You have no idea how much.” Sincerity was in his eyes, blanketing me with fatherly affection, like he’d taken a liking to me just the way his wife did, accepting me into their family when I didn’t have to do a single thing to earn their warmth.
“Me too.”
“My son is a good man. He’s like his mother, having a heart that gives and gives. He’s just not himself right now, and I know it’s a lot to ask, but I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive him.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Deacon. I knew better, but I did it anyway.”
He gave a curt nod then turned away, heading past the elevators to where he knew his wife was sitting at her desk.
When I turned to the doors, I stilled when I came face-to-face with Zach.
He was in a nice suit that fit his sculpted body perfectly, having that shadowed jawline that made his dark eyes a little darker. His hands were in his pockets as he walked up to me, a smile in his eyes but tension in his jaw. “Hey, sweetheart. It’s been a while. Nice to see you’ve utilized that time to become more beautiful.” His voice was smooth like scotch, and his confidence barely tapped against arrogance, hitting the line but never crossing over it.
“You say that to women a lot?” I asked with a smile. “That’s quite the line…”
He shrugged. “Sometimes. I wouldn’t say a lot.” He gave a subtle shrug as he continued to look at me. “But every time I say it, I mean it.” His eyes flicked down to look me over. “And I definitely mean it now.”
Somehow, his flirtations weren’t sleazy, probably because he was so damn hot that a compliment from him actually made me feel special.
“Everything alright? You seem a little down.”
My eyes narrowed on his face, surprised that he picked up on that even though we didn’t know each other very well. “Just been a hard week. How are you?”
“No complaints. For the moment, I’m pretty hungry. Let’s grab some dinner.”
“I told you I’m seeing somebody…”
His eyes took in my face, the corner of his mouth rising subtly in a smile. “Based on that sadness in your eyes, I don’t think you’re seeing him anymore.” He stepped back and nodded to the door. “Come on, let’s get something good. I could go for a steak and a scotch.”
I stayed rooted to the spot, impressed that he could glean so much information from just a look. But maybe that was why he was a shark in the business world—because he didn’t miss anything. “Sure, why not?”
The big-ass grin he gave seemed genuine, like he’d finally gotten his prize after all his hard work. “Alright, sweetheart.” He opened the door for me. “Ready for that upgrade?”
Three
Dex
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss her.
I missed her like crazy.
But I didn’t miss her lips, her naked body in my bed, the way my sheets smelled like her. What I missed was the way her eyes lit up every time she looked at me, the way she would grab my arm and squeeze me to make sure I was real, the way she would ask about my day, listen to every word, be so invested in who I was as a person.
That was what I missed.
So, I didn’t go back to my old ways of fucking any woman who would have me.
I just…didn’t want to.
I was sad, really sad.
Why did it have to be this way? Why did I have to be so fucked up in the head? What if Sicily was the right one, and I was too broken to even realize it?
Daisy sat across from me, drinking her beer in silence, being unusually nice to me because she knew I was down. She stuck to topics about my work or her patients, mentioning Dad and Derek sometimes, steering clear of Sicily.
I appreciated that she didn’t give me shit about it.
We shared some appetizers and talked about a lot of nothing. She didn’t mention Mason.
I put food in my mouth without really tasting it, drank my beer without getting the hit from the alcohol. Just going through the motions, more depressed than I’d ever been. My ex-wife was getting remarried, and I’d lost the only woman who actually gave a damn about me. Fucking sad, man.
How did my life end up like this?
Daisy took a drink of her beer before she released a sigh. “Dex, I seriously