Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 418

I paused, letting the weight of it settle. "I am telling you this because I believe you are a man who can do something about it. Pat will be going there tomorrow. If you truly care about her, this is your chance to be her knight in shining armor. Show up, Kingsley. Stand beside her. Let her family see, for once in her life, what she is worth."

"Do you have the address?"

"I will send it to you in the morning."

"Send it tonight." His voice was tight now, all that careful calm burned away. "I do not want to waste a single hour I could be using to prepare."

I smiled to myself. "Very well. The address will be in your phone before you wake up."

"Celeste." He said my name like he was making a vow. "Thank you. I will not let her down. I swear to you, I will not let her down."

"See that you do not. Good night, Kingsley."

"Good night."

I ended the call and sat there for a moment, the phone warm in my hand, thinking about how much I had just gambled on a man who had once broken my best friend. But I had heard the truth in his voice, and I believed that a man could be the worst thing that ever happened to someone and still spend the rest of his life trying to be the best. I did not tell him about the pregnancy. That was not my secret to tell. Pat would share it when she was ready, and I would be standing behind her when she did.

I checked the time and opened my phone to call Dominic, and that was when I heard the click of the lock and the soft swing of the front door. I was off the bed before I knew I had moved, crossing the room and down the stairs, and there he was, shrugging out of his jacket, tired lines around his eyes, and the sight of him undid something in me I had not known was wound so tight.

I threw myself at him, and he caught me with a laugh that turned into an oomph as my arms locked around his neck. "You missed me that much?"

He smiled and pressed his forehead to mine. "I am glad she is settling in."

"You must be exhausted. Go shower, and I will heat something up for you."

He raised an eyebrow, a hint of mischief cutting through the tiredness. "I have been gone for hours, and the first thing you want me to do is shower?"

"The second thing." I patted his chest and stepped back. "The first thing was the kiss. Now go, before you fall asleep standing up."

He laughed and headed upstairs, and I went to the kitchen and put together a proper meal, something warm and quick, and by the time he came down in a fresh shirt with damp hair he was already looking more human. We sat across from each other at the marble island, and I watched him eat for a while before I asked the question that had been sitting on my tongue since he walked in.