if Cardo and Chiara missed her. They were so much happier now that we lived in a house they weren’t kicked out of at every opportunity. I blew out a breath. This was what I’d worked eight years for. Eight years of long hours and dedication. Eight years of dragging myself up, determined to be more than what my mother was.
It was all coming to fruition, but now a wrench had been thrown in the works. A wrench with light-brown hair and blue eyes. A wrench that had taken root in my brain and now it looked like she was there to stay.
It’d be all too easy to let her occupy my every thought. But I couldn’t let it happen because I had too many things going on at once. I didn’t have the time for her too. It was the harsh reality. Which was why I’d kept my distance since that night.
Scoffing, I shook my head. It didn’t matter whether I got caught up in her or not. After today, there would be no backing out.
My stomach dipped as I caught sight of Luna walking beside Aida, a genuine smile pulling at her lips. I hadn’t seen that since the morning in my apartment all that time ago. The morning that had set this entire thing in motion. The morning that had made me wish I was a normal twenty-something guy who could have his fun without any consequences.
But I wasn’t that guy.
I’d never be that guy.
I didn’t shy away from my responsibilities. I hadn’t since I was sixteen years old.
My heart raced as the back door opened, my body not getting the memo on how I was meant to feel about her. This was why I’d stayed away from her. Aida slid in and I stared at her in the rearview mirror, expecting to see Luna get in next to her, but when the passenger door opened up, I whipped my head around.
“Hey,” she greeted, her voice light and airy. She had no idea what was about to happen. No idea that by the end of the night she wouldn’t be her any longer. She adjusted herself in the front seat then closed the door at the same time as Aida did.
“Didn’t I call this?” Aida said, leaning forward and pushing her head between the seats. “I knew you two would get together.”
Her words broke some of the tension I was feeling, and I blew out a breath, thankful that for at least a little while, they’d be a buffer between me and Luna.
“No you didn’t.” I chuckled, putting the car in drive then pulled away from the curb.
“I did!” She leaned back, laughing. “I just didn’t tell you.” She clicked her belt in place and settled back, her attention drifting off to a place in her mind I knew she hated. She didn’t do it as often as she used to, but what happened still haunted her. It didn’t help that she had the scars to remind her at every opportunity too.
My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, trying not to let my mind go back to what happened to her and how I’d failed. I stopped at a red light and glanced over at Luna, trying to distract myself. Her gaze was fixed to the window, and I couldn’t help but tap her arm to get her attention. She turned her head slowly, her blue eyes fixing to me. She looked unsure of herself, her insecurity at the forefront for me to witness.
“How were classes?” I asked, deciding a neutral topic would be best to start with.
“Good.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “I need to stay late tomorrow so I won’t be able to watch the kids.” That was another thing she’d been doing since I moved her in. Dorothy—the new babysitter who lived two doors down from the house—hadn’t watched them since.
I nodded as the light turned green and pushed my foot down on the accelerator. She didn’t need to watch Cardo and Chiara. That wasn’t what she was there for. But I didn’t tell her that because I knew how much they all liked to spend time together. They had their bond, one that I hadn’t realized was so strong.
“There’s no classes tomorrow,” Aida spoke up. I darted my gaze to the rearview mirror, seeing her eyes go wide as she realized what she’d said.
“I know.” Luna turned in her seat to look at Aida. “But I need to finish my assignment.”