Page 38 of Lore
I mean, it’s kind of cute—he threatened them so they wouldn’t hurt my feelings. “And Lore, I appreciate you looking out for me. But if, in the future, I make something that is bad, I think I’d just prefer everyone to be honest with me.”
“Noted.” Lore sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face. He then turns to Rider and winks. “And yes, Rider. I’ll show you what we have in our gym.”
“Yay!” Rider cheers, then looks around the table. “And my mama always makes good food. She’s the best cook ever.”
“Yes!” Dove agrees, nodding her little head, her dark head of hair swaying around her.
“Yes, she is,” Lore agrees, giving me an apologetic glance.
I smirk, finding the whole thing amusing.
After dinner, Lore helps me clean up, and then he shows the kids the gym before bedtime. I’m so used to doing everything for the kids alone, so it’s really nice having him here to help. Trent was always working, so although he made more money, I was always the one who cooked, cleaned, and did everything for the kids. I never minded. I love being a mother, but having Lore help me tuck them in and read them stories feels really nice too.
And maybe even a little less lonely.
“So what did you want to talk about?” I ask him when we’re finally alone.
He leans back against the wall and studies me. We’re standing so close to each other our shoes are almost touching. “About today with Rose…”
I put my hand up to stop him. “It’s fine, Lore. I was just explaining to the girls that?—”
“That what?” he asks, raking his teeth over his lower lip.
“That this is who you are. You flirt. Women love you.” I shrug my shoulders and shift on my feet. “I think that they’re hoping for some happy ending with us, only...”
I try to look down, but he lifts my chin with his fingers. “Only what?”
“Except we aren’t going to get that,” I whisper, forcing a sad smile. “You have your dream life here, and I can see that. I don’t fit into that.”
“How do you not fit into my life?” he asks, frowning. “The old ladies love you. Some of my club brothers are trying to fucking steal you away from me. You belong here. With me. And so do Rider and Dove.”
“Lore…”
“It might seem like I’m the same man from before, Butterfly, but I’m not. I know what I want, and I’m not going to lose you again,” he declares, his voice steady and sure.
Determined.
“This was my dream life. But now the only dream I want has you in it.”
“I won’t ever share you, Lore.”
“You won’t have to. I haven’t even touched another woman since you came back into my life. And I won’t be,” he vows, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth.
“You flirt with everyone.”
“I won’t,” he promises.
“You can’t change who you are. And if we don’t work out, we don’t just have me, but we also have two little hearts that are going to be broken. I can’t do that to them.”
His thumb drags back and forth over my lips. “I told you, no matter what, I will be there for both of them. I led this life not knowing I had a child out there. Things could have been different. You can’t judge me for how I lived my life when I didn’t know, Butterfly.”
His piercing violet eyes slowly graze over my features, and a look I can only describe as yearning enters his gaze. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved, Atiana. The grass was never greener on the other side. I was just thinking with my dick and didn’t realize it until it was too late.”
“Easy for you to say now,” I mutter, not wanting to soften my heart toward him.
I have no doubt he loved every second of his choices.
Every woman he was with.
