Chapter 151

Aria’s POV

Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised that Lucian finally pieced this together, but the reality of it still hit me like a ton of bricks. I don’t know why I thought he would never find out. There was no reason he wouldn’t, especially with Jasper and Lucian’s own parents already in on the secret.

Still, now that he knew, I understood that things would fundamentally between all of us, as the truth of our family and its true dynamics came into light.

Would he want us to stay here? Would he force it, going to the courts to keep his kids close?

And what of me and my role in this? How wrong was I to keep this man’s children away from him? Would he ever actually forgive me? Should he?

I probably should have told him the truth of it a very long time ago, just as I should have told him I was Dr. A. Secrets upon secrets had built up between us since the start of our relationship. Now, as they were being torn down, I felt vulnerable and exposed in a way I hadn’t before.

Telling him the truth now, though he’d already guessed it, still felt like a chance. Could I trust him to see my side of things? Could I trust him not to hate me?

Did I have any choices anymore?

So many questions flew through my head, round and round again. I felt as if I was standing on a turntable going around. There was no good place to get off this carousal. No answers would be found without first taking a leap.

So I stepped outside and closed the door behind me. For him, I would take the chance, but his reaction would change what I would tell the children. Was he the kind of man they could look up to, as I hoped? Or would he take this badly and walk out of our lives permanently, disgusted by this secret I’d kept.

Swallowing hard, I owned up to the truth. “Yes,” I said. “You are Jean and Luke’s father, Lucian.”

At first, I was too afraid to look at him, but, after a moment, I chanced a glance up, just in time to see the sheer joy cross his face. He smiled so wide, he showed teeth, and the utter relief in his face was so palpable that I also felt it. It took root in me and eased some of the heavy weight I’d been carrying around until now.

“You aren’t angry,” I said, almost in disbelief.

“Why would I be angry?” he asked. “You’ve given me the best gift I could have ever asked for.” He laughed a little. “I’m a father. Me. I didn’t know if that would ever happen. Aria, you’ve given me a family. I don’t know how to ever repay you.”

Then, as bright as his smiled had been, it dimmed almost as quickly. “In fact, I’m the one who should be apologizing to you. I made you feel as if you couldn’t tell me the truth. Instead of a home, I gave you a place you couldn’t feel safe raising our children. I’ll never forgive myself for it, but I swear I’ll do better now. I hope you’ve been able to see how much I’ve changed.”

“I have,” I said. “I know things aren’t like they were.” That was the main reason I felt I could tell him the truth now, when I hadn’t been able to in the past.

“One thing I don’t understand,” Lucian said. “We tried so much early in our relationship to have a baby, but it never seemed to take. We gave up after a while. What changed this one time?”

A light blush lifted in Aria’s cheeks. I was entirely enamored by it, watching her with a quickly racing heartbeat.

“That night… things were different between us,” she said. “Do you remember?”

Thinking on it, yes, I supposed I could tell the difference. Early in our relationship, sex was more like a chore, with me rolling on top and then rolling off after, to return to my own room. It had been so much less than Aria deserved.

The night I had thought was a dream had been infinitely better. We both had been more involved, eliciting sounds and giving more pleasure than I had ever felt before. I hoped she felt the same.

Given how her blush deepened as I took a moment to remember, I could only believe that she did.

“Yes, I remember,” I told her.

“Then you’ll know that night was involved more emotion,” Aria continued, even as her blush turned her face cherry red. “That emotion strengthened our bond, if only for that night. That connection made our coupling more conducive to having children.”

She sounded like the healer she was just now as she explained this to me, with words like ‘coupling’ and conducive.’ Honestly, I liked it. A lot.

Maybe I was still running hot from thinking of our magical night together, or maybe the doctor talk lit a fresh fire within me.

Whatever the reason, I stepped closer to Aria, burning with desire and affection and love.

This beautiful, wonderful woman birthed the children I had always dreamed of fathering. She was so capable, raising them while helping the health care of the Moonglow pack, starting clinics and saving people.

I couldn’t be more proud, or more in awe of the woman she was.

I inched closer to her, pleased when she didn’t back away. Instead, the same heat that burned inside of me flashed in her eyes. This gave me the confidence I needed to take another step, and then another – until finally I was close enough to wrap my arm around her waist and tug her against me.

She held my gaze throughout, even as I manhandled her. In my arms, she lifted and placed her hands on my chest.

“Aria…”

“If you are going to kiss me, then please don’t make me wait,” she said.

Gods, how could I after that?

Leaning down, I pressed my lips to hers. Sparks lit between us. The kiss stayed innocent for only a moment before it became a continuation of our earlier passion.

She moaned and I slipped my tongue into her mouth. Her fingers carded through my hair. I pawed at her, grabbing her backside with both hands.

It felt like that night of passion all over again, but this time I was sober and could remember every aching detail. After, there would be no confusion if this was a dream.

A fire raged in our hearts, kindled by our desire.

Yet we kept it all at kissing – making out really – very aware that we were standing outside of her house with our children within it, waiting for their mother’s return.

Above us the stars twinkled, the moon was high and bright, lighting the front yard more than the dim porchlight could.

Slowly, and reluctantly, I broke our kiss before temptation would lead me to taking her right here and right now in the grass, not caring who would see.

I would never do that to Aria. When and if we were together again, she deserved to me made love to in a comfortable bed, not out here in the grass and dirt.

I pressed my forehead to hers.

“I don’t want to miss another minute of your life, Aria.”

“Lucian…”

“Would you ever consider staying here with me? Starting over?”