Page 90 of The Other Side of Green

I nodded, trying to lighten it up. “Yeah, well, it’s not every day you find out everything you knew was a lie.”

Her fingers wove through mine. “I’m sorry, Jack.”

“What for?” I shot her a crooked smile.

“I’m sorry for whatever has hurt you; but one thing I don’t regret is that you and I get to be together.”

“Me neither.” And this was the truth.

“Grab your jacket, it’s chilly out there,” I motioned to where her denim jacket lay on the back of a chair. “And maybe leave a note for Eva, just in case you don’t come back.”

Her gaze met mine, steady and sure, and she gave a simple nod. We both knew she wouldn’t be coming back tonight.

Chivalry could only last a certain amount of time and my attempt at it was almost over.

The Audi cruised through the streets, I figured we could go and sit at the bay and talk—less chance of us getting distracted by taking clothes off there, I hoped.

“When do you think Jensen Collins will ask for his car back?”

“Technically it’s mine.” I flashed her a grin.

“Have you heard from them? From Miriam?” Her voice tightened.

“No. I don’t think anyone has.”

“That’s strange, right?”

I shrugged and flicked the indicator to turn left. “I don’t know. It’s a pretty big thing they’ve been caught out doing.”

She didn’t say anything, and I glanced over finding her lips pressed close together.

“You know, Lyra. How do you think you would have played at the interview if I’d been around? If Luca hadn’t done what he did, if I hadn’t left. If just maybe I got to take you out on a date, be your boyfriend, take you to Prom. Would you have played differently?” I pulled the car over in a parking space and switched off the engine, turning to her and meeting her gaze.

“You know I would have.”

“I want to be all those things, Lyra. Luca made a bad decision all those years ago, and as angry as I’ve been, knowing what I know he thought at the time, I can understand it. Maybe I would have done the same for my sister.”

Her gaze remained steady. “You don’t have a sister.”

I grimaced my lips into a twisted smile. “So we thought. Turns out I do.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you everything, but first I need to know.”

“Know what?”

“If I can be those things?”

“Jack, you’ve always been those things to me. I don’t think you understand. When you left it destroyed me. And believe me I hate being weak and sounding so pathetic. But this thing between us, it’s more than liking someone, going on dates etc. It’s like… I don’t know how to describe it.”

“Like it’s out of our hands?”

“Yeah. Like it’s written somewhere and we are just playing it out.” She shot me a wide-eyed look. “Just so long as it’s not a genetic connection.”

I laughed, leaning forward and kissing the tip of her nose. “Lyra, he wasn’t my dad. Whether he’s yours I don’t know. But Phillip Lufette is my father.”

“Say what?” She smacked me in the chest, a whole lot lighter than I’d punched Phillipe the evening before.