“And what of those who say you are a gold-digger and a whore?”he asked.
She shrugged.“Their words do not pay my bills.Perhaps they feel they are better than me, but they can keep talking, and it still won’t grow their bank account.Why should I care what they say?I am right with God and the Church and, besides yourself, those are the only opinions that matter to me.”
Abundio leaned forward and kissed her.“The things I shall teach you, sweet.Lovely, practical, shrewd, and logical.You will become feared for your business acumen.No one shall dare cross you.Lawmakers will bend to your will.People who look down upon you now will one day beg for your attention and consideration.”
She leaned in, meeting his gaze head-on.“And that is another point—we will have too few years together.We have no idea how many.So why should I waste a second of that time worrying about what others think?I have too much to learn from you about the business.”
He laid his hand over hers.“If only my Miranda had been as practical as you are.”
“Father Marto says that God has a plan for us all.And I believe our meeting is His will.And you have generously allowed me to donate to the church.”
Abundio smirked.“Do you wonder if our generosity has influenced the father’s opinion of this arrangement?”
One of her conditions, that Abundio agreed to, was that he would renew his bond with the church, attend mass with her as frequently as possible, attend confession on occasion, and take communion with her.
She shrugged.“It does not matter.I am serving God and His plan for me.We are helping people.Our abundance will only grow because of that.Over the years, as our fortune grows, I will be able to continue helping the church and others as a result.Our children can better serve God if they have the resources to help others, and that comes from being good at business.”
He happily sighed.“You truly are the perfect wife.”
They had been marriedseven weeks when she stood in the doorway of their bathroom that morning and held up the test stick with a sweetly bashful smile on her face.On it, in the window, was a + sign.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.“You understand that you are not my whore, correct?You are mywife, and this isourchild.”
She nodded.“Yes, love.”
He didn’t know if she really loved him or if she loved the situation.
He didn’tcare, either.“And what are you to say if our child ever comes to you and asks about any siblings?”Despite her optimism didn’t know if he would live to see the birth of his heir, and he needed these lessons drilled into her now.
She stared into his eyes.“That it was too painful a subject for you to discuss, because she betrayed you and our family.That our child is wanted and planned for and the center of our universe.”
He smiled and caressed her cheek.In his old age he’d gained a certain perspective, and he felt slightly guilty that he was crawling all over her on a daily basis.
But she knew what she’d signed up for, and knew she could also ask him to stop, and he would.
And if he was blessed enough to live past his child being born, once Jacinta was healed enough and cleared by the doctor, they would immediately start trying again for another.He would also start banking semen for her to use in case they needed to resort to IVF.He wanted at least three, if she could physically have them.
In return, she would never again want for anything.
And he would have a guaranteed legacy.
My poor Miranda.If only you had appreciated what was before you.You threw it all away.
ChapterEighteen
Dewi
With Ray Dorlandand Faegan Lewis both confirmed dead, Trent let Asia and the kids return to Idaho after they spent a couple of weeks in Florida relaxing and having fun.Peyton, however, wanted Gillian to remain in Florida for the duration, so they left Asia’s new SUV there at Dewi’s, and Peyton and Gillian would drive it back to Idaho once he returned home for good.
Peyton made several secret visits to Florida, although they started telling more of the inner circle and some of the Enforcers that he was safe as they started recruiting people for the team to raid the lab.And they were instructed not to reveal anything publicly yet.As far as everyone was concerned, Badger was still the acting Pack Alpha.
They kept the news of Ray Dorland’s and Faegan Lewis’ deaths quiet from everyone else except the Pack Alphas in the new alliance.
But there were no new tips phoned in.
That didn’t mean the abduction operation was shut down.If it was still active, they were likely lying low to regroup.Several weeks into their prep to take down the lab, Jake had returned to Europe to work with Peyton and Trevor, while Aisling remained in close contact over the phone regarding logistics.She would fly over in a few days.
Using Jake and Prime Alphas, they had already compromised most of the lab facility’s security personnel and almost half of the lab workers.
