Ex-Husband's Regret

Gabe.

"Mom!" I yelled and rushed to her.

She was lying motionlessly on the floor. No one had to tell me that it was the shock of seeing Lilly that caused her to faint. Just like with me, she only had to take one look at those grey eyes to know Lilly was a Wood.

I gently slap her cheek, but it does nothing to wake her up. Sliding one hand under her shoulders, and the other one under her knees, I lifted her into my hands and carried her to the nearest sofa. "Dad! Rowan!" I shouted for them, afraid to leave my mother alone.

"Is she okay?" Lilly asks in a small and vulnerable voice. "Did I do something wrong? Is she unconscious because of me?"

The tears swimming in her eyes were my undoing. In such a short time, she had become embedded in the very fiber of my being. Seeing her crying hurt me. I honestly don't fucking think I've ever loved someone as much as I loved Lilly. Even my own twin couldn't compete in my heart with her.

Before I could answer, Harper stepped in.

"No, darling" she answered as she placed a wet towel on my mom's forehead. I had not even realized that she had gotten one.

"Then why did she faint after seeing me?" Lilly demanded; her eyes firmly fixed on her grandmother.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

"It's just a shock", Harper pulled our daughter into her arms. "Remember how I told you Gabriel didn't know about you? His family also didn't know. She was just shocked to see you, baby. You did nothing wrong."

I pulled her from Harper's arms and into mine, before kissing her forehead. "Your mother is right. You did nothing wrong. Seeing you just came as a surprise to your grandmother."

"What in the hell is going on here?" My dad's booming voice made Lilly jump in fright.

She rushed and moved to hide behind Harper. It was fucking weird seeing this. It's like the confident girl I was used to just disappeared into thin air. My dad has that kind of effect on people. He can be an intimidating bastard when he wants to.

"I asked what the hell is going on here?" he asked again, moving to kneel before my father.

He doesn't seem to have seen Lilly, because his whole focus is on my mother. He ran his finger gently down her cheek, calling her name.

My eyes shift from my wife and daughter to Rowan. His gaze holds questions, but I am not in the fucking mood to answer him yet. Not when Lilly was scared out of her mind and Harper was nervous and anxious.

"Come on darling, open those beautiful eyes," my dad begged, in a very soft voice.

Weirdly enough, it works and my mother's eyes snap opened. Shooting up on the sofa, she grabs my dad arm.

"what happened? Why am I on the

sofa? I was supposed to be in the kitchen" she began while looking at my dad. She then shook her head as if to clear it "I had the strangest dream. Gabriel showed up with a little girl that sort of looked like him. She had the Wood's signature grey eyes."

Fuck. I clamp my mouth shut to stop myself from laughing. It's fucking hilarious even though the matter at hand is serious.

Lilly chose that time to come forward. "Hi, I'm Lilly"

Mom's eyes widened, but thank fuck she didn't faint this time.

"Look, Mark... It wasn't a dream!" Mom then closes her eyes and exhales. "Or maybe it still is. That would explain why she looks like a girl version of Gabriel."

Dad twisted his body to look behind

him, when he heard Lilly's voice. There was no denying the shock that was plastered on his face. His eyes widened in the same way mom's did. They then shifted from Lilly to me and then back. S

"You've got some explaining to do" he all but growled towards me.

"Well, dad didn't know. Mom kept me a secret from him, so you can't really blame him, Grandpa. Is it alright if I call you Grandpa? And don't blame mom. Dad said she had her reasons." Rowan and I stared at Lilly in surprise. Actually, we all do. Way to throw her own mother under the bus.

"Could you please take Lilly to meet her cousins, Rowan?" I asked, almost begging.

I needed to explain things to my

parents. As much as Lilly was trying

to explain things, she totally

butchered that explanation. She

didn't know some things and the last thing wanted was my parents

putting the whole blamarper for missing out on their

granddaughter's life.

"You better start talking, Gabe" Mom and Dad say at the same time.

Mom seemed to have recovered, so it was now or never.

I motioned for them to follow me to the study for some privacy. Taking Harper's hand in mine, I guide her as my parents follow behind us. Once we were all in, I closed the door behind us before helping Harper to sit.

I sat down beside her, then turned to my parents.

"This Harper, my wife, and Lilly is our daughter" I tell them, ripping it off like a band-aid.

It takes a few seconds for the information to load in their brains, and the moment it does, they explode.