by Zavi James
The rain had started to ease, making it easier to drive but I gripped the wheel a little tighter. The next words would send a ripple in our already unstable waters. “He made me an offer.”
A brief silence before curiosity got the better of him. “What kind of offer?”
“He’d look after me and the baby if I agreed to help him get that power. If I agreed to marry him. He’s pretty hell bent on getting me to agree. I got paraded at church like a prize cow and I’m sure everyone thinks that this baby is his.”
I had expected for Luc to yell but he was silent as I took the turning that he had told me earlier. “And what did you tell him?” Luc asked, surprisingly steady.
“I told him no and he told me to think it over,” I responded honestly. “I told him I’d give him an answer when I got back from the christening, which is what we were arguing about before I got into the car this morning. I’ve no intention of marrying Gabriel but I have every intention of staying alive as long as I can.”
“You’ve been playing him.”
“I’ve been trying to. I’m not sure I’ve been very successful. He seems to always have something planned out that I haven’t thought of.”
“Pull up here.”
I did as he asked, pulling up outside a large house concealed behind gates. “What are we doing here?” The neighborhood wasn’t one I was familiar with.
“I wanted to ask you something.”
“That you couldn’t ask me at home?”
“No.” Luc unbuckled his belt a leaned toward me. “The house, Mia. What do you think of it?”
“It’s nice,” I answered him. Nice was an understatement. It was larger than Luc’s place and modern in its design, a brilliant white with sharp edges and plenty of space. Anyone who lived here would have more money than sense. This was the kind of house you expected to see celebrities and socialites totter out of in heels high enough they could break their necks.
Luc laughed before asking, “Nice enough to raise a family in?”
My head snapped back in his direction as his words sunk in. “You haven’t.” If there was one word to describe Luc, impulsive would have covered it.
“Not yet. I’ve been looking for somewhere for you and the baby. Somewhere spacious and close to family. You’d be near Dante here. Whether that’s a blessing or a curse would be for you to decide.”
“How long have you been looking?”
He looked me in the eye. “Since I found out you were pregnant.”
Duty bound Luc above anything else. He may have been blinded with rage at my actions but the fact he had a child on the way had pushed everything else to the back burner. He’d be honorable and provide for us and I respected him for that. A man of his word and with a moral code that had been set out by Charlie were his compass and Luc usually let it guide him.
“This would be ridiculous for just the two of us,” I told him quietly. A house like this was meant for a large family, not a single mother with one baby.
“Then let it be the three of us, Mia. Come home. Let it be the way it should have been,” Luc said to me, placing a hand on the side of my face. “Be mine again. I need you.”
We hadn’t discussed the state of our relationship, but it weighed heavily between us. Every look, every touch, set my skin on fire. These small pockets of time over the past two days had done nothing to satisfy my craving for him and instead, I grew hungrier. Then he’d kissed me, and I truly felt like I’d come home. The restless ache that had grown since the moment I’d left had finally been eased and I could breathe again.
My hand covered his. “I have always been yours.”
Luc’s lips brushed against mine and I melted into the embrace. After everything I’d gone through, it was difficult to believe we’d finally found our way back to each other and that things might be looking up.
“You can move back into mine until everything’s closed on this place. We’ll go back to Gabriel’s and grab your stuff,” Luc said as we broke apart. “You’re not staying there any longer.”
“Agreed.” I’d be happy to get myself out of that place and away from Gabe as quick as possible. All I could hope was that Gabe would let me leave as easily as he’d welcomed me.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Mia
“Don’t think I’m ever letting you drive again,” Luc muttered as we walked up to the front door of Gabriel’s property. The rain had finally stopped but the sun remained hidden behind heavy clouds that threatened another downpour. Luc had insisted on staying with me while I gathered my things from Gabe’s and I wasn’t about to turn him away. As we walked into the house, Franco came down the hallway. A flicker of surprise crossed his features as he took in Luc behind me.
“Where’s Gabe?” I asked him. Franco jerked his head toward the living room, eyes still on Luc. “Luc, can you go and grab my things? I’m sure Franco will show you the room.”
“Leaving so soon?” Franco asked.
“Don’t sound so disappointed,” I shot back before walking into the living room and closing the door behind me. I wanted to minimize the amount of interaction between Luc and Gabe, not trusting that it wouldn’t end in an argument.
Gabe sat in the chair, feet kicked up on the coffee table with a book in hand. This was how I remembered him. Quiet and slightly removed from the conversation until he felt the need to pitch in, which wasn’t all too often when Tori and I got together. “How was your chat?” he asked, not bothering to look back from the book.
“Good enough that I’m planning to move back in with Luc,” I said. There was no point in drawing this out.
That forced his head up. “Have you thought this through?”
“I love him. He’s the father of my child and I want my family together, Gabe. You’ll find another way to get what you want.”
He closed the book and rose in a swift movement, coming toward me. “But do you trust him?” It was funny that Gabriel would mention trust as if he had more of it than Luc simply because he’d taken me in. At least with Luc, what you saw was what you got. He was impulsive and ill-tempered but he didn’t hide it. Gabe, on the other hand, picked out what face to wear every morning along with his tie.
