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“So? So what if I am? Aren’t we all trying to make up for something or to create a new memory to erase the old? That doesn’t mean I won’t be good to you and good to him. I swear to you that I will. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“I already know you’ll be good for us. No one’s been to us what you have been. It’s like you swept into our lives and turned them into a fairy tale. But what happens when the story’s over? Then what?”
She pulled one of her hands free to rub at her cheek. He couldn’t see any tears. Didn’t want to. If she was crying and he was the cause, he’d kick his own ass.
“I don’t think we can go back to where we came from,” she continued brokenly. “Not after all…this.”
“You’ve struggled so much. Emotionally, financially. Of course you wouldn’t want to go back to what you knew before. I’ll make sure you never do. You don’t understand how much money I have, and it doesn’t even matter to me. If something happens and this goes south, you and Axl will be protected. I promise you.”
“No. God, no. You think I’m talking about money?” She rubbed her thumb under her eye again and he knew she had to be crying, even if the tears seemed to vanish the second they hit her skin.
More Chloe tricks. She had a million of them. That was how he’d fallen in love with her and her son so fast.
“So tell me what you mean.”
“Of course the money makes life easier. I’ve always worked two and three jobs. I didn’t love it, but working is what I’m good at. I do what is required of me and I provide for my child. He won’t ever have to face what I have. Even though he doesn’t have his father, he’s not going to want for anything,” she said fiercely.
“No. He won’t.” He caressed the knuckles of the hand he still held. “You’ve made sure of that.”
“I was. I’d started to, and then there was you. You’ve already given him experiences he never would have had. He never had anyone who was like a father to him.”
Something akin to hope surged in Michael’s chest. “He had Nick.”
“Nick is a friend to me, and to my son. But he was never like a father. He didn’t tuck him in at night and hold him while he cried.” She let out a watery laugh. “He didn’t tell Axl he was going to use a flamethrower to kill the two-headed monster in his closet.”
“You heard that, huh?” He had to chuckle. “That was a bit of a pop fly, but hey, it seemed to work—hey, hey,” he said as she plastered herself to his chest. “What?” He stroked her hair. “What is it?”
“I could withstand you. It wouldn’t be easy, and I’d probably wish I could punch myself in the face later on. But I could do it. What I can’t withstand is you loving my baby. You wanting to love him, when I was never sure anyone would but me and my Daddy.” She made a muffled sound against his throat. “Snake did. He would have, but God, he died and left us. He made another choice and picked something that was more important to him than me and his kid. I know it wasn’t entirely his fault, but he still did it. And ever since, I’ve been trying not to blame myself for not being enough to save him.”
Michael gripped her shoulders and eased her back though he wanted nothing more but to enfold her in his arms and never let go. But she needed to see his eyes. To know he was being honest. “You can’t save someone else. It’s not possible. You can love someone, and you can stand with them, and you can try to help. At the end of the day, it’s their decision. Yours was to take care of the baby you’d made. You hadn’t planned Axl.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“You never expected him, and he turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to you. Just like that night in Vegas for me. Except I got a two-for-one deal.” He tipped up her chin as it quivered. Her eyes were swimming yet her tears never fell.
She had the biggest balls of anyone he’d ever known. Way bigger than his own.
“He chose drugs. I don’t know all of the particulars of the story, but I know that much. I know he used for a long time, and he gave up the two best people he could have ever had in his life. I won’t. There’s nothing I would ever choose over you or Axl.”
She shook her head. “You could change your mind.”
“Not gonna happen. When I know, I know. You don’t have to know yet, and that’s fine. We have forever to—”
“Haven’t you been listening at all?” Her exasperation made him grin, especially when she followed it up with a swift whack to the gut. “I know, and it scares the hell out of me. Taking a risk that could hurt him is selfish.”
“He’s not going to get hurt. You’re not going to get hurt. Me, on the other hand…” He shook his head. “You just bruised my stomach, Red.”
“You can take it.”
“Probably.” He gripped her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I most likely won’t sue. I wouldn’t mind a couple sexual favors though.”
“I just bet you wouldn’t.” She grinned up at him and slipped her hand behind his neck. His favorite fucking thing in the world was the way she pulled him down to her for a kiss. No matter how many times she did it, every time he got hard as a damn baton. “I suppose that could be arranged—”
The shrill cry had them breaking apart and dashing out of the kitchen toward Axl’s room. They struggled to get out of the kitchen doorway at the same time, then grasped at each’s other clothes to push and shove their way down the hall. Michael stepped into Axl’s room first by a hair and found Axl pointing at his dresser. He wasn’t even crying. “Lego.”
Chloe inched past Michael and scooped up Axl. “The Lego hurt you?”
“No. Lego.” He pointed at the dresser again and Michael kneeled down to look underneath the dresser.
