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“And a background check, if he hasn’t already done that,” Raphael adds.
I have no doubt he already did that following this morning's interrogation. But I’m not ready to think about what the results of it might mean just yet.
Just then, I hear a shout followed by a crash. In a second, all three of us rush out of the room and hurry into the living room with our guns drawn. My penthouse is a fortress, but if someone has broken in, their life is now forfeit. But as soon as I see what’s in front of me, I quickly holster my gun because there's no danger. Not unless you consider a little baby boy with red hair and light hazel eyes a threat.
21
Rose
Gabriella is…a lot, but I still like her right away. I’m certain, given the chance, we could be great friends. Along with her abundant energy, she’s also sweet and kind, with a witty humor that reminds me so much of my sister and my best friend. Thinking about them now makes my heart ache, and I feel guilty because I’ve had little time to think about the pair. My thoughts are consumed with Liam and Michael when I'm not sleeping, leaving little room for anything else.
Evie must be losing her mind trying to find me. But I also want to know why she didn’t get Liam. Learning he was still with Anette has me worried that something may have happened to Evie that prevented her from retrieving Liam. And Grace? Who knows what lies our father has told her? It’s hard knowing I’m back in Miami, so close to my sister, yet…so far away.
“So I have to know,” Gabriella says, pulling me from my thoughts. “Did Michael really screw your brains out in the bathroom at Sinners?”
I’m taken aback by her bluntness, but I also admire her lack of beating around the bush. Still though, I nearly choke on my sip of tea when she asks it. With a small chuckle, I say, “Makes me sound a bit like a slut, huh?”
Gabriella laughs then and waves away my question. “Nonsense. I think it sounds rather romantic.”
“How is any of that romantic?”
“How is it not? You two locked eyes across the dance floor and shared an instant connection of intense, fiery passion,” Gabriella preaches with a wistful smile. “It’s like something out of a movie.”
“Well, when you put it that way.”
The elevator pings, and we both turn toward the hallway.
“Who could that be?” Gabriella wonders out loud.
But I know. Call it mother’s intuition or whatever you want, but somehow, I just know. I spring up, my teacup crashing to the floor before I run around the couch, ignoring my body’s painful protests. The only medicine I need now is a ten-pound baby boy.
Just then, the man I met on FaceTime appears around the corner. He’s carrying a car seat in one hand and a diaper bag in the other. Dominic has barely set the car seat down before I’m unbuckling the sleeping baby and scooping him into my arms. I know they say you should never wake a sleeping baby, but whoever said that must have never spent a week apart from their kid. So what do they know?
Liam opens his eyes and yawns really big, scrunching his face up before he notices me and giggles. If that’s not the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard, then I don’t know what is. My eyes scan him over, checking for any signs of bruises or cuts, but I find none. He looks perfectly fine, dressed in a sleep-and-play onesie decorated with little forest creatures. I remove the blue beanie covering his beautiful light red hair and lean down to kiss the soft locks, savoring his unique baby smell. Liam’s warm and solid and safe back in my arms where he belongs.
“Is that him?” Michael asks from behind me. “Is that Liam?”
I turn, cradling my cooing, happy son to my chest, and meet Michael’s curious and hesitant expression. Taking a step forward, I notice Michael tense up, but he doesn’t retreat, which I count as a win. There’s still uncertainty in his eyes, but I understand. The man has become a father practically overnight. That’s a lot for anyone to process and accept.
“It is.” I stop in front of him and wait. I don’t want to push him. Instead, I shift Liam in my arms so that they can see each other.
Michael’s eyes drop to the baby, and they just stare at one another for a long moment. Then Liam reaches out with a hand to his father, smiling and giggling as he does, and I watch the tension melt away from Michael’s body.
“May I hold him?”
“Of course.”
Liam looks so small in Michael’s arms but also so right, and my heart threatens to burst at the sight. A sight I never thought I would get to see. Watching Michael interact with his son is extremely attractive and does something to my ovaries that has me telling the damn things to cool down.
“He’s real,” Michael breathes, staring down in wonder at the baby in his arms. “He’s really real.”
“Of course, he is. I had to deal with the angry mini-Michael all damn day, and let me tell you—” Dominic complains loud enough to break the endearing moment, which earns him a slap upside the head from Gabriella.
“Language, you big idiot.”
Rubbing his head, Dominic turns on her and scowls. “He’s a baby, Gabriella. He can’t even speak yet.”
“But he can hear, and babies are practically sponges,” Gabriella argues.
