Page 45 of Ruin

“No,” he tells her, his expression softening. “I’m the best. And, when you’re the best like me, no one gets close enough to hurt you.”

Those words echo in my mind, and I believe them down to my very core.

I can’t imagine anyone ever hurting Zeus. And I don’t mean just physically.

We stayed in the park for another hour, and no one bothered Zeus for a picture again, which was good. We’re back in his car now and on our way to Landmark Diner, which is Gigi’s favorite place to eat, as she loves their pancakes.

She also seems to really like Zeus. She’s been soaking up attention all morning. He’s totally gone for her. I can see it in his eyes. But then Gigi is easy to love. She gets that trait from her father.

Watching Zeus with Gigi—something I never thought I’d see—makes me happy for her. That she finally has her father in her life even if she doesn’t exactly know yet who he is.

But there’s this permanent ache in my chest. I think it’s the what-if ache. What if Zeus had never cheated on me and dumped me? We’d have been a family. Together for all this time.

But it’s stupid to think about what-ifs. It gets you nowhere but to Sad Town.

Life happens the way it’s meant to. And I was never supposed to be with Zeus for life.

I might have thought that he was the love of my life. And I can’t deny that I still have feelings for him. He’s Gigi’s father and my first love, so I’m always going to have an emotional attachment to him. It makes sense.

But, beyond that, there’s nothing more.

Zeus and I were over a long time ago.

“This the place?” Zeus checks as he pulls into the diner’s parking lot.

“Yep. This is it.”

“Looks nice,” he comments as he parks the car in a space.

“It’s my favowite,” Gigi tells him for the tenth time.

He smiles at her in the rearview mirror.

Gigi insists on unbuckling herself. I notice Zeus doesn’t put on his ball cap this time. Maybe because it didn’t help him go unrecognized the last time.

Zeus gets out of the car, and I do the same. He opens the door for Gigi. She clambers out of the car with Princess Twilight Sparkle under her arm.

We all start to walk toward the diner. Gigi and Zeus are in front, and I’m just a little ways behind them.

“You gonna have pancakes, Zweus?” Gigi asks him.

“They make the best pancakes here, right?”

“Yep.” She nods.

“Then, I’m having pancakes.”

Then, she does something unexpected. She reaches up and takes hold of Zeus’s hand.

His step falters. I watch him as he stares down at her tiny hand in his.

His eyes swing back to me.

The look on his face slays me, and for a second, I feel like I might burst into tears.

Those striking blue eyes of his are glittering with emotion.

I give him a tremulous smile. It’s all I can manage.