Page 89 of Ruined Wrath
“I hopeyou’re with my daddy forever.”
I freeze at Scout’s words.
I shouldn’t be listening, I know that, but I can’t move either.
The hope in Scout’s voice is enough for me to feel like someone has just forced a knife between my ribs.
Forever.
I don’t know what to think.
Fiona says something back, but her words are too quiet for me to catch.
For a second, I consider barging into his room to interrupt the moment, but what would I even say? That Scout shouldn’t get his hopes up even though the three of us just spent the last few days acting like one big happy family?
Of course, this trip put ideas in his head. Hell, it put them in mine.
I turn and head down the stairs, needing a second to think.
Though my muddled thoughts have nothing to do with the fact that my six-year-old just handed his heart to a woman I’m still trying to convince myself I can trust, and more to do with the fact that I can’t walk away from the truth.
I love that Scout loves Fiona, I really do. Watching him laugh with her these past few days, seeing the way he gravitates toward her because he feels safe, it’s more than I ever let myself hope for. And that’s exactly why it scares the shit out of me.
If Fiona betrays us again, it won’t just be me bleeding on the floor this time. It will be Scout too.
I wait at the bottom of the stairs until Scout’s door opens and closes, followed by the soft sound of Fiona’s footsteps on the carpet as she walks down the hall to her room.
I give her a few minutes before I head back up to speak with her.
Her room is dim when I walk in, the bedside lamp casting a soft glow against the walls.
Fiona looks up from where she’s perched on the edge of the bed, surprise flashing across her face.
She immediately gets to her feet. “Scout’s asleep.”
I nod, closing the door behind me. “I know.”
“Is something wrong?” She watches me carefully, like she’s waiting for me to explode.
I drag a hand down my face as I try to think of a way to bring up what I heard without turning this into a fight, because that’s not what I want.
The truth is, I’m not sure what I want to hear, but I do know that I need to be with her.
I lean against the wall and tuck my hands into my pockets. “I was outside Scout’s door. I heard what he said. About you and me.”
Fiona’s breath catches as color creeps up her neck. “Cormac, I swear, I didn’t say anything to make him?—”
I lift a hand, and she falls silent instantly. “I know you didn’t. Scout worships you all on his own. You didn’t have to push him to say anything. That much is crystal clear.”
From the look on her face, what I’m saying doesn’t seem to make her feel any better.
“I just…” she tugs at her sleeves in that way she does when she’s nervous. “I don’t ever want you thinking I would use him to get to you.”
“I don’t think that.”
But I do think about a hundred other things.
I cross the room slowly, like I’m approaching a scared animal that might bolt.
