CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE UNEXPECTED INVITATION
Aria didn't hear from Damien the next morning.
Not a call.
Not a message.
Not even the usual morning knock she had started secretly expecting.
The silence unsettled her in a way she didn't want to analyze. It wasn't fear that he had disappeared—Damien had already proven, again and again, that he wasn't going anywhere.
It was the opposite.
The quiet made her realize how quickly she had grown used to him being around.
Eli, however, did not worry at all.
"Daddy's coming today," he said confidently over breakfast, swinging his legs beneath the table. "Daddy said he won't miss days again."
Aria forced a smile.
"We'll see, sweetheart."
But deep down… she believed it too.
By noon, Aria was folding laundry when her phone buzzed. She recognized the name before she picked it up.
Damien.
Her pulse jumped.
"Hi," she said, trying to sound normal.
"Hi," he replied—his voice smooth but slightly strained, like he wasn't entirely calm himself. "I'm sorry for the late notice. I had a morning meeting."
"That's fine."
"I'm coming in about twenty minutes."
Aria blinked.
"Twenty?"
"Unless you need longer."
"No," she said quickly. "Twenty is fine."
"Okay." His voice softened. "See you soon, Aria."
The call ended, but the effect lingered.
Her heart didn't stop rushing for several breaths.
She wasn't prepared for him.
Or the way he made everything feel like shifting ground beneath her feet.
But she had no choice.
Damien was already on his way.
He arrived with a soft knock, dressed in tailored charcoal slacks and a deep navy shirt that made his eyes look sharper, brighter. Eli flew into his arms instantly, talking so fast that Damien laughed—a genuine, warm sound Aria felt in her chest.
After a few minutes of excited chatter, Damien finally looked at her.
"Hi," he said, voice gentler than his appearance.
"Hi."
"You look tired."
"And you look like you just stepped off a magazine cover," she muttered.
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It wasn't one."
His smirk deepened.
"Sure it wasn't."
She rolled her eyes, but heat crept up her neck anyway.
Damien glanced at Eli, who was now sorting toy cars on the floor, humming to himself.
"I wanted to ask you something," Damien said quietly.
Aria stiffened.
"What is it?"
"Tonight, my mother is hosting a small dinner. Family only." He paused. "I want to bring Eli."
Aria's breath stopped.
"Your mother?" she repeated.
"Yes."
"Damien…" she whispered. "She doesn't even know he exists."
"I know."
Aria pressed her hand to her forehead.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"Why not?"
"Because she'll be shocked. Because she'll ask questions. Because that's a big, emotional moment for a child. Because Eli barely knows you, and meeting an entire new family in one night could overwhelm him. Because—"
"Aria."
He stepped closer, cutting her spiraling thoughts short.
"You don't have to come if you're not comfortable."
She blinked.
"What?"
"I mean," Damien continued carefully, "you're welcome to come. More than welcome. But I understand if you need time."
Her heart tensed.
"Damien, he's three. You can't just take him somewhere new without me."
"I didn't say without you."
His voice softened.
"I asked you to come with us."
Her pulse fluttered.
He held her gaze, earnest and steady.
"I want my family to know him," Damien said.
"To see him. To accept him. To make room for him."
Aria looked toward Eli, who was happily lining up his bright red and yellow cars in perfect rows.
He had no idea his entire world was shifting.
"I don't know if they'll accept him," she said quietly.
"Then that's their problem," Damien replied immediately.
"And I'll deal with it."
Her breath stalled.
He meant that.
Truly meant it.
"Aria," he said softly, stepping even closer, "I want my mother to meet the grandson she never knew she had."
Her eyes stung.
He hesitated, then added in a low, sincere voice:
"And I want her to meet the woman I never stopped thinking about."
Aria's heart twisted painfully.
"Damien…" she whispered. "Please don't say things like that."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know what you want from me."
Damien leaned in, close enough that she could feel his breath against her cheek.
"I want time," he said quietly.
"To prove myself. To show you that I'm not the man I used to be. To earn a place in your life—not because of Eli, but because of you."
Her breath tightened.
"And tonight," he added, "is the first step."
Silence pressed between them.
Heavy.
Hot.
Dangerous.
After several seconds, Aria nodded slowly—almost painfully.
"Okay," she whispered.
"We'll go."
Damien exhaled a breath of relief so genuine it shook her.
He didn't touch her.
But he didn't need to.
The shift between them was unmistakable.
Tonight, everything would change.
For all of them.