Page 233 of Lovers' Dance: Vol. 2

He rubbed the back of his neck, bravely holding my hard gaze. “I’m not proud of myself.”

“You,” I took a deep breath and resisted the urge to call him a fucker. “I want my box back.”

“Yes, of course.” he agreed, notably shamed and uncertain. “I wanted to return it, but-”

“But you didn’t.” I cut him off. “It was like losing them all over again! How could you?”

Matt swallowed, his eyes dropped to my stomach. “We’ve both hurt each other,”

“You more than me.” I complained harshly. “You caused all of this because you didn’t love me enough-”

“That’s not true.” Matt growled as he reached for my hand. I shoved it behind my back and scowled at him. He sighed out loud and ran a hand through his hair. “I was wrong, I admit to being a complete arse, but I love you and I will do anything you ask of me to make this right.”

I shook my head. There was nothing he could do to erase the pain his actions had caused. Matt had never hid the fact from me that he could be a bastard, hell, it was that cutthroat trait which helped him succeed. The ability to strike where your enemy was weakest, to obliterate them before they defeated you…Matt and his family were bred on values such as those. I didn’t want that for my children. I didn’t want them growing up thinking cruelty was a valid tool in theirarsenal to navigate life.

“Madi,” Matt’s low, pained voice made my heart ache. I didn’t know if it ached for him or for me.

“I can forgive a lot of things, Matt.” I replied with a quiet intensity. “I’m standing in this hallway with you right now because I’m willing to put the past aside, to stop dwelling on the mistakes we made,” Holding his gaze, I shook my head again. “But this, I don’t know if I can forgive you for this. You deliberately kept it from me, let me believe it was lost forever, the only thing I have of them,” I needed a second to breathe past the remembered hurt.

Matt’s expression was stark and I knew exactly what was going through his mind in that moment, it was plain to see on his face.

“I’m not going to storm out of here, Matt.” I reassured him. “I’m not going to punish you by holding our children ransom, but I will never forget this. I want you to know that. Ok?”

He nodded, accepting it. “Ok. I understand.”

“Good.” I muttered. “Let’s just get this dinner thing over with.”

Matt held his hand out, a tentative but hopeful smile on his face. I stared at his hand for a while, still angry and wanting some form of retribution for all the shit he had put me through. I couldn’t take his hand, not in that moment. His hand returned to his side and his hopeful smile turned into a bitter one.

Honestly, I didn’t know if we could do this. The sudden movement within my womb reminded me of what was important. Pushing my resentment aside, I slipped my hand around his upper arm and gave him a little shrug.

“It’s not like I didn’t already know how much of a cold bastard you could be.”

Matt stiffened then we resumed walking. He kept giving me sidelong glances as we headed for the dining room. Before we entered the room and faced his family, Matt turned into me and placed a hand on the rise of my stomach.

“I will make it up to you. I promise.” he said. The frown between his eyebrows wasn’t one of anger. He was willing me to believe him, it was a determined frown.

I gently removed his hand off my stomach and said, “Let’s get through dinner.” If we could make it through this family dinner without someone ending up hospitalized, I was thinking either Adam or Grumps, then anything was possible.

CHAPTER 28

“The main thingis being there for your partner,” The woman said as she walked between the other couples. “Pain alleviation does not have to be wholly dependent on drugs. A simple massage does wonders.”

I glanced at the brunette next to me. We had a shared moment, both being without our respective partners. It was the time when the pregnant ladies were getting their backs rub. The other three couples were enjoying themselves as people in a committed relationship do. The ease, the humour, the sharp reprimands wrapped in comfortable love when accidentally jabbing your wife’s back…ha, she told him.

I gestured to the brunette, offering my services and she shrugged with a friendly grin while crawling over to my mat.

Our instructor, wait, she called herself a Nature Led Birth facilitator, Lucianna nodded in approval as the brunette and I came together. Flexing my fingers I was ready to massage the kinks out her back.

“Fiona Haskell,” Her introduction was warm.

“Madison DuMont,” As was mine.

Fiona shimmied her expensive cardigan off and I knelt behind her in preparation.

“I feel like a reject stood up on the first date.” I muttered as my fingers began to massage her shoulders.

She chuckled a bit. “Don’t worry. Last week none of our significant others made it to class.”

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