Chapter 9
Selene and Allison were barely in the front door when Allie bounded up the stairs.
“Josh is coming over early. I’m going to bed!”
“Don’t stay up all night messaging him,” Selene called.
A part of her wanted to follow Allie upstairs and talk about how worried she was that her niece seemed to be changing to please the boy.
Can I still call Josh a boy given how old he actually is?
He might look sixteen, but he had decades of life under his belt. Nevertheless, at the moment Selene was too tired and shaken to deal with the inevitable argument that would follow that conversation. And she had her own problem to deal with and a promise to keep.
She pulled out her phone.
Natalie picked up after the first ring. “You’re up late.”
“So are you,” Selene said. “I’m sorry for calling at this hour.”
“Are you kidding?” Natalie said. “I never go to bed before two a.m. Why do you think I won’t make appointments before noon?”
Selene laughed, but the sound echoed her unrelenting nerves.
Natalie picked up the tension. “What’s going on, Selene?”
“Any chance you could come over?” Selene said. “I just got back from dinner at Fenris Hall’s mansion. I don’t think a phone conversation will clear up my head.”
There was a long pause.
“Nat?” Maybe it was too early in their friendship for late-night invites.
“Sorry, Selene,” Natalie said. “Of course I’ll come over. Just give me about twenty minutes.”
“Thanks,” Selene said.
“No problem.” Natalie hung up.
Selene set a pot of coffee to brew in the kitchen.
Caffeine probably wasn’t a great idea, but she didn’t see sleep anywhere in her near future, so what the hell.
The coffee maker started its gurgling, and Selene pulled out the trash from under the kitchen sink.
She tied off the bag and went out the back door.
She was halfway to the garage when someone stepped from the shadows.
Selene gasped and dropped the trash bag.
“Who’s there?” Selene thought briefly about running back to the house and locking all the doors. Then recognition slapped her in the face. But . . . how could it be? She’d had a lot to drink, but not enough to hallucinate.
“Daniel Brix?” She stayed where she was, poised to bolt if necessary. “Is that really you?”
“Hey, Selene.” Daniel cocked his head at her. “Aren’t you happy to see me? It’s been a minute.”
Goddamn. It was Daniel. Emma’s ex. Allie’s father.
His face was the same as it had been the last time she’d seen him.
His hair and clothes were different. Daniel was sporting a leather coat and jeans that molded to his muscular thighs.
His hair was styled in the manner that seemed popular among teen boys of late, as if he was still trying to court a younger audience, which he probably was.
A thatch of thick blond strands each seemed to be competing to travel in a different direction across his head.
Unfortunately, the look suited him. He could probably put on an orange clown wig and still look hot. Asshole.
Selene spoke through clenched teeth. “What the hell are you doing here? You scared me to death.”
He smiled his signature lopsided grin. Emma said it was that smile that did her in. Selene could see why. All these years later, it still had impact. There was no arguing that Daniel was attractive. Even if he hadn’t become a rock star, he would always have looked like one.
“Come on, Selene,” he said. “Don’t be like that.”
“Don’t be like that?” she hissed. “You disappeared ten years ago. Where have you been? We thought you were dead.”
For some reason that made Daniel laugh. Hard.
“It’s not funny.” Selene’s head was spinning.
First the world is magic, now Daniel comes back from the dead. What is it with this week? Aliens are probably going to abduct me tomorrow. Dear god, please don’t let aliens abduct me tomorrow.
“Oh, it’s funny,” Daniel told her. “Hi-fucking-larious. You’re just not in on the joke.”
And that was enough of that.
“Get out of here, Daniel,” Selene snapped. “Whatever you want, I’m not interested.”
Maybe it wasn’t fair to dismiss him out of hand, but her instincts wouldn’t let her do anything else.
Daniel had broken Emma’s heart time and time again.
She didn’t believe he had anything to offer Allie but pain and disappointment.
Allie shouldn’t have to deal with her deadbeat dad.
Not with everything that was going on. Scratch that.
Not ever. He didn’t deserve her. Selene needed him gone.
He kept smiling and grabbed the discarded trash bag, the movement so quick Selene couldn’t follow it.
“Let me take care of this for you, and then we’ll talk.”
She stared after him as he deposited the trash bag in its bin. When he returned, she was trembling and a little nauseated.
He gave a low whistle. “Gotta say, Selene, the years have been good to you.”
“Fuck off.”
