.”
Our laughs fill the hall, and I welcome the comfort of it—a short reprieve from the bone-crushing anguish I’ve been living with. We walk into the room prepared with all the equipment needed, still laughing, and I stop when I see him.
“Alexius,” I whisper. The stark white of the room sharpens the color of his eyes, highlighting the cerulean blue ring around his sapphire irises. My heart stops when our gazes meet, unable to beat as I take in the sight of him. With his hard, chiseled face and dark hair, he has a look that’s effortlessly sexy, and I don’t know how it’s possible, but he’s more striking than I remember. Regal. Powerful. Majestic. A force to be reckoned with and a man who commands without saying a single word.
“Alexius,” I whisper.
He’s standing at the back of the room, his stance wide and hands tucked in his slate gray pants. The fabric of his crisp white dress shirt flows over his shoulders, hugging the contour of his body, the collar unbuttoned, and sleeves rolled up mid-arm. Thick veins rim his arms, the muscles roped and defined.
I’m the girl at the diner again, seeing Alexius Del Rossa for the first time—experiencing the demand of his presence for the first time, and it makes me shift from one leg to the other.
Alexius lifts his chin, his full lips pulled in a thin line. “You can leave, brother.”
“Oh, he was just…I didn’t know.” Oh, God. “Um, I just…we didn’t think you’d be here.”
He’s still looking at Isaia. “Leave. Now.”
Isaia turns to me, his pointed stare a loud, direct question, and I simply nod, letting him know it’s okay, after which he leaves without sparing his brother a single glance.
The door closes, and Alexius moves. The soft rustle of his shirt and the weight of his footsteps is intimidating but familiar, and it gives me a trickle of hope.
I can feel the heat of his eyes on me as he comes closer, his presence a powerful charge that, to some, is heavy and cold, but to me, it’s warm and inviting, making me lean into it, wanting it to envelop me.
My heartbeat echoes in my ears, and I hold my breath as he takes another step. I can smell him—the wild spice of his cologne mixed with a scent uniquely him. I miss having it on me. I want it to steal my air, so he’s the only thing I breathe.
“Are you okay?” The tenor of his voice has me taking a sharp inhale.
“No.” I swallow. “Where have you been?”
He squares his shoulders, leveling me with a confident stare. “I’ve been taking care of a few things.”
“Things you can’t take care of while you’re here?”
“I’m here now.”
“That’s not—”
“Mr. and Mrs. Del Rossa,” the doctor greets as he walks in. “Sorry to have you waiting. I had an urgent phone call.”
Alexius presses his lips together, and when he severs the connection by looking away, I want to cry. “Doctor, I pay you a fuckton of money to take care of the mother of my children and to be available to us twenty-four-fucking-seven. So I’d appreciate it that whenever you’re here, you pretend like you have no goddamn life out there. Understood?”
A sheen of sweat gathers above the doctor’s mustache. “I do apologize, Mr. Del Rossa. It won’t happen again.”
“Good.” Alexius moves to stand on the other side of the examination table and looks my way. “I’d like to see my children now.”
His jaw has a tic, and hard lines crease his features. And while our eyes remain locked, there’s only one thought trapped inside my head…
He didn’t refer to me as his wife, and he always refers to me as his wife.
ChapterThirteen
LEANDRA
There are no words to describe what I’m feeling. My heart is full even though it’s bleeding. How is that possible? How can I feel complete and torn at the same time? I have no idea, but I’m looking at the monitor, and I see two tiny figures so clearly, and I can hear their heartbeats. It’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. With each thump, the broken pieces of me slip back in place. The gaping hole I’ve felt for weeks narrows, and the void dwindles, and I haven’t felt this whole in so long. It’s almost…magical.