Chapter 12 #2
We slid into the booth—me on one side, Dimitri and Adele on the other, because of course my traitorous daughter wanted to sit next to her new favorite person. A waitress appeared almost immediately, looking at us with the bored expression of someone who’d been on her feet for too many hours.
“What can I get you folks?” she asked, pulling out a small notepad.
“I’ll have the sliders with extra pickles and a chocolate milkshake!” Adele announced. I usually let her order first, then got the same thing.
“Make that two orders of sliders,” I said. “And a coffee. Black.”
The waitress turned to Dimitri, her expression shifting slightly as she took in his expensive suit. And then she flashed him a smile. “And for you?”
“The same. Sliders and coffee.”
“You got it,” the waitress said, scribbling down our order before disappearing.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the table. Adele, oblivious to the tension crackling between Dimitri and me, balanced her teddy bear that she carried everywhere beside her.
“So,” Dimitri said, his voice low enough that only I could hear. “Are we going to talk about this?”
“Not here,” I hissed, glancing pointedly at Adele.
“Then when?”
“Never would be preferable.”
His jaw clenched. “Isabella—”
“Mommy, can I have a quarter for the gumball machine?” Adele interrupted, pointing to the vintage machine near the entrance.
I dug into my purse and pulled out a quarter. “Stay where I can see you, okay?
“Okay!” She scooted out of the booth and skipped toward the machine.
The moment she was out of earshot, Dimitri leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “You can’t avoid this conversation forever.”
“Watch me,” I shot back, but my voice lacked conviction.
“She’s my daughter, Isabella.”
“She’s my daughter,” I corrected, my voice sharp. “You don’t get to waltz back into my life after five years and claim her because it’s suddenly convenient for you.”
“Convenient?” He looked genuinely offended. “You think any of this is convenient? Finding out I have a daughter I knew nothing about? Realizing I’ve missed four years of her life? That’s not convenience, Isabella. That’s—”
He cut himself off, running a hand through his dark hair in frustration. For a moment, he looked vulnerable, raw, and it reminded me of the Dimitri I’d fallen in love with all those years ago. The one who’d held me in his study that night and promised me forever.
But that Dimitri had made his choice. And it wasn’t me.
Adele came bounding back to the table, her hands cupped around a bright yellow gumball.
“Look, Mommy! I got your favorite color!”
I forced a smile, pushing down all the emotions threatening to spill over. “That’s perfect, sweetheart.”
She climbed back into the booth next to Dimitri, and I watched as he instinctively helped her settle in, his large hand steadying her small frame. The gesture was so natural, so paternal.
Our food arrived, and for a few blessed minutes, we focused on eating.
Adele chattered away about her day, telling Dimitri about her coloring and the story Sarah had read to her.
I watched as Dimitri hung on her every word, his expression softening as he laughed every now and then at something she said, even if her words weren’t particularly funny.
He was completely enamored with her. And that terrified me more than anything.
Because how was I supposed to protect my daughter from the inevitable heartbreak when Dimitri eventually chose his wife over us?
I couldn’t go through that pain again. And I sure as hell wouldn’t let Adele go through it either.
“Mommy, you’re not eating,” Adele observed, her brow furrowing in concern.
I glanced down at my barely touched slider. “I’m just not very hungry, baby.”
“Are you sick?”
“No, I’m fine. I promise.”
Dimitri’s gaze was heavy on me, but I refused to look at him. Instead, I focused on Adele as she moved from where she was to come sit beside me.
“Let’s count to three and eat together, Mommy.”
I beamed, realizing it was something I usually did when Adele didn’t eat. She mostly did it with vegetables, and after some time, she had started to eat them on her own.
I grabbed my slider from my plate. She did, too. And together, after the count of three, we both took a bite.
“Mommy, you have sauce on your mouth.” Adele pointed to my lips, handing me a napkin. I wiped it, my gaze accidentally sliding to Dimitri as he watched us, a tenderness in her eyes.
Adele finished her milkshake with a satisfied sigh and then turned to Dimitri. “Uncle Dimitri, do you have any kids?”
I froze, my coffee cup halfway to my lips.
Dimitri’s expression shifted, something unreadable crossing his features. “No,” he said at first. And I thought he was going to leave it at that, but then he added, “Not until today.”
Adele tilted her head, confused. “What do you mean?”
Before Dimitri could answer, a woman with a bright smile approached our table.
“Hi, I’m Emily, the manager of Poppy Tate’s,” she said. “We’re running a new Spin & Win activity for families ahead of Thanksgiving, which is just around the corner. Would you like to try it out? Prizes are small but fun.”
My throat tightened at her implication. Family. Dimitri, Adele, and me. My wolf hummed in contentment at the thought, but I quickly shut it down.
“Oh—” I started, a little too quickly. “We’re not… we’re not a family.”
Emily blinked, apologetic. “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume. I just—” She glanced between Dimitri and me, as if debating whether to say more, but eventually settled on, “Well, the game’s mainly for kids. Your daughter is welcome to try if she wants.”
Adele’s eyes were already glued to the colorful wheel at the front counter. “Can I try?” she asked, practically vibrating.
I nodded. “Go ahead, sweetheart.”
Adele lit up, bouncing after the manager toward the counter.
The moment she was gone, I rounded on Dimitri. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You can’t just—she doesn’t know—” I struggled to find the words, panic clawing at my throat.
“Then maybe it’s time she did.”
“No.” The word came out fierce, final. “You don’t get to decide that.”
“I’m her father.”
“Biologically, yes. But you haven’t earned that title yet.”
“Because I didn’t know about her existence up until an hour ago!”
His phone rang, the shrill sound cutting through the tension like a knife. And when I saw the caller ID, my heart sank. Selene.
Of course. His wife.
“You should answer it,” I said, my voice hollow.
He stared at the phone for a long moment before declining the call and setting it face down on the table. “We’re not done talking about this.”
“Yes, we are.”
“Isabella—”
His phone buzzed. A text this time. He picked it up, read it, and his jaw tightened.
I didn’t need to ask. Whatever it was, it was his business, and I wanted no part of it. Especially for Adele.
I wiped my mouth with a napkin, downed the rest of my coffee and stood. “I’ve got to go. There’s a meeting at the office I can’t miss.”
Dimitri rose too. “And what about my daughter?”
I froze.
“You won’t be able to keep her away from me, Isabella,” he said quietly. “You can’t keep her away from me.”
“Maybe that’s for the best, Dimitri. Because over my dead body will my daughter suffer the same fate I did at the hands of your family.”
With that, I walked away, meeting Adele halfway despite her whining to say goodbye to Dimitri.