“You must be like fifty,” Charlie said, clearly overhearing him.
“Hey,” Merrick scoffed, but Charlie laughed.
“Do you like cars?”
“Do I like cars? Of course I do.” Merrick chuckled. “I restored my 1962 Chevy Impala. If you’re lucky, I’ll bring it by one day.”
“Was that when you were born?”
“Really, kid?” Merrick handed Spade the tablet and reluctantly slid his arm off Giana as he grabbed his phone. “I’ll teach you all you want to know about cars.”
“Okay,” Charlie said, loosening his hold on Francine. He tugged on the hem of Merrick’s jacket as the two bent over the pictures Merrick was showing him. The other woman ducked back inside, now that she had handed off her babysitting duty tothe last person who should be trusted with a child. Actually, that would probably be Spade.
“I guess I’ll go put this in the car while Merrick bonds with his new buddy.” Spade frowned at Giana’s open side like he almost wanted to scoop her up and steal her away.
“I’m going to check in with Liam now that you three aren’t staring daggers at him anymore. There might be some more information about the cameras, and I doubt he’ll be calling Merrick anytime soon.” Francine shook her head, but I didn’t miss the fond smile she gave him as she left.
I tugged Giana over to the wall and leaned against it, holding her comfortably in my arms. She gave me a soft smile and burrowed into my chest.
“Tired?” I ran my hands through her hair as she let loose a low moan of contentment.
“A little,” she said. “Thankfully the next few stops should be straightforward. Just drop off the cash and hit the road. We should hopefully get a few hours of sleep before we have to go out tonight. Plus, now that we have the cameras, we’ll be able to see exactly where they strike.”
I hummed in agreement, watching her as she turned to where Merrick was showing Charlie pictures of cars he’d worked on. A wistful smile curled on her lips while Charlie excitedly went to get his toy cars to show Merrick.
“Have you ever thought about kids?” The question just slipped unbidden from my lips. Hell, I hadn’t even thought about it. We’d been so focused on getting Giana back with us that I hadn’t really thought of the future.
“I never thought I would have a choice,” she said as Charlie returned with his arms filled with toy cars. He showed them to Merrick one at a time, but wouldn’t let him touch them as if they were his prized possessions.
“Tommaso always spoke about children like they were a foregone conclusion, like I didn’t have a choice because he’d need someone to pass on the family business to. But I never wanted to bring a child into that life.” Her eyelids fluttered closed as she drew in a breath. The pain lacing her words sent a pang to my chest.
“It’s hard sometimes to imagine you there with him. I know everything that happened, but still, it’s like my mind doesn’t want to piece together the picture.”
“I get it. Some days it feels like it happened to an entirely different person, that my life was just put on hold until the moment I returned to you two.” She tilted her head to look up at me, her eyes filling with moisture before she blinked it away.
“You can let it out, you know. It’s only been a couple of months,” I said, swiping the single tear away with my thumb. “We know there will still be some things you need to work through, and we’ll be here every step of the way.”
“Have you ever thought about kids?”
“Honestly, no. We were so lost when you left. Then we were focused on building an army to take on the Barones. I barely allowed myself to imagine what would happen if we got you back. But having you here with us, knowing the truth, that you’d gone with him to save us, it’s better than I ever could’ve pictured.”
Her lips softly brushed mine, the light touch teasing and tender. “I never let myself imagine it either. I can honestly say that the reality far exceeds even my wildest dreams.”
We held each other for a minute and lapsed into a comfortable silence, just soaking in each other’s love.
“I really don’t know if I want to bring a child into this world right now.” Giana’s brows furrowed. “The world is such a dark and dangerous place, especially for us. Even after we bringAngelo down, we’ll still have a target on our backs for anyone looking to fill the power void left.”
“I agree.” I kissed her forehead. “Either way, it’s your choice; none of us will ever pressure you. Besides, I want to make you my wife first, or whatever marriage ceremony we can come up with for one bride and three grooms.”
Her amber eyes lit up. “Really?”
“The fact that you even have to question that means we aren’t doing our job right.” I held her gaze, pinning her with the vehemence ringing through my every word. “You’re it for us, little devil. I want you forever, and I won’t settle for even a day less.”
I slammed my lips onto hers, devouring her with a frenzied kiss she returned with just as much fervor.
“Eww,” Charlie whined. “They’re kissing.”
Giana giggled as we broke apart, and I had to suppress my annoyance at Merrick. He really couldn’t have kept the kid occupied for a few more minutes?