He nodded, and for a moment the self-assured smile disappeared. “So that’s how it’s going to be? You know, I always thought we had a connection.”
Of course you did. You assume every woman worships the ground you walk on.
“Think again.” Selene gritted her teeth.
Should I let Allie have a say in this? She’s sixteen. Am I being too protective? Damn it. Why are parental boundaries so hard?
Daniel was Allie’s father, but what good could he bring into her life? He hadn’t even asked about his daughter. The first thing he’d done was hit on Selene just like the Lothario she remembered and despised. Suddenly a cold, sickening wave rolled over her.
“Do you know about Emma?” Her voice shook.
He looked at her for a long time before he answered. At first Selene thought he didn’t understand what she was talking about, but then he sighed.
“Yeah . . . I know.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “That’s kind of why I’m here.”
“Oh.” That was all Selene could muster. She was already so wrecked from dinner and . . . well, everything. Now it looked like she was going to have to deal with Daniel, and it felt like losing Emma all over again.
“How did you find out?” Selene asked weakly.
“It’s a long story,” he said and glanced at the house. “Can I come in and talk? You look like you’re about to keel over.”
She shook her head. “Not tonight, Daniel. It’s not a good idea. I am tired. And you can’t just show up after all this time.”
“Come on, Sel.” The smile was back. “I can explain. I’m dying to see Alley-Cat.”
Hearing that nickname was a sucker punch. Selene had forgotten about it. The way it made little Allie giggle. And he just basked in Allie’s and Emma’s love and adoration without giving anything back. She could have forgiven him for being dead. But not that.
How could she even begin to help Allie with this if Daniel insisted on seeing her? As much as her knee-jerk response was to reject anything Emma’s ex wanted, he had legal rights as Allie’s father. He could take Selene to court.
Selene wanted to slap him. “Allison is in no way prepared to see you. Do you have any idea what your little disappearing act did to her? From age six to sixteen, she had no father. Six months ago, someone killed her mother, and she had to move in with me. What makes you think she’d want to see you at all? She doesn’t even know you.”
His expression darkened. “I have the right to see her.”
That was what Selene was afraid of. What could she say to convince him otherwise?
“You gave up that right when you left,” Selene said, remembering what Allie said at dinner.
“I think it would be better if you stayed away, Daniel. As far as Allie’s concerned, she doesn’t have a father.
She’s happy, and I don’t know what having you back would .
. . Things don’t need to be more complicated for her.
Leave it alone. We’re making a good life here. ”
“I can see that.” Daniel glanced at the house again. “And I’ve been reading about your work. Congrats, Selene. You’ve always been an impressive woman. I know I messed up the marriage thing with Emma—relationships were never my strong suit. But I’ve changed. I can prove it.”
He took her hand, and she jerked it back.
“Don’t touch me,” she snapped, shaking out her fingers. “How long have you been out here? Your hands are freezing.”
He simply smiled, a languid curve of his lips. “I’d love a hot cup of coffee. Please invite me in.”
She wavered, feeling suddenly dizzy, but she shook her head. No way in hell was he going to pull that charming act on her.
Selene looked away from his playful mien. “No, Daniel. I don’t know what you expected, but a warm welcome isn’t what you’re getting.”
When she turned back, she glared at him. “Things weren’t fine even before you took off. Emma should have kicked you to the curb the first time you cheated on her.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m the asshole.” He grimaced. “Sure, we can go with that. Just let me tell you what happened to me. Things got complicated.”
“I don’t care.”
He scowled at her for a moment, then smiled again. “Look, I’ve been in town for a little while now.”
When she frowned, he hurried on. “I’ve been waiting for the right time to let you know I’m here. I didn’t want to show up while you were in the middle of relocating.”
His words caught her off guard. Daniel would never have been that considerate in the past. To anyone. He never remembered Emma’s birthday, much less their anniversary, or even Valentine’s Day, when you couldn’t walk five feet without advertisements full of hearts and roses smacking you in the face.
He smiled thinly at her shocked expression. “Yeah, I know. I am different, Selene. Believe it.”
“Daniel—” She couldn’t imagine that anything he’d say would convince her he deserved another chance. He’d already had too many and wasted them all.
“I’m worried about you and Allie,” he continued. “I’ve been hearing some things.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “What things?”
“Can we please talk about this in the house?” He took a step toward her, staring intently.
She blinked, dizziness hitting her again.