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Mia put Martha and Reese down for the early morning nap. She looked at her son, and smiled down at his beautiful face with his chubby cheeks. The moment she had seen him, she knew without a doubt that she would do everything to take care of him, to love him.
Next, she moved to Martha. The young girl was a dream to take care of. Rarely did she cry, and she was always smiling and giggling. Again, Mia had grown to love the little girl with her dark curls and shocking green eyes. Without a doubt Martha was going to be a heartbreaker.
“She’s a beautiful girl, isn’t she?” Charlotte asked, moving into the nursery.
“Yes, she is. You must be one proud grandma.”
“Always. I love my children. We often disappoint them, but they have never done so with me.”
Glancing over at the older woman, she saw Charlotte was incredibly pale. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I am fine. I’m just … I’m feeling my age right now, and all of the mistakes that I have made over the years. If Maddox hadn’t been too busy trying to deal with me, none of this would be happening. He’s always such a good man. He needed to keep everything in check, and he didn’t because of me. This is all my fault.”
“Damian explained everything to me. The legacy, what the family does.”
Charlotte nodded. “A lot of women, myself included, find it hard to believe, but I’ve seen it, and I’ve felt it with the way Maddox is with me. There are many times I’m not a very good wife to him. I probably shouldn’t tell you this.”
“You can’t blame yourself for everything. There’s no way that you could have known what those men would do to those women.”
“Maddox would. That’s the point, Mia. My husband has been the head of the Denton family for as long as I can remember. He’s always known and seen when threats are coming. Especially from small time crooks like Westbrook and Ivan. No matter how much you try to make me feel better, there is no changing the fact that this is my fault.”
“Ivan Smith?” Mia asked.
“Yes. That boy’s father.”
Mia reached out and stroked Reese’s cheek. “He won’t be anything like Ivan. I’ve kept him away as often as I could.”
“You’re a good mother, and I would be happy to have you as a daughter-in-law.”
“I think that is a little soon to presume. Damian and I, we’re—I don’t know what we are. I care about him, and when I’m around him, I feel so much happiness.”
“I get that with Maddox, even when he pisses me off and hurts me. I’ve been a damn fool. I was angry with Maddox because of Gabriel, and yet, we weren’t even together. He’d not even seen me, you know? How can I be angry about something that we had no control over? I’m waiting for him to get home, and I will do better.”
Mia moved toward Charlotte, and wrapped her arms around the other woman. “You’re a good mother.”
“You’re a sweet girl. Damian’s about to head out. I will watch them while you say goodbye.”
Mia left the nursery making her way toward the room they had shared. She had woken up this morning with his arms wrapped around her. For a few short seconds, she could pretend that he didn’t have to leave, that there wasn’t a problem. She had closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to wake up with him kissing her, stroking her body. Ivan hadn’t been her only lover. She had a boyfriend before him, and she’d loved sex. It had been good, but she had wanted the passion she had read in so many books. Yes, it was cliched, but what was wrong with wanting something more?
After Ivan she had thought there was no way she could ever feel anything again, and it had been over a year since
it happened. With Damian, it was hard for her to really understand because he was the only person she felt safe with, comfortable to be herself.
Entering the bedroom, she saw him sitting on the bed, holding something in his hand. He looked up toward her as she stepped into the room.
“Your mother said you were leaving. I didn’t want you to go without saying goodbye.” She frowned. “Where are you going?”
“Damage control. Rick wants us talking to some of our suppliers, and to also make it known that we were not responsible for the murder of those two girls. We’re also going to be adding some extra security detail to our places. It’ll help show them we’re back and we’re taking care of our own.”
“That sounds like the right thing to do.”
“Yeah, Rick is the only one who doesn’t have his head up his own ass. I guess being away from his woman is incentive enough to get the job done.”
There was so much she wanted to say, and yet nothing came out of her mouth. He had admitted to being in love with her last night, and now there was silence. “Reese and Martha are settled. We had breakfast, and I took them for a walk around the garden. Martha loves the fresh air, and so does Reese.” Her son was thriving in this new environment. Not only was her son doing well, but she felt a change in herself. For too long she had been afraid of everything and anything, and now it was like she was able to think, to focus, to fight.
“Are we all right?” Damian asked.
“Why wouldn’t we be?”