“More than anyone,” I told him firmly.
“I just hope it’s not misplaced, bella. One wrong decision could cost you your life. All it would take is for him to change his mind.”
I was well aware of that fact. The footsteps I had thought were placed carefully had caused ripple after ripple in the waters. Each decision was resulting in a chain of events. A butterfly effect.
The door to the room opened and Luc and Franco walked in, the former with my duffle bag in hand. “Are you ready?” Luc came up beside me, Cerb loyally following his every step.
“Such short notice,” Gabe said, no trace of the warmth in his voice. “I haven’t even gotten you a leaving gift.”
“She’ll be around. You’ll still see her, Gabriel.” A fact that Luc did not sound best pleased about.
“Still,” Gabe said, and then his face brightened, a glint in his eye. “I know. Franco.” My mismatched shadow took a step forward at the sound of his name. “Consider Franco yours to keep.”
Something about gifting another human being didn’t sit right with me. “Gabe.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Luc cut in. “What need would she have for Franco?”
The upturn of the corner of Gabe’s mouth into a smirk alerted to me to the trouble that was about to arrive. “Well, you’ve proven yourself to be fickle and that you can’t look after her. You tell me, Luc, why would Mia need Franco?”
I stepped in front of Luc quickly, feeling him bump against the back of me. We didn’t need a fight. What we needed was to get out of here. “Thank you,” I said to Gabe. “Although, as Luc said, it’s not necessary.”
“I’d sleep better knowing you had someone trustworthy by your side.”
“How about I just call Franco when I need him?” I suggested, still
feeling Luc pressed up behind me.
Gabe narrowed his eyes but then shrugged. “As you wish. Franco, from now on, whenever Mia requests you, you drop all other jobs. Understood?” He looked to Franco, who kept his true feelings locked under the professional, unwavering front as always. “I’ll see you around, Mia.” He dismissed us, stepping back and allowing us to leave. I grabbed Luc’s hand and pulled him from the house. Thankfully, no one followed to see us out and this time Luc was in the driver’s seat, Cerb lying across the back, as we pulled out of the drive.
“Gabe needs reminding of his place,” he said.
We both knew it but couldn’t do anything about it with Xavier still around and watching my every move. “Not yet.”
“I know.”
The gates to Luc’s home came into view and my heart lost its usual rhythm at seeing the place I called home. The gravel crunched under the tires as Luc pulled up on the circular drive and I let out a sigh. “I’ve missed this place.”
“And to think, once you never wanted to move in.”
I shot him a look. My introduction to Luc and his life had been less than pleasant, but things had changed over time. Somewhere deep inside, the residual fear remained. We were testing fate and laughing in the face of the odds. We weren’t a couple that was meant to exist, but we were also a couple that couldn’t be apart.
“What happens now?” I asked him as we both got out of the car. Luc grabbed my bag and carried it, opening the door to the house. Cerb pushed past us both to enter first.
“You breathe for a bit,” he told me seriously. “You let me look after you and we move into the new place.”
“I meant—”
“I know what you meant, Mia and I meant what I said. You’ve spent months away from me, on the run and then dealing with Gabe. We will get back to business soon enough, but for now, let’s take some time together.”
Chapter Thirty
Mia
The house hadn’t changed. The first morning after I’d returned, I woke up early just to reacquaint myself with the place. My fingers ran along the surfaces and I padded into each room quietly, letting the memories play out vividly in my mind.
The absence of Lydia was quickly remedied. I had no idea what she and Luc had discussed for an entire afternoon, although Luc had grumbled something about a pay rise and Lydia had looked extremely pleased with herself. The rest of the staff were more cautious and curious. It had taken a dinner with all of us to break the ice again, but they had adjusted to the fact that I was back, even if they didn’t believe it would be for good.
“Mia!” Luc’s voice sounded through the house. Every time he returned from being out, before the door had even closed, Luc called my name. The first time I had been out the back of the property with Cerb and Luc came running out, panic written all over his face. I quickly realized that the last time Luc had left the house when I lived here, he’d come home to find me gone. The fear of history repeating itself obviously sat at the forefront of his mind and so I stayed indoors when Luc stepped out.
“Living room!” I called back to him.
“He’s not going to be happy with you. Or me,” Dom muttered as he stacked another pile of books into a box.
“Won’t that be a refreshing change of pace? Luc unhappy with us for not listening to him.”
Dom snorted just as Luc appeared at the doorway to the living room, flanked by Dante and multiple other men. “I brought the cavalry,” Luc announced. Then his eyes landed on me and his face fell. “What are you doing?”
I finished securing the bubble wrap around the painting that Dom had taken off the wall and made my way over to Luc. “Helping get this place packed up.” I gave him a quick kiss before looking past him to the mini mob he’d brought home.
“I told you not to lift a finger.”
“And I told you, I’m not actually royalty. I’m fine. Dom’s done the heavy lifting and I’ve just been helping organize the boxes.” I looked past him again. “To what do I owe the pleasure of hosting all these wonderful men?”
