Chapter Twenty Two - Petyr

Seeing Maria in that beautiful dress that hugged her curves made me forget how to breathe.

She was magnetic, her presence pulled me. Yes, she was you enough to be my daughter – our relationship was probably inappropriate – but as I watched her descend the steps on the front porch, all that did not matter.

Now, as she sat in the passenger's seat beside me, I swallowed.

She was an angel.

“So, where are we going?”

I smiled, “Don’t worry about it, Sirena. It’s a surprise. Something you’d never expect.” I said, teasing.

She looked at me, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly, “A surprise? Petyr, I’m not big on surprises. What if it’s, like, skydiving or something crazy?”

I laughed now, “No skydiving. I promise it’s better than that,”

I reached for her hands, perfect and delicate, my fingers lacing with hers. We remained that way as I drove through the city in silence.

Maria's eyes widened when we pulled up at the Academy of Music. Her hands tightened around mine a