Page 99 of Finally Forever
I spot Luc exiting the front door of the building and catch the door before it closes, with him oblivious to who I am.
I take the stairs, the only option, to the third floor and stop in front of the apartment door. My heart pounds in my chest. I remove my hat, tuck it in my back pocket, and finger comb my hair. This is crazy. I’m not meeting her dad.
I exhale and knock firmly but not aggressively on the door.
Seconds tick by, then the knob turns. The real-life version of the picture I have on my phone greets me dressed in a poodle-print pajama set.
“Can I help you?” Lowell asks in French.
“Oui,” I reply and continue in French. “I’m a friend of Ainsley’s. I’m her fiancé.”
He stiffens at Ainsley’s name and slams the door in my face.
Locks turn and snap in place. The stomping of feet signals he’s running away—or running to her. His reaction conveys she told him who I am and who I’m related to.
I wait, forcing myself to remain calm. This is a normal reaction for people who fear the mafia, and most do. I can’t get angry at this guy, as foolish as he is to think a bolted lock could keep me from entering. He thinks he’s protecting Ainsley.
Excited voices sound from inside the apartment. I cross my arms and wait for one of them to return to let me in or tell me to fuck off.
Ainsley’s voice catches my ears. “He won’t harm me. Or you. I won’t let him.”
I smirk at her assuredness. That’s my girl. Even now, she trusts me. Good sign.
“Lowell, you have to trust that I know what I’m doing,” she says from the other side of the door. The bolt clicks and the knob turns. Slowly, the door opens.
Ainsley’s puffy eyes and cheeks appear, her golden hair wild and sexy. She’s more stunning than I remembered. It feels as if I’m looking upon her for the first time in a long while.
“Morning,” I say, my breath frozen in my lungs.
For a moment, she just stares at me as if I’m a mirage. “What are you doing here?”
“I came for you. Can we please talk?”
“Why are you here?”
“For you.” I resist the urge to shove the door open and swallow her in my arms as I beg for forgiveness. I glance at her stomach, her arms protectively crossed over her midsection. Our baby is in there. “How do you feel?”
She steps back, her brows pinched. “How do you know?”
“Xavier. Then Kensington. Ainsley, I’m so sorry.”
I flex my fingers to keep from reaching for her.
She studies me, the distrust in her eyes gutting me.
“I remember.”
Her body stiffens, her skepticism giving way to a torrent of emotions scattering across her face. Disbelief, concern, sadness, relief. “What do you remember?”
“Everything. I came right here. To you. I’ll always come to you. I was a monster. I hate myself for how I treated you. I wish I could go back and take it all away. I’m here to beg for your forgiveness.”
A gasp comes from the other side of the door. Lowell? Has he been there, listening this whole time?
Her green eyes dart towards him, confirming my assumption of his whereabouts.
“I can apologize to you too, Lowell,” I say a little louder, even though it’s not necessary. Clearly, he can hear me just fine. “I’ll do whatever she wants and needs until she forgives me. I’d do it all, anyway. Nothing else matters but her.”
A squeal. “Let him in,” he says, and Ainsley opens the door for me to enter.
