Page 136 of Losing Faith

“Fine,” I mumble. Removing my arms from around him, I trail my eyes back to him.

He gives me a knowing look. “Be mad all you want, but don’t give me attitude.”

I don’t reply, knowing it’ll be with an attitude.

Jackson looks like he’s about to say something, but a faint cry sounds behind the door.

We both go still before we sit up.

“She had a nightmare,” he says as we climb out of bed.

“How do you know?” I quickly pull my shirt on.

“Because I know that cry.” He pulls his pants on before rushing out of the room. I almost follow after him until I remember she isn’t supposed to see me here. While I understand why we’re not telling her about us, a huge part of me wants to skip to the part where I’m healed and get to be the one to run to her when she has a nightmare.

When Jackson appears at the door, his daughter is in his arms. Her head is on his shoulder as she falls back to sleep. “I’m going to go back to bed with her,” he whispers as he nods towards his room.

“Okay.” I muster up a smile. “I’m going to go soon,” I whisper back although Belle is fast asleep.

His brows furrow, but I explain before he can protest.

“I’m going to talk to Sire.”

A smile grows on his face as he closes the distance between us. Leaning down, he plants a kiss on my forehead. When he pulls away, I lean over to look at Belle. A smile touches my lips as I wipe her tears.

“Ugh, I love her so damn much.” I take a hold of her little hand and kiss it gently.

When I glance up at Jackson, he watches me with a smile as he soothes her back. I kiss his chest before pulling him in for a hug.

“Thank you,” I mumble quietly.

He kisses my forehead before wrapping an arm around me. “For what, sweetheart?”

I smile up at him. “For choosing me.” I steal a kiss before soothing Isabelle’s curls.

I’m not used to being chosen. Not by my parents, never by men, yet Jackson wants me—not just for sex, but toloveand raise his daughter.

“I want all of my mornings to be like this, so I’m going to talk to my brother and get my shit together,” I promise him.

A proud smile touches his lips and I kiss his daughter one more time before they go back to sleep, and I collect my things.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Lisette

MyrelationshipwithSireisweird. When we were younger, it was a best friend thing with a mix of trauma bonding.

We turned to each other foreverythinguntil four years ago when he relapsed. I was being overbearing and trying to help, he said things he didn’t mean, and the last four years weresoweird for us. We stopped turning to each other when it came to our addiction, and it fucking sucked until he invited me here for breakfast and apologized.

Now I’m the one apologizing, and I don’t like being on this side of the table.

When the bell rings, I look up and Sire walks in like he owns the damn building. I roll my eyes as he flashes his boyish grin at everyone who turns their head to look at him.

“What do I have to do to bring your confidence down ten notches?”

A smirk grows on his face as he slides into the booth across from me, leaning his arm across the back of the booth. “Either cut off my arm or my dick.”

I break into a laugh and he kicks me from under the table when I get too loud. “Baseball and sex is where you get all your confidence from, huh?”

---