AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You want me to take your husband into my meeting with Bruno and Victor?” he asked.
“I do. Why is that so shocking?” she asked.
“He’s old school, sis,” Bowie said. “He still believes in some of the old ways.”
“He’s been coming around to the new ways, Bowie,” she insisted. “I guess that being married to me has helped to change him. Besides, he’s got a stake in all of this. He’ll want to keep me and our daughter safe and if that means playing nice with the new kids on the block, he’ll do it.” Bowie had to admit—it would be nice to have another guy there to help cover his back. The more families that were involved in this meeting, the more headway they might gain in ending the feuding between the syndicates.
“Fine, Rock can tag along,” he grumbled.
“Gee, thanks,” she sassed, “but, maybe shouldn’t say it like that in front of him. He doesn’t like feeling like a third wheel.”
“Fine, I’ll let you tell him that he can tag along with me and Carter,” Bowie teased.
“Yeah, I think that might be for the best,” Darcy agreed. “Now, how about you introduce me to your new girlfriend? Then, I’ll wake up your niece to meet you.” He wasn’t about to correct her when she called Eden his girlfriend. In fact, he hoped that the more other people called her that, it would somehow make it true. “Girlfriend” had a nice ring to it.
Eden
She and Bowie spent the rest of the evening playing with his niece and hanging out with his family. She liked the way that he and his sister seemed to slip right back into their tight-knit relationship. She loved the hope that she saw in Bowie’s eyes every time he looked at his sister and her family. But most of all, she loved watching him with his niece. It made her wonder if he wanted kids someday. Hell, she wondered if he might want kids with her someday, but they were nowhere near ready to talk about stuff like that.
After they said their goodbyes, he asked her if she was still good with going to his place for the night. She had wondered if he’d still want company, after his afternoon with his family. Hell, she was second-guessing everything about the two of them being together.
“You seem a bit nervous,” he said, pulling her hand into his own. “Have you changed your mind about coming back to my place?”
“No,” she quickly admitted. “Honestly, I was just wondering if you would still want me to come back home with you. Today has been a busy day and I wouldn’t blame you for changing your mind. I’m sure that you’re tired.”
“I am, but I’ll be fine. I still want you to come back to my place,” he said, “if that’s what you want.”
“I want that too,” she said. Eden wasn’t sure if she should ask her next question but seeing Bowie with his family had her wondering so many things. “You were really cute with your niece.”
“I’ve waited over a year to meet her,” he said. “I guess I had a lot of missed time to make up. She’s pretty cute though.”
“Have you ever thought about having kids of your own someday?” she timidly asked.
“Um, sure,” he said. “Not a whole lot, but I’ve let myself wonder what it might be like to have a family and kids—just like Darcy and Rock. I just never thought that it would happen to me though. Not in my line of work, you know?”
“I see,” she said, even though she didn’t see at all. “You don’t think you deserve the same happiness as your sister because you’re the head of the Wrath Syndicate?” she asked.
He shrugged, “Basically,” he admitted. “I mean, look at my family. My mother died when my sister and I were just kids. And my father—well, he didn’t have time to really be much of one since he was out killing people and trying to be best friends with the wrong people. He knew that he was getting into an alliance that would end up screwing him, he just didn’t care. Honestly, I should be thanking the Gluttony family because they did me a favor. I thought that I’d have to wait for my old man to kick the bucket before being able to take the family in a different direction. I can promise you that I won’t be honoring the alliances that my father made with the Gluttony and Sloth families. It’s time that I do things my way, and if that means that I have to give up having a family, then so be it.”
“That sounds like a pretty lonely way to live, Bowie,” Eden said. She had her answer though, even if she didn’t like it at all.
He shrugged, “Maybe, but until I know that I can keep those around me safe, I’m sticking by my answer.” They rode in silence over to his place. His home was in a gated community and the house wasn’t as modest or small as Bowie said it was.
“Your house is huge, Bowie,” she breathed.
He parked in the garage and looked around. “You think?” he asked. “I’ve always considered it to be small. I guess compared to my parent’s home, it is small.”
“Where did you grow up?” she asked.
“I’ll take you by some time. Since my father’s death, I haven’t thought about going over there. I left the clean up and all of that to my men.” He hadn’t really talked about his father’s death or his childhood with her, but she didn’t want to pry. It felt like an invasion. If Bowie wanted to share the details with her, he would.
“What will you do with the house, now that your father is gone?” she asked.
“Darcy and I spoke briefly about that tonight, and I think that we’re going to sell it. She has her home with Rock and it’s a great place. I don’t want to live in my childhood home. There are too many bad memories there for me.”
“Understandable,” she said.
“Plus, I really like my home. I mean, I could use some help in the décor department, but it feels like home to me, you know?” She didn’t know how that would feel.
