Page 87 of Redemption

“You raised one hell of a little girl,” I tell Bella.

She smiles at me. “She reminds me so much of you. Just all these little quirks. I think that’s what made it easier. I felt like I still had you.”

I pull her off her chair and into my lap. “You’ve always had my heart, Bella. Always.”

She presses her lips to mine and I grip her head, holding her as tight as I can to me. Wanting to remember the taste of her in case everything goes wrong.

We’re interrupted by my phone ringing and she pulls away, her face falling into sorrow once again.

My conversation is brief and I curse as I hang up the phone.

“I need to leave.”

“Tonight. You said you were going to leave tonight.” Her voice breaking at her words.

“Things changed.”

“Kilian, please. You promised Aria you would take her to the beach after she finished her schoolwork.”

I clench my fist. I know I promised her that. And now I have to break my daughter’s heart. “Sometimes plans change. I have an emergency.”

Bella’s face falls, turns from sorrow to anger. “And this is why we can never work, Kilian. Your job will always be tearing us apart. Why do you think I fought so hard to get out of the life I was born into? Because I didn’t want this to be my life.”

My jaw shifts as I listen to her angry words. “I made a promise to you that I would find a way for us to work.”

“Yet you can’t even keep a promise to your daughter to take her to the beach. Wait a few hours. For her.”

I glance outside and see her watching butterflies dance across flowers. “It’s not that easy.”

“It is that easy. You are choosing between her and work right now.”

“Fuck!” I scream. “I can’t do this with you right now.”

“What the hell does that mean?” she asks me as she stands from her chair so abruptly it falls backward.

I take a deep breath then step toward her, reaching for her but she moves out of my reach. “I have to leave to make this work between us. This is important. This can fix everything.”

She sighs and folds her arms across her chest. “Will it? Or just fix things until the next problem comes around?”

I close my eyes, not wanting to argue with her. “I’ll be back in two days.”

I head to our room and pack my shit while I call my pilot to have the plane ready. She doesn’t follow me in here. The Bella I know would fight for me. But it’s like she has given up. She never thought we could make this work and I am proving to her right now my job is more important. But I have no choice. I rarely have a choice.

I head back to the kitchen and find her outside with Aria.

I step onto the sunny terrace and Aria frowns when she sees the bag in my hand.

“Are you really leaving?”

I nod. “I’m sorry. I got called into work.”

“But this is our vacation.”

“I know, sweet girl.”

She sniffles and then runs up to me, wrapping her arms around me and I inhale the strawberry scent of her hair. “I know you are just my mom’s boyfriend. But I like you. And I know my mom does too. I thought maybe one day you could be my dad.”

My heart breaks at those words and I don’t miss the tears that hit Bella’s face. I squat down in front of her. “I would like that.” I run my hand through her hair. “I’m really sorry I can’t take you to the beach. But I promise I will be back soon. Can’t keep me away from you and your mom for too long.”

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