Page 122 of Late Nights & Love Lines
Alexei snorts beside me. “Row isn’t even sure she wants to stay, and she’s calling to check on kids that aren’t hers because she cares about them. Mya’s a coldhearted bitch.”
I flinch at his words while Elijah smacks him upside the head. “He’s right,” I say through a thick ball of emotion. “About them both.”
“Rowan is not Mya, Seb. Whatever ghosts haunt Rowan do not make her the same as your ex-wife,” Beck says, standing from his chair.
I glance up at him. “But will it matter, for my kids, if she leaves in the end too?”
He drops a heavy hand to my shoulder. “Then you need to decide if she’s worth the fight, Seb. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that relationships always have to go through growing pains before you get to the good stuff, but only you can decide how much you’re willing to bend.”
“Go home, Seb,” Alexei says, pulling his laptop closer to him. “We’ll get everything ready for the meeting with Coleman and email it to you. You go figure out where you and Rowan stand.”
“Maybe I should have gone outand found someone to do my hair and makeup,” Rowan says. She’s shut herself off in the bathroom, but she’s not talking to me.
She’s on a video call with Seren and Stella while she gets ready for tonight’s gala.
If my head hadn’t been so messed up over Mya’s phone call, I would have arranged to have stylists meet us at the hotel.
“No way, you’ve got this.” My little girl’s voice sounds tinny, but I don’t step away. I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but my heart keeps my feet planted where they are.
“Seren’s right,” Stella says, and I press my ear to the door. “A sleek ponytail is perfect for that dress. Gah, Seb will swallow his tongue when he sees you.”
“No, he’s?—”
The bathroom door swings open, and there’s no hiding that I had my ear pressed to it.
I offer her an embarrassed shrug. “I heard Seren’s voice.”
Rowan flashes a smile that makes me dizzy. She lifts her phone, and my baby girl’s face comes into view.
“What do you think, Dad?”
“I think I miss you.”
Seren scoffs with an annoyed shake of her head. “No, geez, Dad. What do you think about Row?”
Dragging my gaze away from Rowan’s phone, I grip the wall for support as I take her in. “Jesus, Rowan. You’re—you’re?—”
“Perfect, Dad. She’s perfect.”
Smiling down at my little girl, I nod. “That she is. We’ll call you later, kiddo. Be good for Uncle Alex and Pappy, okay?”
“Always.” She shrugs and disconnects the call.
My gaze does a slow perusal up Rowan’s body. “Peach,” I whisper.
“Yeah?” She bites her lip and then starts wringing her bare wrists. I place my hands in hers to stop the motion.
“You’re stunning. Literally breathtaking.”
Her hair is pulled into a high, sleek ponytail that shows off the long, slender column of her neck.
“Jesus, Peach. I’m not sure I’ll survive the night knowing other men will be looking at you.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m thirty-three years old, Seb. That means I’ve been around long enough to know that no one is looking to sweep me off my feet.”
Her words grate, and I move before she can take another step.
“Then I’m glad I can rectify that.” With one hand behind her knees and the other behind her back, I literally sweep her off her feet and into my arms.
