Page 77 of Almost

I let go of Henry’s hand, closing the distance between me and Bash to jump into his arms, wrapping my legs around his trim waist. I don’t hesitate pressing my lips against his as he holds me up. “Thank fucking god,” I whisper against his mouth before kissing him again.

Oh shit,Henry. Fuck. I pull away, keeping my arms looped around his neck as I reluctantly unwind myself from Sebastian, planting my feet on the ground. Bash’s eyes flicker to Henry as slow clapping starts from the front entrance.

“Really? In front of Henry? You’re such a great babysitter, Thalia,” Chris muses sarcastically, and Henry yells happily.

“Daddy!”

“In my defense, it was only for a couple seconds before I remembered I’m babysitting,” I try to defend myself, but I know it’s a weak attempt. What are the odds that Bash shows up today of all days, and then Chris is here to witness our moment while I’m watching Henry.

Sebastian shifts awkwardly next to me, and it dawns on me that they might not have spoken since their argument a few months ago. Between Chris and the divorce, and Bash with training camp plus all the Kiera shit, there’s been a lot going on. He lifts his arm to scratch the back of his neck, and my mind squirrels to zero in on the tight fit of his shirt. He definitely has more muscles. Hell, I didn’t think that was possible. Is it possible for muscles to grow muscles?

“If you’re done ogling him like a piece of meat, I’d like to talk to you about something, Lia,” Chris says, and I canfeel my cheeks grow red hot. Sebastian looks down at me, smirking triumphantly.

“I wasn’t ogling Bash, I was simply observing differences from the last time I saw him.” I scoff, trying to play it off. “Whatever, let’s go talk.”

Chris kneels down to speak softly to Henry, who turns to look at Bash as if he’s walking on water. “Can he stay with you for a minute?” Chris asks, and Bash smiles warmly at Henry.

“Of course.”

Chris motions for me to follow him to the other side of the gallery as Henry leads Bash to the stack of portraits we were going through before. “So what’s up?” I ask nervously, a little afraid that he’s going to chew my ass out. It’s something he’s good at, and probably something I deserve right now.

His shoulders slump in defeat as he turns to watch Sebastian and Henry together. “I don’t know what to do, Thalia.”

“How bad?”

“She’s using him as a bargaining chip,” he admits, exhaling slowly as tears form in his eyes. “I don’t know how we got to this point.”

“Chris…I don’t even know what to say.”

He blinks rapidly, shaking his head. “There’s nothing to say. I can’t lose him, though. Henry is everything to me, but Allie knows that. She’s threatening to sue for full custody if I don’t give her what she wants.”

My heart drops to my stomach. “Can she even do that?” I ask in disbelief, but I can’t even imagine how Chris is feeling right now.

“I don’t know. My lawyer says that if it goes to trial, it’ll get ugly, so it’d be better to settle.” Chris drags a hand over his face tiredly. “The worst part is, I don’t want full custody. I want Allie to be in Henry’s life because I know what a kind and loving person she can be…but now I’m starting to wonder if I ever knew her at all.”

That might be the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever heard.

My loyalty will always lie with Chris, but I’m honestly surprised to hear that Allie would even threaten to sue for full custody of Henry. Last time I was around them, Allie acted like Henry was more of a nuisance than a child she’d want full time. Chris loves being a dad; it’s obvious just by the way he looks at his son.

“You’re a good father, Chris. He knows you love him,” I say quietly, hoping that Chris believes me.

“Thank you for watching him today,” he says after a moment, his voice thick with emotion.

“Anytime. Seriously, I love spending time with him. Please let me know if you need anything, okay?”

Chris forces a sad smile that only breaks my heart further. “Thanks, Lia. I just can’t believe it’s coming to this.”

“Me either,” I say, wrapping an arm around his back as Henry’s contagious laughter rings from the other side of the gallery. Henry is now sitting on top of Sebastian’s shoulders with a wide smile on his face.

“So I take it you’re back together?”

“I think so—pretty sure, at least.”

It feels wrong to be happy right now when his marriage is falling apart.

“For good?” he teases, and I laugh quietly. It’s a valid question, considering how many times Sebastian and I have gone back and forth.

“I think so. That’s the plan anyway.” I nod, unable to keep the smile off my face. “Is the beard gone for good?”

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