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We parted, our eyes locking once again, and Mariah smiled. “Let’s go see how our girl is doing.”
Our girl. She was always calling Sofia that these days, and it only made me love her more. Sofia was ours in every way that counted. We were our own little family unit now. I’d pushed the custody suit to the back of my mind these past weeks as we dealt with Tomas, but the truth of the matter was it was quickly approaching. We’d soon have to face the Hawthornes in a courtroom.
It took a while to traverse our way back down the trail, but as we finally emerged in the clearing and strolled back toward the house, a surprising sense of tranquility washed over me. Despite the looming threat of Tomas, these fleeting moments held extraordinary significance.
They were what we were fighting for.
“Mariah,” I said, pausing and drawing her closer to me. “I hope you know how much I appreciate you. Your strength, your unwavering faith, every challenge you’ve faced head-on.” I shook my head. “I can’t explain how grateful I am that you’re in my life.”
Surprise flickered in her eyes, quickly replaced by overwhelming warmth. Her smile was soft, radiant, filling me with such deep love that I hadn’t even known I was capable of before she came into my life. I pressed my lips to hers in another tender kiss, a silent vow that I’d go to the ends of the earth for her.
As we drew nearer to the alpha mansion, its three-story brick facade stood out among the other homes in the clearing. The late afternoon sunlight glinted off the windows like a beacon, calling us home, and the white columns framing the entrance looked so familiar. Some days it didn’t feel as if I’d been gone for half my life.
When we came around the house, we found Abi perched on the edge of the back porch, deep in conversation with the youngest member of our little family. Her attention was solely focused on Sofia, the little girl who, at seven months old, was fast transforming from an infant into a bundle of energy and joy. She was more responsive, her gurgling babbles slowly taking the shape of what would soon be recognizable words. Her chubby little hands were becoming more dexterous, eagerly reaching out to explore the world around her, and her features, once a picture of innocent naivety, were now expressing her unique personality.
Sofia’s squeal of delight when she caught sight of us approaching rippled through the quiet afternoon, her happiness softening the tension in the air. Her bright hazel eyes sparkled with excitement, her tiny hands reaching out, fingers opening and closing. Mariah bent down to oblige, gathering Sofia in her arms.
“And how have you been, little one?” Their bond felt so palpable. Sofia’s wide grin spread across her face, her giggles floating in the air as Mariah showered her with kisses and tickles. Sofia’s gaze shifted to meet mine. In those eyes, I saw a world of hope and love as her smile broadened. Then, so clearly and distinctly that there was no mistaking it, she made a sound that took us all completely by surprise.
“Dada,” Sofia babbled, stretching her hands out and reaching for me.
The shock of hearing my little girl’s first word rooted me to the spot as my jaw dropped. All my worries seemed to fade away, and a thrill of pure joy coursed through me. My daughter, our daughter, had just said her first word.
And it was my name.
Looking at Mariah, I found the same surprise and joy in her eyes. There was something profoundly moving there, a mixture of pride, love, and a hint of overwhelming emotion.
Beside us, Abi was marveling at Sofia’s first spoken word. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open in surprise, her usual composure thrown off-balance by this significant moment. “Well, would you look at that!”
Sofia had spoken her first word, and it was the name that bound us together. The name that signified a role I was only beginning to fully comprehend: Dada.
In that moment, everything else was insignificant. My concerns about Jax, the fear surrounding Tomas, even the complex politics of the shifter world and what they meant for my future—they were all background noise compared to Sofia's milestone.
Mariah passed Sofia to me, and as we stood there together, a renewed sense of determination hardened within me. This was what mattered. Our little family. More than ever, I wanted to rid us of the threat the Hawthornes posed, to start our life anew, to claim Mariah as my mate, and create the life of our dreams. But first, Tomas had to be handled.
Sofia giggled, reaching up and touching my face. “Dada.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, vowing to stop at nothing to ensure our family’s safety.
Chapter 2
Mariah
I held my phone, my stomach twisting in knots as I stared at Analise’s name. My finger hovered over the screen, and I hesitated before I took a deep, deep breath. This wouldn’t be an easy call for a multitude of reasons.
Analise was going to lose her shit when she learned everything that’d happened in the past couple of weeks. I really wasn’t looking forward to rehashing it, either. The memories of my kidnapping were still so fresh, and while the initial trauma was subsiding more with each passing day, Tomas Hawthorne still haunted my nightmares.
The man was greedy, power hungry, and held no moral code, and until he was no longer a threat, there’d be a part of me that remained on edge.
I couldn’t keep putting Analise off, though. I’d avoided her calls for a week now, only communicating by text that I was coming down to Texas to support Evan while he dealt with some family business. She’d already had her doubts about my being with Evan, and telling her his mortal enemy kidnapped me would seal the deal on her disapproval. My thoughts drifted back to my conversation with Evan earlier.
“Analise cornered me at the club last night,” Mason had told us when he’d called this morning for his regular updates with Evan. “She’s demanding to know what’s going on.”
Sofia and I were up in the third-floor office that Sebastian had converted for Evan to work remotely in while we stayed on the Carey clan lands. I wasn’t sure how long we’d be here, but Evan still had business to attend to. While Mason could oversee the day-to-day management of the Dragon’s Den and their other clubs back in New York City, Evan was required in many of the high-level decisions. He held meetings most mornings in the converted office down the hall from Sebastian.
“What did you tell her?” Evan looked at me and put the phone on speaker.
Mason sighed. “I tried to brush off her concerns, but she’s been paying attention. She noticed how we upped security at the club and asked what that was about. I told her it was because of an increase in crimes in the area. She didn’t buy it, but I didn’t think it would go over well I if I told her we were afraid Tomas might decide to make it a target.”