“Oh, Mia!” Dante fanned himself with a hand and pushed past Luc into the room. He wrapped an arm around me. “You always did have a way with words. If you’re not careful, you’re not going to be the only one with a bun in the oven.”
“You’re an idiot,” Luc said, swiping for him but Dante avoided it and stepped behind me.
“We’re here to help pack this place up ready for the move,” Dante explained. “So, you put your feet up and let all us wonderful men handle it.” He pecked my cheek before signaling to the rest of them to turn around and leave, following behind them.
“Luc,” I said as he came up to me. “Is that really necessary?”
“It’ll help speed up the process. They’re all willing volunteers, Mia.” Willing might have been a push. No one was going to decline Luc if he asked them to do something.
“Okay,” I sighed.
Luc kissed my lips and said, “I’m going to tackle Charlie’s office with Dante.”
Charlie’s office was the only room I hadn’t stepped into since moving back in. It had been a room I barely visited when I had first lived with Luc. He’d kept it completely untouched from the last moment his Dad had been there. A shrine to his idol. A way to keep Charlie alive even though he was gone.
“Are you going to be okay?”
He nodded and placed one last kiss on my forehead before he left the room, calling over his shoulder, “Dom, if I find out she’s trying to help I’m holding you responsible!”
“Do us all a favor and save my ass,” Dom said when he was sure Luc couldn’t hear him.
“Don’t worry. I’m going to go make some coffee for everyone. You want a mug?”
He shook his head and waved me off. I left Dom in peace to carry on with the room and made my way into the kitchen. This would be the last room to be packed up, considering how much use it got. Pulling out every mug we had from the cupboards, I set a fresh pot of coffee to brew and searched for the creamer.
“Mia.” A voice at the door made me look up to see two of Luc’s men, Michael and Theo, standing just inside the kitchen, looking at me. “Do you have any more tape?”
“Mhm,” I hummed, opened up a drawer where Dom kept all the odds and ends, and found a large roll of brown tape toward the back. Pulling it out, I turned back toward the pair to see they had stood opposite me, the island between us. “There you go,” I said, holding it out to them.
“Thanks,” Michael said, taking it from me but they didn’t make a move to leave.
“Was there anything else?”
“You’re back for good?” Theo asked, and I took in a deep breath.
“That’s the plan.”
“You’ll forgive us for not believing you.” Michael this time.
I pushed closed the drawer and then leaned back against the counter, arms folded just above my bump. “I don’t expect any of you to trust me.”
“Luc does.”
Luc would. These were the men that worked for him, answered to him. They shouldn’t question the decisions he made, especially when it came to his personal life, but they had every right to do so when it had a knock-on effect for all of them. Everyone was just trying to make it through this life as painlessly as they could.
“That doesn’t mean that you have to.” They both looked slightly uneasy. “At least not in private. I’d have the same reservations if I were in your shoes, but I do plan to stay.” Words wouldn’t convince them; I’d need to prove it one way or another. “Thank you for agreeing to help us with the move.”
“Always happy to help out the boss,” Theo said. “Whatever he asks of us.” He gave me a pointed look. They’d been on his orders to find me and bring me back. They were making it clear to me that their loyalties were with Luc and Luc alone for the time being.
“As you should.” From the corner of my eye, I saw the coffee had finished brewing and moved over to the pot. “I was about to make some coffee. Are you guys tak
ing me up on the offer?”
“On what offer?” Luc asked, entering the room. “Mia, Dom said you might know where we have spare tape.”
“I made a pot of coffee,” I replied, pouring the first mug. “And I just handed the last roll to Michael. You’ll have to send Dom out to grab some more if you need it.”
“It took two of you to get tape?” He eyed the pair suspiciously.
“They wanted to ask after the baby, Luc,” I covered. “That’s not a crime. It’s sweet of them.” My eyes flicked over to the both of them and Theo gave the smallest nod of his head as a sign of his gratitude. A tiny victory. I would take every small step I could on the mountain that stood ahead of me.
“I didn’t get you both around here for coffee and a gossip. Take the tape and get to work,” Luc told them. “Better yet, give me the tape and go and get some yourself.”
“Sure thing, boss.” Michael tossed the roll at Luc, who caught it in his hands.
“I’ll have your coffee waiting for you when you get back, boys,” I called after them as they left.
Luc looked at me from where he stood, throwing the roll between both of his hands. “They weren’t causing any trouble, were they?”
“I told you, they just wanted a chat. Go make a start on the office. I’ll come find you in a bit with a mug.” He didn’t need to know of every little hiccup. Not when the only person who could fix it was me.
Chapter Thirty One
Lucas
Closing on the house didn’t take as long as expected. Money made time an irrelevant construct and Mia had dotted her name on the line a few days after moving back in. The house may have been bought buy me, but it belonged to Mia. A piece of security for her and our son. An insurance policy, so if anything should go wrong, if something happened to me, she’d be able to sell it and leave without relying on anyone else. A get out clause.
“You should have signed it as well. It’s a home for both of us,” she told me.
