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Sighing, he says, “Come inside. They are waiting for you.”
Stepping over the threshold, Christian closes the door behind me, then moves down the hall, toward the lounge. Stopping outside, he waves his arm for me to go inside. “Go ahead.” I do as he says and step forward, only to freeze on the threshold when I spot my princess on the couch, bouncing the most beautiful boy I have ever seen on her lap. He squeals in delight, his eyes—so like mine—coming up and landing on me. In that moment, everything stops. All the air leaves my lungs. My heart constricts painfully in my chest. My legs buckle.
My son.
I am staring at my son.
A soft female voice drags me out of my daze, and my gaze snaps up, landing on Aria as she stands. “Bishop? Are you okay?”
My throat turns thick. Now that is the million-dollar question. Am I okay? No. Not really. But I won’t tell her that. Moving towardmy family, I push all my anxiety away and focus on this moment. “Better than okay.” I come to a stop in front of them. I stare at Baron, studying his face and taking it all in. He has my eyes, Aria’s nose, and a smattering of dark hair on his head. A perfect mix of us both. “Can I hold him?” I choke out as emotion hits me.
I see my princess in my peripheral vision, searching my face, but I don’t take my gaze off my son. “Of course,” she finally answers softly, handing him over to me.
Taking him in my arms, everything falls into place. I am home. With my son in my arms and my girl by my side, I know this is all I will ever need, and I will do anything in my power to protect them both. Even if that means killing my father. “He is beautiful,” I whisper, then chuckle when he reaches up with his chubby hand and grips my hair. He babbles something as he pulls at the dark strands, and I hold him tighter, my nose dropping to his neck as I breathe him in. He is amazing.
Squirming, he tries to wriggle out of my hold. I pull back, and Baron stares at me almost in confusion. A tear that I was holding leaks from my eye and down my cheek as I think about how much I have missed of his life.
“Bishop?” Aria whispers.
Glancing over at her, I find her watching us with a look I can’t quite decipher in her eyes. “Yeah?”
She swallows, her eyes meeting mine. “Would you like a drink?”
I nod. “Water is fine. Thank you.”
She looks between me and Baron, and as if deciding it’s safe to leave us alone, she walks out of the room. Dropping down on the couch, I get Baron situated on my lap, then grab the blue, soft toy with his name on it out of my pocket. “This is for you, son…” I trail off choking on the word. “Even when I am not here, I will be with you. I love you.” I press a kiss to his soft forehead. Baron squeals and yanks the stuffed toy out of hand. It immediately goes into his mouth as he chews down on it. “It’s not for eating,” I laugh, then startle at the sound of Aria’s voice.
“He is teething right now, which means he is chewing on everything he gets his hands on.” She smiles down at him, a look of pride on her face. It’s obvious how much she loves our son.
My brows scrunch in confusion. I am not quite sure what it means. I have never had anything to do with babies or children, so all this is a first for me. “Teething?”
She smiles with no judgment. “He has his teeth coming through, which is why he has a small rash there.” She sits beside me and points out the faint mark. “And is dribbling.” She grins at Baron, then tickles his sides making him giggle. “But you are still such a happy boy, aren’t you, baby?” I watch, enraptured by how she interacts with him. She looks at him with so much love in her eyes, that if he wasn’t our son, I would be jealous.
Sensing my eyes on her, Aria stops her tickles, her eyes meeting mine. She blushes, no doubt at the way I am looking at her. “What?”
I smile. “I just like seeing you with him. I like being here with you both.”
Pain flashes across her face and in her beautiful eyes before she covers it. My chest constricts because I’m the cause of all her pain. Without thinking, I lean forward and press a kiss to her lips. Aria startles, her eyes widening before she pulls back and jumps off the couch.
“Don’t,” she warns. I shake my head in exasperation, bringing Baron in close as if she is about to take him away from me. “You are here for him.” She jerks her head at our son. “I told you already. You and I are done. I won’t keep you from him, but that is as far as our relationship goes. Co-parenting. Nothing more.” Her voice is low so as not to alert Baron that something is wrong.
Shuffling Baron into one arm, I run a hand through my hair. “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. I was caught in the moment.” I am trying to placate her, but I am not sorry. Not one bit. Aria is wrong when she says we are done. I will get her back, even it’s the last thing I do. There is no other way. We are a family. And I mean that in every sense of the word.
Aria Maxwell belongs to me—whether she knows it or not. She will soon find out.
Turning to face my now sleepy boy in my arms, I focus on him. I talk to him—not that he understands me—cradling him until he falls asleep, and when that happens, I finally look at my princess. “Can I put him down in his crib?”
Aria nods. “Sure. Follow me.” Pushing off the couch, I follow her out of the lounge, up the stairs, and down the hall where I know her bedroom is. She comes to a stop at the door opposite, and when she opens it, I can’t believe what I see.
My son’s nursery. Perfectly designed—not that I would expect any different when he is half Maxwell—in yellow and grays, with top-of-the-line furnishings and his name written in 3D above his crib. The room is everything. Fit for a king. And I guess that’s what my little man is. Not only royalty from his mama’s side but also from mine.
Striding to his cot, I place him inside as gently as I can so as not to disturb him. he wriggles a little but soon settles. I stare down at him in awe. I still can’t believe I made something so perfect.
When I feel Aria step up beside me, I turn to her and say, “Can I stay until he wakes?” She shifts on her feet, and I know she wants to say no, but I am not above begging. “Please. I will stay out of your way. I can wait in here.” I jerk my head toward the rocking chair in the corner.
“Okay. I will be in my room. I have a monitor if he wakes. He will be due a feed then.”
I smile, grateful she is allowing this. “Thank you.”
