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“I don’t want you to leave, sweetheart. We love having you here. I just don’t want you missing your competition. You work so hard with your horses. The last thing I want is for you to miss anything that might be important,” I tell her honestly.
“No. We are staying. I don’t care about any of that right now. Aria comes first,” Thalia reiterates.
“And that’s fine, bambina. We want you here. With everything up in the air right now, I want all my children where I can see them,” my wife adds.
The door opens, and my head snaps up. Bishop stands on the threshold, my grandson in his arms. “Aria is asking for you.” He looks at Thalia. She smiles, pushes off her chair, and leaves the room. Bishop steps further inside. “Can you watch Baron while I speak with Christian?” he asks my wife.
Elena jumps off my lap, leaving me cold in her wake as she takes our grandson. “Of course.” She takes him from his father, who then looks at me expectantly.
I push to a stand and move toward the door. “The room is down the hall. Follow me.”
Bishop nods and grunts. “Let’s get this over with.”
ChapterThirty-Two
BISHOP
I follow Christian Maxwell down the hall. The tension is thick in the air, and his body language screams hostility. Guards are stationed everywhere on this floor, leaving no room for anyone to get near my princess, and it puts me at ease. Not that Calvin Hastings can hurt Aria anymore. That’s why he had to die. There is no coming back from death, and there will be no further threats from him.
Christian comes to a stop outside a door, pushing it open and stepping inside. Taking a breath because I know whatever he wants to talk about is not going to be good, I trail in after him, closing the door behind me.
Striding to the nearest chair, I take a seat before my gaze meets Christian’s cold one. The look on his face would make most men wither—but I am not most men, and I know I deserve whatever he is about to throw at me.
Without sitting—a calculative move—he starts. “Am I correct in thinking that my daughter being shot has something to do with you?” His tone is accusing, as it should be. Christian Maxwell is one of the smartest men I know, and he did not get to where he is in his life by being stupid.
I sigh, scrubbing a hand down my tired face. “My father. He set the whole thing in motion. And when his plan for me to marry another woman went wrong, he sent the orders to a gunman he hired,” I admit.
Christian glowers at me, his fists balling as his jaw clenches. If I thought that he was mad before, it has nothing on what he is now. “You not only put Thalia in danger in Italy, but you put Aria at risk also?” He seethes the question, but he doesn’t want an answer. “I warned you what would happen if you hurt her again. Now, I want to know everything.”
I grimace at the reminders of both girls getting hurt at my father’s hand. Sighing, I do as he asks. It’s the least I can do. I tell him everything. The ambush. The wedding. The laptop. The gunman. My father’s death. Every little detail from the moment Thalia was taken in Italy to right now, with my princess in the hospital.Everything.
Christian drops down in a chair, staring at me as he runs a hand through his hair. His cold eyes stay fixed on me, but I see a flicker of emotion in them. See the regret he tries to hide. If there is one thing I know about this man, it’s that the safety of his family comes first. He thinks he failed. My chest tightens that I am responsible for him questioning himself, questioning his ability to protect his family. But there is nothing he could have done to stop what happened. Only I could by marrying the woman of my father’s choosing. I didn’t anticipate the lengths Calvin Hastings would go to keep me in line. I should have, considering everything he has done thus far. I just never thought he would resort to trying to assassinate my woman.
“Taking into account everything you just told me, I want you to know that if I had my way, I wouldn’t have you anywhere near my family, but unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury, considering you are the father of my grandson,” he says, and I know he means every word of it.
“I never meant for any of this to happen, Christian,” I tell him honestly. “I was even prepared to marry the girl to save Aria. I would have done anything to keep her safe, even if it meant breaking her heart. Aria and Baron are the most important people in the world to me, and I will do everything in my power to protect them going forward. They are my world. My everything. What happened will never happen again. I know my words mean shit to you, but I will prove it. Every day for the rest of my life, I will prove that I am worthy of them. Of being a part of your family.”
He nods curtly, but I see the doubt in his eyes. Words are not enough. I must prove what I mean with actions. “Going forward, I want you to come to me. If there are any security risks,anythingat all that puts my family in harm’s way. I don’t care what it is or how small. If you think someone looks at Aria the wrong way, I want to hear about it. And in the meantime, I will be keeping a close eye on you. If anything, and I meananything, ever happens to any of my family again, mark my words, I will hold you responsible, and I will have you out of our lives so quick, it will give you whiplash.”
I would kill a man for less than what Christian just said to me. Kill a man for daring to threaten me with my family. But it’s my princess’s father. A man she loves more than anything. A man that is just looking out for his family, just like I want to protect them. So, for that, I can respect where he is coming from. Gritting my teeth, I bite back what I really want to say and instead tell him what he wants to hear, which comes easy because I mean it with every part of my soul.
“I give you my word, no harm will come to either of them. I know I have gone about things the wrong way, but going forward, I will do things right.”
* * *
Two weeks later, Aria is given the green light to leave the hospital. The only times that I have left her side is to go back to her family’s penthouse to sleep and spend time with Baron. Even though I demanded to stay with her at the hospital, my princess insisted that I be with our son. It upset her when she thought about him not understanding why his mama wasn’t at home to bathe him or put him to bed. She cried for a solid hour in my arms. I laid there until her tears dried and my arms were numb, all the while consoling her with soothing words.
Aria’s family have been amazing, not that I would expect anything less. Between her parents, brother, and sister, my princess and son have been well taken care of. Even though Christian and Evan are not sold on me, they have been amicable, supportive, and taken me in as one of their own.
My friends left the city a week ago, and again, I don’t think I could have gotten through this without them. They came through for me in ways I never expected, and I don’t know how I can ever repay them. There are still things in Vegas that need my attention, but for the most part, Ryker and his father are dealing with all that shit and are starting a new order within the brotherhood. I will need to go back and officially hand the gavel over to Walton Vanderbilt, but that can wait for now. My priority is my family.
“I can do it myself.” Aria hisses as I try to help her out of the SUV.
I smirk at her feistiness. No matter what she goes through, she always manages to keep her attitude. “Princess, let me help you. You were shot and just got out of the hospital. I know you are strong and capable, but there is no shame in letting me take care of you. Iwantto look after you. You are mine—you and Baron. And we are going to be a family. Now get used to it and let me help you out, damn it.”
Her eyes narrow in on me. “I am quite competent in helping myself. Now back off and stop crowding me. It’s annoying.”
I sigh and take a step back, allowing her the illusion that I am giving her space. I will humor her, for now. But I refuse to allow her to push me away. It’s not happening. I know she is scared. I know there are still things we need to discuss, but we will get through it.
