Page 128 of Losing Faith

I shake my head of my thoughts as I focus on the story I’m reading Belle, but when I look down, she’s fast asleep. I lean over to kiss her.

“I love you, princess.” I tuck her in before planting one last kiss on her nose. “My sweet girl,” I whisper to her as I kiss her cheek and force myself to leave before I carry her to my room. I’m aware I have an unhealthy attachment to my kid, but I don’t care enough to do anything about it.

Walking past Lisette’s door, I find myself stopping in front of it. I glance down and notice the light is off, but she might have a lamp on. Before I can talk myself out of it, I knock on her door.

“Yeah?”

I take that as a come-in and crack the door open slowly. Peeking my head in, she stares back at me from the bed in plaid shorts and a black sports bra.

“Hey,” I greet as I lean against the door frame.

“Hi.” She smiles over at me and my heartflutters.

“I’m not disrespectful to my mother or a momma’s boy,” I state and her smile widens.

“Thanks for the clarification.” She nods appreciatively. “Seventy-three percent of my subjects fail that test,” she teases.

A smile grows on my face at her words and I push off the door to be closer to her. “Was that what made you get weird?”

She shakes her head softly, but it’s clear she knows what I’m talking about. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s something.” I stand in front of her, and when she looks down at her phone, I tilt her chin up.

“You were going to marry her.”

I feel my brows furrow before it clicks. “I wasn’t going to marry her. My parents pushed the idea on us after she got pregnant, and she said she didn’t want to get married. I didn’t even give it much thought,” I tell her honestly, and while that sounds bad, I was more focused on becoming a dad. Skye didn’t want marriage and I never pushed it. End of story.

“But if she wanted to, you would’ve?”

I let out a defeated sigh as I lay at the foot of the bed. “I would’ve given her anything, as I wouldanyoneI love.”

“This isn’t helping your case.” She looks back at her phone and I stifle a laugh.

“You’re upset because I had a past relationship? It wasfiveyears ago and I was with her forthreeyears. She had my baby. I think it’s unrealistic for me to say I didn’t love her and never once thought about the idea of marrying her.”

She only nods and I bite back my smile as I grab her ankle. She tries to fight me off but I pull her harder until she’s in front of me.

“This jealousy act is making me think youalsoL word me.”

“Ew.” She rolls her eyes. “Ilikekissing you and it’s just becoming harder to do so when I hear you were engaged to the love of your life a few years ago.”

I bark up a laugh at her fake annoyed face. “I wasnotengaged to her. Stop making up things in that pretty head.”

“Notice how you didn’t deny she was the love of your life?”

I shake my head at her. “She wasn’t. I’m a sucker for romantics. My true love wouldn’t have ended like that or at all for that matter. It was great until it wasn’t. I moved on.” I focus on her eyes for a moment before my gaze drops to her lips. “I’m crushing on this new girl. She’s got a smart mouth on her, sarcastic as shit, and breathtakingly beautiful.”

A smile grows on her lips. “So there’stwogirls I need to look out for?” She nods. “I’m a good fighter, so you better keep these bitches hidden.”

I bite back another laugh before stealing a kiss. “Shut up.” I kiss her one more time, more firmly.

“I didn’t hear any traumatic stories,” I remind her and her eyes fall to the side.

“I’m starting to think you lied about having a negligent dad. Do you simply call me daddy because it’s a kink?”

She breaks into a laugh, andeverythingsoftens at the sound and sight.

“You couldn’t catch medeadcalling you daddy in bed.”

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