Love mends even the broken parts
”I am.” Loren agreed with that assessment easily enough. ”Then again, nothing in life ever came easily to me. Well. I was a duke, so that’s not strictly true. But nothing I cared about ever came easily to me.” Glancing at Phoebe, he found his foot tapping before he stilled it. ”So worrying about the future, for myself and others, simply feels more natural to me. Because if I don't, then my future will be bleak.” He shrugged, a slightly sheepish expression on his face.
The chagrin grew, but he forced a cheerful smile onto his lips. ”The most straightforward way, maybe, but not the only way.” The smile stayed, but it had lost even the veneer of joy he’d tried to put on it. ”They do. And you might be right, but I also don’t think you would’ve been at all happy with me. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly an easy person to get along with.” However, he made himself shut his mouth before he made another dumb comment.
He flashed a grin at her, brief but genuine. ”Guilty.” When she made her next statement, though, he frowned, and shook his head sharply. ”What the fuck are you talking about?” His words came out entirely incredulous. Fixing her with his most pointed stare, he crossed his arms, then raised one hand to tick off his fingers. ”Befriending a god. Founding and leading a medical college. Raising three boys.” He tilted his head at her. ”I would hardly say you’re nothing special.” Indeed, his tone indicated just how much he disagreed with that sentiment.
The chagrin grew, but he forced a cheerful smile onto his lips. ”The most straightforward way, maybe, but not the only way.” The smile stayed, but it had lost even the veneer of joy he’d tried to put on it. ”They do. And you might be right, but I also don’t think you would’ve been at all happy with me. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly an easy person to get along with.” However, he made himself shut his mouth before he made another dumb comment.
He flashed a grin at her, brief but genuine. ”Guilty.” When she made her next statement, though, he frowned, and shook his head sharply. ”What the fuck are you talking about?” His words came out entirely incredulous. Fixing her with his most pointed stare, he crossed his arms, then raised one hand to tick off his fingers. ”Befriending a god. Founding and leading a medical college. Raising three boys.” He tilted his head at her. ”I would hardly say you’re nothing special.” Indeed, his tone indicated just how much he disagreed with that sentiment.
loren
