CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE SPACE BETWEEN THEM
The rest of the afternoon at the park unfolded more gently than Aria expected.
Eli fell asleep in the car on the way home, head resting against his car seat, tiny snores escaping his lips. Aria's heart melted at the sight—she loved these peaceful moments, the soft ones, the ones that reminded her why every sacrifice had been worth it.
But today, something else tugged at her.
Damien.
He drove with one hand on the steering wheel, posture relaxed, eyes drifting to the rearview mirror every few seconds just to look at Eli. Every time he did it, a quiet ache settled deeper in Aria's chest.
She wasn't supposed to feel this.
Not again.
Not after everything.
But she couldn't ignore it either.
When they reached her apartment building, Damien parked and turned off the engine. Eli stayed asleep, and Damien carefully, almost reverently, lifted him out of the car. Eli instinctively curled into Damien's chest, his small fist gripping the lapel of Damien's jacket.
Something in Damien's face softened so intensely that Aria felt it physically.
He carried Eli inside like he was carrying something fragile, something precious. And in that moment, Aria realized something that terrified her more than anything:
Damien was already in love with his son.
Completely.
Irrevocably.
And there was no going back.
After putting Eli in bed for a nap, Aria stepped quietly out of the room. Damien was standing in the hallway, hands in his pockets, shoulders tense as though he didn't know what to do with himself in this new role.
"He sleeps hard," Aria whispered.
Damien nodded.
"I noticed."
They moved into the living room. Damien stood near the window, Aria near the table. There was a gap between them, both physical and emotional, but the air felt heavy, charged, threaded with unspoken thoughts.
Damien broke the silence.
"Thank you for today."
She nodded.
"You did well."
He huffed a quiet, disbelieving breath.
"I had no idea what I was doing."
"You were great," she corrected softly.
"Eli adores you already."
That hit him harder than she expected. His jaw clenched, and he looked down at his hands.
"I don't deserve that," he murmured.
Aria's breath caught.
Guilt, raw and cutting, ran through his voice.
"You're here now," she whispered.
He looked up.
"That doesn't erase what I missed."
"No," she agreed.
"But it's a start."
He took a step toward her—slowly, cautiously—like he was afraid she'd pull back.
"Aria," he said quietly, "I don't know how to fix the past."
She crossed her arms, not as a defense but to steady herself.
"You can't," she said.
He nodded once—accepting it.
Then another step.
"But I can fix the future," he said, voice low.
"If you let me."
The words pulled something apart inside her. And Damien saw it. He read her fear, her hesitation, her guardedness.
He closed the final distance between them.
Not touching her.
But close.
Close enough that she could feel his warmth, his breath, the heat radiating from him.
"Aria…" he said, softer this time, "I want to do this right."
She swallowed.
"What does that mean?"
He held her gaze—steady, unwavering.
"It means I don't want to be just the occasional father. Or the man who shows up when it's convenient. I want to be in his life every day. I want him to know me. I want him to trust me. I want—"
He hesitated.
"I want to know you again too."
Her pulse jumped.
"Damien—"
"I'm not asking for forgiveness," he said quickly.
"I'm not asking for another chance at us. Not yet. I know I have to earn that."
Her breath trembled.
"But I am asking," he continued, "for the space to try."
The room felt too still, too charged, too full of tension.
Aria stepped back, needing a breath.
Damien didn't move.
He watched her, searching her face with an intensity that unnerved her.
Her voice was quiet when she finally spoke.
"I'm scared."
His brows softened.
"I know."
"What if this goes wrong?" she whispered.
"What if he gets attached and then—"
"I won't leave," Damien said instantly.
"Not this time."
"You can't promise that," she said, voice cracking.
"Yes, I can," he replied, eyes burning with conviction.
"And I just did."
The air tightened.
Her heartbeat thundered.
Damien exhaled, stepped back finally, as if giving her space he knew she needed.
"I'll prove it," he said softly.
"Not with words. With actions."
Aria closed her eyes briefly.
Feeling everything.
Fearing everything.
When she opened them again, Damien was watching her gently.
"Can I come tomorrow?" he asked.
She nodded slowly.
"Yes."
A quiet, relieved breath slipped out of him.
"Good," he murmured.
"Because I didn't want today to be the end."
Aria felt that truth settle deep in her chest.
It wasn't the end.
It was the beginning of something fragile.
Something terrifying.
Something that could break them…
or heal everything.