Page 37 of Protective Phlox

“Yes,” I said. He’d been imprisoned and tortured every day since I brought him to my cells.

“Can I see him?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said, and she sighed.

“Nathan, I’ve never been able to let the death of my sister go.”

“And nothing good will come of you asking him why he did what he did. It won’t change the fact that he assaulted her and then killed her.”

Savannah looked at me, our eyes locking, and I could see the strength in her stare. “I know that, but I need the closure. I want to look him in the eyes and tell him that it was me who decided to let him rot in your cells. I’m not looking to save him or change your mind. I don’t care what you’ve done to him. Not anymore.”

“You’re sure about this?” She nodded, and even though it was against my better judgment, I nodded. “Fine, I’ll make the arrangements, but Savannah, you cannot ever ask me to let him go. I won’t do it, and I won’t fight with you about it. He is mine until I choose to end his life, which could be tomorrow, next year, or ten years from now. Understand?”

Savannah stood and held her hand out to me. “Yes, I understand. Now, let’s get you cleaned up, and if Cutter is still awake, you can say goodnight.”

Taking her hand, I stood and pulled her into my arms before she could walk away. “I scared him, didn’t I?” She looked away, and that was all the answer I needed. “Fuck, I am turning into my father.”

Savannah shocked me to my core as she snatched my jaw and squeezed hard, forcing me to face her furious stare.

“Don’t ever say that again. You’re nothing like that man, and you never will be, do you hear me? From this moment on, you’re no longer his son, he doesn’t deserve you, and I will kill him before he ever turns you into the cold-hearted piece of shit that he is. I let my fear of what he would do make a decision that affected us and Cutter. I’ll never let him do that to me again, and neither will you. Yes?” She nodded her head, and I smirked. Grabbing her wrist, I freed my chin before dropping my mouth to hers.

“I fucking love it when you’re like this, it’s so hot.” I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth. “Mmmm, I want to lay you out on the mats and fuck you right here.”

“Cutter first, shower second. But I’ll join you in the shower,” she said as her hand slid down over my thickening cock.

“You keep doing that, and we’re not making it upstairs, let alone the shower.” She laughed and removed her hand. “Who’s with Cutter?”

“Titus.” I stiffened. “Relax, he brought Hailey and Holly to spend the night with Cutter. I think he might have been looking for you, but he offered to read to Cutter while I came to find you.”

Nodding, I grabbed my shirt and jacket before taking Savannah’s hand and walking out the door. “Just so you know, it’s not that I don’t trust Titus with Cutter. It’s just….”

“You don’t want him to accidentally come between you and Cutter when you’re just getting to know one another. I understand. But I have to tell you, I think it’s Hailey and Holly that you’ll have to compete with for Cutter’s heart, not Titus,” she said, making me smile.

I pulled her to a halt. Savannah looked at me and then around in confusion. “You’re beautiful,” was what I said, but in my heart, it was so much more. I knew that not just anyone would be taking everything that had happened so well. Despite everything and the challenges that still lay between us, I’d never felt more in step with anyone in my life.

“I love you, too,” she whispered, and another wound marring my heart healed. With each word and soft touch, she was slowly putting me back together.

Chapter

Fifteen

SAVANNAH

It had been a long three weeks of bickering, and not just with Nathan. My mother was relentless in wanting me to come home. She wouldn’t let up no matter how many times I said that I didn’t know when I’d be able to visit. It didn’t help that there was no good excuse. It wasn’t like I could tell her I had married into the mafia, and there was a hit on me for work I’d done with the FBI. Nathan still hadn’t been able to reach Cesare. He would’ve gone to see him, but I didn’t want him risking his life heading to Louisiana. It felt like a trap.

At least Nathan and I had finally agreed on the place we wanted Cutter to attend school next year. The school he’d been in back in Italy was for all ages and even had a daycare, so I was able to drop him off to go to work almost from the beginning. But things were different here, and he wasn’t even eligible for kindergarten until he turned five.

“As you can see, we have the very best in everything so our students get the attention they deserve. We keep class sizes at a max of ten students, and we do initial testing to see what type of learning style Cutter excels in. We then marry him up with a class that fits him and tailor the program for his individual needs,” Dean Montgomery said as he let us peek into a classroom in session.

“So, he will be in kindergarten with his peers, still learning what the other kids are, just differently or more if needed,” I asked.

“Precisely. We would place Cutter in a gifted program and adjust how much we assign so he can learn at his pace. He could very well receive classwork from one to three grades higher, but we must be cognizant not to push him past his emotional or social capabilities. It’s not fair to expect that he acts as if he’s eight when he will only be five next year. Plus, if we moved Cutter up in grade level, he would always be the youngest, and intended or not, that could make him feel like an outcast amongst his peers.”

“Agreed, I want him to be able to make friends. He’s had trouble with that so far, and I don’t want him to go through school feeling left out,” I said.

“We don’t want that either. As I said, we will match Cutter with kids who learn the same way and at the same pace so he doesn’t have to hide who he is, how smart he is, or if he is struggling.”

“I like that. Cutter loves languages and picks them up easily,” I said, watching as Cutter walked down the hall, peering into each open doorway he reached.