Page 9 of A Layperry's Hope
“Your daughter?”
“Yes,” Ghenie whispers.
“Who’s umm?”
Ghenie’s face morphs into something closed off. He looks terrified of my reaction. That makes my stomach sour. I don’t want to hurt him. I never want to hurt him, not ever again.
“I have been with only one person.”
The pieces are all flying through the air around my head before snapping into place all at once. Oh. Oh my god. Ghenie has only been with one person and that person was me, the night before I left.
Maribel is my daughter.
I have a daughter.
Oh my god, I think I might actually throw up. That’s going to freak Ghenie out. Fuck, keep it in, keep it together. I’m not freaking out. Not at all. Nope. I’m fine. Totally fine.
The inside of my brain feels like the equivalent to a keysmash.
“Are you well? You look pale, Christian.”
“Fine. Totally fine. Just processing.”
“Would you like to come inside?”
“Yes. No. I’m not sure. I think I might throw up. Or pass out. Maybe Druim’s arm is better than I thought and he accidentally knocked me unconscious and I’m actually on the floor in Miles’ house dreaming.”
“You dream of me often?”
“What?”
“You think you’re dreaming about me right now.”
“That’s not… I’m… fucking hell, Ghenie, don’t tease a man while he’s having a crisis!”
I let out a long breath, rubbing my face. I ignore the way my gasps are shaky and shallow. When I finally open my eyes again, Ghenie is still there, watching me carefully.
“I know this must be too much.”
“It’s not too much,” I say right away. “I’m sorry, my reaction is probably shit. It’s a lot, but it’s not too much, Ghenie, I promise.”
“Okay,” he says slowly. Then he takes a step back, opening the door wider for me. All at once, I’m back to a year ago. I’m back to when he let me in, when we gave ourselves to each other fully only for me to leave in the morning before he was awake.
I thought it would be easier that way. It wasn’t. It sucked and we were both left brokenhearted because of my actions.
In that moment, I make a promise to myself that everything will be different now. We’re both the same people but I can choose a different path. I can choose Ghenie. I can choose Maribel. I want this. I want them. I’ve put in the blood, sweat, and tears to change myself, to heal those past hurts that causedme to lash out. Do I still want to run? Hell fucking yes, I do. Will I? Not this time.
My parents left at every opportunity. Like hell am I going to do the same thing to my child. I’ve known about her existence for like a second and already I know I will devote all of my time and effort to her. I will be better than my parents before me. Nothing could keep me from her.
Stepping inside the house, I look around. Most things are the same but Ghenie has made this place his own while I was gone. Turning towards him, I give him a soft smile.
“It’s really good to be home.”
Chapter Five
Ghenie
I feel as though my head has unattached itself from my shoulders and drifted into the sky. Christian is here. Not only back on this planet but he’s here, in the home I’ve made my own. He keeps looking at Maribel, flashes of emotions playing across his features.
