Page 119 of Heart Over Heels

“The angels broke into my house,” I went on. “Antonella, Stefano, and Narcissus. They were waiting for me. I shot one of them, but then he just… sat up. Like nothing happened. They had Molly’s photo,” I continued, racing to get through it before he stopped me. “The one from my fridge. They told me I had to choose between her and you, and…”

I pulled a hand away from him and scrubbed at my cheeks, stubble rasping over my palm while I tried to find any other way to explain. But there was none, so I shook my head helplessly.

Darby just sat there, a weight in my lap turned to stone. I needed to see his face, to know what he was thinking, but when he finally spoke, I was not prepared to weather the chill in his voice.

“So you’re saying youdidhave a choice.”

The words moved me, forward and up. My hands found his waist, and I lifted him off me so we were both standing. He spun around, ready with a reprimand, but I beat him to it.

“Fuck, Darby,” I sputtered. “I thought you, of all people, would understand. It was mydaughter.”

Something flickered across his expression—pity or maybe pain—then his chin lifted, and he regarded me with narrow eyes. “That’s not my name.”

“Yes it is!” I shot back. “I know who you are, and I know it isn’t this.” I gestured at the costume, the corset, the armor. “This isn’t you.”

Darby’s jaw tightened, and his tail flicked, betraying the agitation he was too controlled to show anywhere else. He took a step back to expand the space between us. “You don’t know a damn thing about who I am,” he said quietly.

“I know the things you’ve told me,” I countered. “They were true, weren’t they? You’re an only child. From Chicago. You can juggle.” I couldn’t help the smile that slanted my face. “You can quoteCinderella, and I bet you see yourself in her just like you see yourself in your mother. She taught you about love, and it must have been a hell of a lesson because I’ve never met anyone who loves like you do. It’s fierce and full of passion, and everyone you share it with is damn lucky.”

He looked at me like I was something dangerous, and maybe I was. But I couldn’t stop. Not when the truth was right there, caught behind my teeth.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, and then I said it again. “I’m sorry I made you feel like you needed this. Like you have to hide from me, or from the world. You’re a remarkable person, and you shouldn’t have to hide behind a fake name just to survive.”

For all my effort—an offering, a fucking outpouring, Darby didn’t relent. His eyes blazed like twin flames, so molten I would have sworn they produced actual heat.

“There is nothing fake about this, Mercer.” He gestured to the whole of his petite figure. “I made this. I chose it. I won’t be pitied for it, I won’t be judged, and I won’t be made into a fool for you or anyone else.”

The words pulled on something loose in me, and suddenly everything was unraveling. “Darby?—”

“No!” He jabbed a finger toward me. “I tried to leave. I wanted to stop this, but you asked me to stay and I… I begged you not to…”

Suddenly I was back in my room, sitting in bed, waiting for him to come out of the bathroom. Remembering how quiet it was and how vulnerable I’d felt. Weak and needing assurance. Wondering why he would run away when everything in me called out for him.

“Not to what?” I asked. “You never said before. What do you want from me?”

His throat worked, and he tugged on the hem of his apron while his gaze cut away. “I don’t want to be hurt, Mercer,” he replied. “I have been. Too many times. And I needed you to be different, but you…” He shook his head. “You’re just like the rest of them.”

“I promise, I’m not. Iseeyou, Darby.”

I reached for him, desperate to close the distance, but he flinched back with a sharp breath that stoked his fire.

“I told you,” he seethed. “Darby’s not fucking here right now.”

I’d asked for this.

I invaded this place then tricked him into facing me. He was justified in his anger, and maybe I’d only made things worse. Maybe I’d advanced when I should have retreated.

After a moment, I slumped and dropped my hands to my sides. “Okay,” I relented. “Luxe, then. Tell me about him. What’s his story? What are his truths?”

Darby faltered. His mouth popped open and words trickled out. “He’s… I…”

A knock at the door shattered the moment. The waitress had returned with a loaded tray balanced on her palm. Seven different drinks were crowded in rim to rim.

“Oh, sorry,” she murmured. “It didn’t look like you were?—”

“You need to go,” Darby said. I would have thought he was talking to her if his gaze hadn’t been locked on mine.

The poor girl gave a befuddled blink. “Who?—”