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"Thought you’d be at your woman’s place."
"Woman?" Sinclair Sterling, a business associate turned friend whose home I’ve been to for dinner many times, looks between us. "You have a woman?"
"Or should I say, girl?" Knox twists his lips. Which causes the scars on his features to bunch. Combined with his larger-than-average height and a physique honed by his military stint, as well as his regular workouts, I wouldn’t like to meet him in a fight. He's one scary-looking motherfucker. No wonder he likes to keep his features hidden as much as possible.
"Girl?" Sinclair frowns. "What am I not getting here?"
"What Knox is trying to point out is that she’s younger than me."
"More than two decades younger." He smirks. "And she’s his son’s ex," he adds.
I expect Sinclair to do a double-take, but instead, he appears thoughtful. "She’s you son’s ex?"
"He stood her up at the altar."
Sinclair whistles. "I assume that means your son is no longer interested in her?"
"About that—" I shuffle my feet. “He apologized to her, and it didn’t look like she wanted anything to do with him, but it means?—"
"It means, it’s a bloody shit-show," Knox drawls.
"Why her?" Sinclair looks at me with curiosity.
"Why not her?" I growl.
When he stays silent, I sigh, then loosen the tie around my neck. My mind's not in the right place… And is not going to be until I convince her we belong together. It’s less than twenty-four hours since I met her and there hasn’t been a minute when I haven’t thought about her. I rub the back of my neck. I need her in my life.
"Quentin?"
I glance at Sinclair. "Have you ever looked at someone and realized exactly what was missing in your life? Have you seen her and known you’d do anything to be with her? To have her in your life… by any means necessary?"
Sinclair seems taken aback, then his features soften. "Like that, eh?"
Knox chortles. "No idea what you two are talking about but take it from someone who’s never felt that way and who never plans to feel that way, it seems like a load of crap."
Sinclair smirks "Don’t say that too loudly. Fate has a way of creeping up on you and pushing you to do things you swore you'd never do. "
"Not gonna happen." Knox grabs a cigar from the humidor and offers it to me. When I refuse, he shrugs, passes one to Sinclair. Then he takes one for himself, snips off the head and lights up.
Sinclair and I exchange looks. "The more confident they are, the harder they fall," he murmurs.
"What-fucking-ever. Meanwhile, I’m happy to follow along with the drama, also known as your life." He nods in my direction.
"The drama is a distraction. Nothing can change the fact that she’s mine."
Sinclair puffs on his cigar. "Does she know it? More to the point, does she accept it?"
"She will."
"And your son?"
I shake my head. “When Felix’s mother left, I knew it was my fault. I couldn’t stop her, but I told myself I’d make it up to my son. Each time I left on a tour of duty when he was a child, that was my intention, but I never made it back for more than a few days at a time.” I look down at my hands. “I assuaged my conscience by making sure my aunt was there as his caregiver, so he never lacked for the necessities. He got the best education money could buy. When I couldn’t make it to his graduation ceremony because I was leading another mission, I sent enough money to cover the celebrations for him and his friends. I told myself I’d compensate the time I didn’t spend with him, but… I never did.”
“And now?” Sinclair holds the cigar in between his fingers. The ash builds before I speak.
“Now? I’ve hurt him in a way I’m not sure our relationship will recover from. It hurts, and I know it’s wrong, and yet”—I lower my chin— “I’m compelled to push through with my decision to marry her. I've made a lot of mistakes in life, but when I met her… It feels like I've been given a second chance. And this time, I’m not making promises I can’t keep. Not to him; not to her, not to myself. This time, I’m going to reorient my life so that I can keep my word to the people who matter most to me.”
Sinclair looks like he’s about to speak, when Ryot, my other nephew, stalks in. He spots me and hatred spreads across his features. He spins around and is about to leave, but I jump up. "Stop!"
