Page 61 of Always Been You
I do.
Ines remains standing for a moment, her gaze drifting toward the voices echoing faintly from the other room. A small, almost wistful smile tugs at her lips.
“I love watching them like this,” she murmurs. “Happy. No cares, no burdens, just… living.”
There’s something in her voice—something deeper than nostalgia. A quiet longing, maybe. Or relief.
Andrei nods in agreement. “It’s a rare sight these days.” His eyes flick back to me, steady and unreadable. “Which brings us to why we brought you here.”
I straighten slightly, already sensing where this is going.
“I know you’ve loved my daughter for a long time,” he starts, his voice calm but deliberate.
I don’t react. Not outwardly. But something in my chest tightens.
Because he’s right. I have.
For longer than Lawliss even realizes.
“There’s been this tension,” he continues, “this wondering if we’d ever get our daughter back after Derrick. He was the only man she had ever been with before they married, so... He lets the words hang, leaving the weight of them between us.
I arch a brow. “Is this the part where you warn me that if I hurt your daughter, you’ll come for me?”
Andrei chuckles. “I think I miss your timidity around me. It almost feels like you’re trying to scare me when it should be the other way around.”
I smile while Ines laughs softly, walking over to him before settling onto his lap like it’s second nature.
The sight makes something tighten in my throat.
For a second I’m not here. I’m seventeen again, watching my parents do the same thing in this very room, except they were on the couch to my left. My father, rolling his eyes as my mother tried to outdo Andrei and Ines in an I love you more contest.
It had always been a competition between the two couples with questions like, who could love louder? Who could love longer? Who could prove it in ways words never could? Among others. They both went through love trials before getting married.
I blink, shaking off the memory.
“I’d kill myself before I ever hurt her,” I say, my voice quieter now. Then, swallowing thickly, I add, “But if I ever do... I’ll spend my life making it up to her a hundredfold.”
They nod, seemingly satisfied.
Andrei reaches for something, passing it to me. A painting.
“It was your father’s.”
My fingers tighten around the frame as I stare at it. Then Ines steps forward, pressing a small book into my hands with my mom's handwriting. “Happy birthday, son,” she murmurs.
I can’t hold it in anymore.
A single tear slips down my cheek before I can stop it.
Ines sees it before I even register the warmth on my skin. In a heartbeat, she’s there, pulling me into her arms, holding me the way a mother should.
And for the first time in years, I let myself be held.
After a moment, we head downstairs, slipping back into the birthday celebration as if nothing happened. The air is lighter, filled with laughter and warmth. Every so often, Lauren checks her phone, monitoring the press conference’s feedback, but for now, no one is letting the outside world intrude.
The living room is full, the TV playing softly in the background. Even Dash is here, moving effortlessly around the kitchen—apparently, that’s his favorite place to be.
Josh, nursing his drink, watches me for a beat before saying, “I’ve never seen you this relaxed in all the years I’ve known you.”
