Page 72 of Ripped Lace (Ripped Bratva)

Take that away, and what do we have?A future?

“I probably shouldn’t ask,” I admit. “But what changed?”

“Maybe nothing,” he says with a shrug. “I just decided to trust you. Time will tell if that’s foolish or not.”

I tighten my grip on his arm and he pulls me a little closer into his embrace.

“I’m sorry I’ve kept you from Theo,” he says softly. “That changes now.”

“You’ll let me see him more often?”

“As much as you want,” he says. “It was wrong of me to separate the two of you. But I was…”

“Angry.”

“Yes,” he says, with a nod. “I’m used to running things with an iron fist. I don’t have the delicacy it takes to handle parenthood.”

His words are laced with guilt. I know exactly who he’s thinking of when he makes that admission.

“Hey,” I say, leaning into his chest and settling into the crook of his arm. “You need to stop blaming yourself, you know.”

“Do I?”

“Is that why you don’t really look at Theo? Or hold him or spend time with him?”

I’m not trying to make him feel worse, but I can tell that’s exactly what I’ve gone and done. His eyes go cold again. His touch retreats.

“Phoenix, I’m sorry—I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay,” he says abruptly, cutting me off. “It’s a fair question.”

“You don’t need to answer it,” I insist. “I shouldn’t have—”

“You may have a point,” he interrupts. “But then again, we don’t really know if Theo is in fact mine.”

I cringe back, irrationally hurt by his words. He has every right to wonder. Every reason to want to know.

“We can get a paternity test,” I point out, swallowing the hurt.

Phoenix looks away from me. “We could. But then we’d know.”

Then we’d know.

I look down at our intertwined hands. The truth is so fickle, so fragile. How can it be so powerful at the same time?

We’re living in the gray space right now of “not sure.” And as long as we’re here, there’s still hope for a happy ending.

But if we step out of that… the world becomes black and white. Things take on harsh edges. And the truth overrides everything.

It’s a double-edged sword. Can I live with myself if it cuts me wide open?

“I don’t know what to do, Phoenix,” I admit.

He looks at me expressionlessly. “We’ll figure it out.”

I give him a tentative smile, taking the comfort without question.

He leans in a little and I meet him halfway.

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