Page 113 of Daniil
I look away, staring up at the ceiling.I should lie but what’s the point?Anyone who knows me already knows the answer.
“I do.”
“You want to be with her and raise your boy together?”
“Yes, but?—”
“There are no buts.Go to Vegas.Everything here is done.Jesper is gone.Joe has been cleared.And I spent most of the night on the phone.I’ve secured the votes for the pipeline bill.Once I showed everyone the proof of the bribes Jesper was taking, they all back pedaled quickly.We’ll vote today, and you can be on a flight to Vegas tomorrow.”
“Erik, I?—”
“Don’t.”He interrupts, squeezing my shoulder firmly.“I knew what I was giving up to take this on but this was always my destiny—it doesn’t have to be yours.”
“I don’t know how to walk away…” I admit.“I love her.I love my son.But leaving you feels wrong too.”
He shakes his head.“You’re not leaving me, you’re just living your life.You’re almost forty years old.Haven’t we all sacrificed enough for this country?I got my woman back and she’s all in.Without her support, I couldn’t do what I do.It’s different for you.And frankly, take it from a man who made the ultimate sacrifice—I willneverget back those years with my son.Don’t make my mistakes.”
The elevator opens and he steps inside—this one heads directly to the royal apartment so I can’t join him.He winks as the doors close, leaving me standing there.
Did my king just tell me that my woman and son were more important than my duty?
He did.
Now I just have to work out the logistics in my head.
Could I leave Limaj and move to Vegas or anywhere else in the U.S.?What would I do with my time?With myself?Parenting can only take up so many hours and I know Courtney well enough to know she’d be bored if we just sat around doing nothing day after day.
We could travel but what happens when Micah starts school?I don’t want him to go to a boarding school like I did.It wasn’t bad but I missed my family and why am I doing this if I’m just going to send him away?I don’t even know for sure if Courtney wants more kids.
On top of all that, I still have to have purpose in my life.
There are a lot of things to talk about but—I feel a surge of excitement—we could figure things out.
Together.
If she’ll have me.
She told me she loved me that last night we spent together.
I refuse to believe she’s moved on or forgotten about me.Forgotten what we’d started to build, both here and in Vegas.
A family.
Our family.
One I can still have.
I just have to get through passing the bill.
Then I’m going to be on the next flight to Vegas.
Chapter46
Courtney
It’sa lazy Saturday morning and I’m still in bed.Micah had a rough night with teething so he’s asleep beside me and I’m scrolling on my phone.I’ve been watching junk journaling videos and though I’ve never been one for crafts, it feels like something I could do.There’s no rhyme or reason to it, and you can journal with text, just pictures and images, or both, depending on your mood.
There’s over a hundred dollars in beginner supplies in the cart of this shop I got sucked into, and the frugal part of me thinks this is ridiculous while the part of me that now has millions of dollars in the bank thinks I need a hobby.
