Page 101 of Redeem Me

Liz is in the kitchen whisking batter for pancakes. ‘Morning, kids. Nutella or syrup?’

‘Nutella!’ they both shriek, racing to the table.

Ivy heads straight for the coffee machine. Her hands tremble as she reaches for a cup.

‘Let me do that.’ I rush across the room, noticing her flinch at the sound of my voice.

‘Daddy!’ Orla and Owen exclaim, launching themselves from the table in a race to get to me. I only wish Ivy had a fraction of their enthusiasm.

I’ve well and truly fucked things up.

If only I could get her to see I’m trying to keep her, my children, and myself safe.

Ivy keeps her back to me, loads a capsule into the machine, and hits the start button. When she finally does turn around, her eyes are red-rimmed, her cheeks covered in strawberry-shaped blotches, and her eyebrows knitted together in a wariness I’ve never seen before.

‘Good morning,.’ I say cautiously. Thankfully, the kids are too engrossed in Liz’s pancake flipping to pay any attention to the tension between Ivy and me.

‘Is it?’ she scowls at me. ‘Have you had a change of heart? Finally come to your senses? Chosen life over death? Realised that neither your dead wife nor your girlfriend would want you to act so violently?’

‘I—’

I’ve been so consumed with my own desires, I hadn’t stopped to think about what Isabella would want.

But she isn’t here to stop me because they ripped her away from us. And while I’ve moved on, fallen in love again, I haven’t forgotten.

‘Spare me the bullshit,’ Ivy whispers. ‘The only reason I’m still here is because I would never walk out on your children.’As she struts towards the open French doors, the sun bounces off her blonde beach waves.

‘Ivy, please,’ I follow her outside, brushing a hand over her waist. She jerks away like she’s been shocked.

‘I gave you a choice and you chose.’ She shrugs. ‘You know what I think?’ she says in a hushed voice, swivelling to face me.

‘Tell me,’ I beg. Because while she’s talking to me, at least there’s a chance I can make her understand. If there was no hope, she wouldn’t waste her breath, would she?

She places a hand on her hip. ‘You’ve endured more than two years of the worst type of misery.’ Her expression softens a fraction. ‘And I think that now you’re so close to finally finding happiness again, you’re fighting it. Because deep down, there’s a part of you that still doesn’t feel that you deserve it.’

Her words hit my heart like a hammer.

‘I told you from the start I’m a bad man.’

‘You’re only as bad as your behaviour.’ A pained expression streaks across her face. ‘It’s not too late. Don’t do this. Choose again. We could have it all.’ She rests a palm on my chest and exhales a shaky breath. Electricity hums in the air between us.

‘We will have it all.’ I place a hand on the flat of her stomach. I want her so badly. I want a future with her. I want her to carry my babies. But I want all of that and the security of knowing that no one can take it away from me.

Her eyes fall to my hand. She pauses for a beat, the significance of what I’m offering slowly sinking in. Her eyes widen. Her chin rises and her gaze finally meets mine.

The shrill ring of my phone pierces the air and shatters the moment like a bomb detonating in a glass house.

I pluck it from my pocket. Ivy rips her hand from mychest. Pain lances her features. She takes a slow step back, shakes her head in disgust, then stalks back into the kitchen.

It’s Killian. I swipe to answer.

‘He’s awake.’

Damon has the Bentley ready for me outside the front of the house. Killian’s already spoken to him and put him on standby. After all, he might be in my service, but ultimately, Killian is his boss.

‘Ready?’ His face is grim as he opens the door for me.

My stomach churns with bile.

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