Page 39 of Lust and Honor

His fingers brush over the freckles scattered across my cheek before he grips my chin, forcing my gaze up to his.

His voice drops to a deadly whisper that makes the hairs on my body stand on end. “I eat all of them for breakfast, Strawberry. They’re all tiny demons running around hell, and I’m their fucking king. No one dares to cross me. No one.”

For a moment, as I stare into his pitch-black eyes, I swear I can see the flames of hell burning around him.

As if he notices the effect he has on me, he releases my chin, glances once more at Aurora, then walks out of the room.

***

Aurora’s sprawled out on her cute little blue couch, watching cartoons. I’m tidying up her room. A cozy space with cream-colored walls, blue curtains, and a ceiling dotted with stars that glow in the dark. A few white clouds hang above her bed, and a small yellow tent sits in the corner, where she tucks in her dolls to “sleep.”

I pick up her Elsa doll from the floor, and she turns her head. “Mama, Elsa needs to sleep.”

That’s my cue to put Elsa in the tent. I follow orders and carry the rest of her things to the walk-in closet, which is about the size of her old hotel room. One side is filled with Aurora’s colorful, puffy dresses; the other, stacked with toys. I glance at the row of frilly outfits Maxim’s been splurging on.

These past few weeks, he hasn’t come home once without bringing her a gift. Those little presents have slowly but surely drawn them closer. I noticed right away. It wasn’t just hard for Aurora to get used to him. For Maxim, stepping into the role of a father was a challenge too.

Even after a month, I haven’t seen him hug her, but he’s clearly trying. He’s so focused on her, it’s like I don’t even exist. From the second he walks in the door until the moment she goes to bed, his entire attention is on Aurora.

They play tea party together now, and the fact that Aurora puts Maxim in the same category as her sweet stuffed bears means she’s getting used to his affection…and his presence. She’s not shy around him anymore. Sometimes she even walks up to him on her own and pours him imaginary tea from her little plastic teapot and cups.

Maxim built her an entire playroom inside the house and even a small amusement park in the yard. Aurora went down the tiny plastic slide so many times, laughing so hard, that she eventually fell asleep from exhaustion.

He even built her a cute little playhouse in one corner of the yard with his own hands, earning himself one of Aurora’s high-pitched squeals of excitement.

I don’t have much experience with having a father. I might not know what makes a good one, but I sure as hell know what a bad one looks like, and Maxim isn’t that.

I didn’t like the idea of him being part of her life at first, but this past month has proved something I never expected: he could be a great dad. That truth has calmed my heart so much, the thought of leaving has slowly faded.

I can’t be selfish enough to take that away from her.

A man who didn’t even know he had a daughter a month ago has since flipped his whole life upside down just to make sure she’s safe and cared for.

I hear his voice calling Aurora from the bottom of the stairs. Before I can step out of the closet, she bolts past me, giggling with excitement. I smile as she carefully grabs the handrail and toddles down the carpeted stairs, one at a time, until she reaches Maxim, who’s waiting at the bottom with a grin, and his hands hidden behind his back.

She makes it to the last step and tilts her head all the way back to look up at him. “What’d you get me?”

Maxim raises an eyebrow and leans forward. “You were supposed to say hello first.”

“Hello. What’d you get me?”

He pulls out a purple teddy bear from behind his back and holds it up in front of his face. I swear, this must be the tenth bear he’s bought her.

Aurora snatches it with glee and turns to me, bouncing with excitement. “Mama, purple!”

I walk down the stairs, smiling. “What do you say?”

She hugs the bear and chirps, “Thank you, Maxim!”

It’s the first time Aurora calls Maxim by name. The spark of joy in him falters for a second, but moments later, he reaches out and gently strokes her shiny curls.

I mull over my words, then make the big call. “If you want...she can call you Dad.”

For the first time in a month, his gaze turns intense, and suddenly, my skin feels too tight. What’s wrong with my body, always pulling toward this man? Does he feel the same pull from me?

He turns, standing right in front of me. “That’s your call.”

I don’t get it. “What?”