“Then why did you tell me?”
I was still in my chair because I couldn’t think of a response. Truth be told, I didn’t know why I’d done it. If he said nothing in return, it would be awkward for a long time. It had already been awkward enough at the time.
He answered for me. “Because you knew I loved you.”
My eyes focused on his.
“You’ve known it for a long time.”
My mouth suddenly felt dry, so I swallowed and felt my throat tighten.
“When I traded places with you, I thought that would be the end. I gave up my life for yours because I’d rather be beaten to death and left to rot in a field than suffer the idea of what was happening to you. I wouldn’t have done that unless I was hopelessly in love with you.” He held my gaze without fear, unashamed to express such raw emotions. “But to be honest, I’ve loved you much longer than that.”
Feelings like these would normally terrify me, but I wanted to know more. I wanted to know how deep his rivers ran. “How long?”
There was a long pause before he answered. “You go first.”
Giving an answer felt daunting. “I don’t know…”
“You do know. Answer me.” He kept his voice low, but his tone was dictatorial.
“I’m not sure. It started off slow…like a small fire before it erupted and consumed an entire forest. It started as a little thought in my brain, but as it continued to grow, it became undeniable. It honestly feels like I woke up one day and I was in love with you. It just took me a long time to understand that’s what I was feeling.”
“And when did it start?”
My eyes stared into my water glass. “Months ago. I guess when I saw you in the hospital. But sometimes I wonder if I felt this way a long time ago and didn’t realize it then either.”
His expression didn’t change after he heard my confession. It was controlled and stoic…like he was in a meeting with someone he didn’t trust. He didn’t blink as he digested what I’d just said.
“Your turn.”
He grabbed his glass and took a drink before he told me. “Sofia, I’ve loved you forever.”
My heart started to race a little faster.
“I loved you shortly after we met. I loved you when we were together. I loved you when we were apart. I loved you when I asked you to marry me…both times.” He looked into my gaze without fear. “It feels good to tell you that. It feels good to tell you the truth without scaring you away. It feels so good to love a woman and have her love me back.”
Hades walked in the door in his running shorts, his chest and neck covered in sweat. He pulled his earbuds out of his ears and then wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. He moved into his closet and took off his shoes and socks and dropped his bottoms before he stepped into the bedroom completely naked.
I was sitting in bed in his t-shirt, reading a baby book. I forgot the paragraph I’d just read because the sight of him, his muscles pumped with blood, was incredibly distracting. My fingers shut the book absentmindedly. “How was your workout?” It was nice to see him hitting the gym again. He’d been too injured to do anything more than physical therapy. Now he was getting strong again, lifting weights and building muscle.
He didn’t answer my question. He came to the bed and lifted up my shirt so he could kneel down and kiss my bump everywhere. His large hands cupped either side of my belly, and he loved the son growing inside me.
For nearly two weeks, we’d spent our time in newlywed bliss. We’d been married for over six months now, but it felt like we were starting over. We made love through the night, and whenever we needed a break, we spent our time talking about things that we never talked about before. With every passing day, I grew more in love with the man who had loved me for so long. How did I not see what was right in front of me? How did I not fall madly in love with him at first sight? There was no better man in this world, and I still didn’t understand how he was mine.
After he finished kissing my belly, he placed a soft kiss on my mouth. He tasted salty from the sweat, but it was still a good kiss. He righted himself and stood to his full height before he gently replaced the shirt over my stomach. “I’m gonna get in the shower.”
“You want me to join you?”
A slight smile emerged on his lips. “Always.”
I followed him into the bathroom, and we got under the water together. I rubbed soap onto his chest and arms, watching the suds turn into bubbles and drip down his hard body. The water followed the rivers in his stomach, dripping all the way down his powerful thighs and toned calves. There were scars on his body that would be there for the rest of his life, but that didn’t detract from his perfection. In fact, it made him even more perfect.
He rubbed the soap onto my tummy. He used to be infatuated with my tits and ass, but now all he cared about was my pregnant belly. When we were in bed together, he liked having me on top because he liked to stare at my stomach as I bounced up and down. He was clearly excited to be a father, even though he seemed like the kind of man that might not be interested in settling down.
Life had been good these past few weeks, so good that I forgot about reality, forgot that we still had a problem to address. Now that my son would be part of our family in a few months, I had to protect him with my life. That meant Maddox needed to be eliminated…for good. Hades had not mentioned his vengeance once since his birthday. “Hades?”
He lifted his gaze to mine.
“Have you figured out how to take care of him?” I assumed he would know who I was talking about. I hated saying his name; it seemed to give him more power.
Hades stared at me for several heartbeats with his hands still on my belly. “No.”
I couldn’t keep the disappointment out of my face. “Well, you need to. I can’t raise a son in a world where he exists.” I knew Hades would do anything for me, and it was ridiculous to be upset with him for not taking care of this problem sooner. If it were that simple, he would’ve done it already. But I wanted this finished so I knew for sure I never had to worry again.
“I’ll take care of it. I promise.”
“I know, but I want him gone now. What’s taking so long?”
His eyes drifted down again, and a loud sigh escaped his lips. He probably didn’t want to talk about it, especially when we were having a nice moment under the water. “It’s complicated. He’s hard to track down. I’ve found a way to lure him out, but he hasn’t shown his face yet. But he will.”
“And you think this will work?”
He nodded. “It’s only a matter of time.”
“And when he does show up, you’ll kill him?”
His hand cupped my cheek. “Yes. I will torture him for what he did to you, for what he did to me. And I will make sure he’s dead and gone.” His hand slowly slid down to my neck. “But don’t worry about him. The only thing you should be worrying about is our son. He’s my problem…not yours.”
23
Hades
My phone lit up on the nightstand with a text message. It was Damien. We need to talk. Ash and I are at the bar.