know how to process it. His eyes are soft as he stares down at her, his arms tightening around her like he never wants to let go. My chest caves with a burning discomfort, making it hard to pull in a single breath. I sink my teeth into my bottom lip until I feel the stitch of pain.
I lock eyes with Endymion, and he says so much at that moment without words. There are accusations in his eyes. Anger at me keeping his daughter from him. Depriving him of moments like this. I sniff past the pressure building in my nose, and I glance away. It suddenly feels like I’m an intruder, unwelcome here. I start backing away, but as if sensing that I’m getting ready to leave them alone, Luna whirls around in his hold, her brows tugging low over her cherubic little face.
“Where are you going, Mommy? Aren’t you going to play with us?”
I dart a quick glance at Endymion before looking back at her. “Oh, I don’t know, baby. I think you two should—”
“I think what your mom means is, we’re gonna hang out together in your grandpa’s living room.”
“Okay!” She scoops up her toys and runs at full speed into the living room.
“Thank you,” I whisper under my breath. He turns to look at me, his gaze searching mine. His lips thin.
“I didn’t do it for you.”
Parting with such harsh words, he follows Luna into the living room while I hang back a bit, trying to pull it together long enough that I won’t fall apart in front of them.
I take the furthest end of the couch, and I watch Endymion play with Luna. Or rather, he watches her as she plays and explains how the game goes. She introduces the names of her Barbies and their favorite things. He watches her so closely as if he’s committing everything about her to memory. He asks questions about the dolls and their favorite colors as if he truly wants to know the answers. He’s so good with her.
Without meaning to, as I watch Endymion with our daughter, I fall a little deeper in love with him. I’ve tried to pretend I don’t care about him anymore, but that’s a lie. I’ve always loved him.
“And this one is Moonstone,” she says, referring to one of her Barbies with black hair. “I named her that because she kinda looks like my mommy, doesn’t she? My mommy loves the moon. Did you know that?”
Endymion glances at me. “I didn’t know that,” he lies, humoring her.
“Yeah, my mommy is really smart, and she’s like the smartest mommy in the world. Oh, and she has all these cool stones she uses to do magic!”
I shake my head, laughing nervously. “Baby, I told you it’s not magic. The crystals are just something to believe in. Something to hold on to when you need extra strength. Remember, I said the magic isn’t in the stone, it’s in you.”
My stomach drops when I glance at End. He’s staring at me with narrowed eyes. I lick my suddenly dry lips.
“It’s not magic. I promise. It’s just crystals. Like these,” I say, digging into my pocket, pulling out the crystals I’ve been holding on to. His brows dip even more, and he nods slowly. He still doesn’t quite understand why I’m carrying them around with me.
Not many people do.
“Oh!” Luna yells. “Do you have any tattoos?”
Endymion chuckles at her brisk change in subject. “I do. Just a few.”
She grins. “So does my mommy!”
Again, he glances at me but says nothing. Thankfully, he asks her another question about a different Barbie, so we can get off the topic of me.
“And this one is one of my favorites. Theo bought it for me.”
End’s brows dip. “Who’s Theo?”
“Oh, he was our old neighbor. He always bought me and Mommy stuff.” Methodically, Endymion aims a questioning look at me. I feel my cheeks pink because I know what Luna’s going to say next before it even falls past her loose lips. “Yeah, he was in love with Mommy.”
My eyes slam shut. Great.
Just great.
“Luna Bella, that’s not true. Don’t say that.”
She shoots a glare at me. “Yeah, it is! He told Nana and me. He said he wanted to date you, but you always said no.”
I press my lips together, studiously avoiding Endymion’s gaze. I can feel it burning a hole through the side of my head. I clasp my hands together, pushing to my feet.
“You know what? I’m going to grab