Kortez rolls his eyes, “I wouldn’t want you to be.”
Evie laughs and turns around, her back now pressed into Kortez as she looks around at the rest of us. “So, what do we do now? I…I didn’t plan for this.”
Atlas smiles and reaches over to tug at the chain around her neck. He can have the wedding all he wants; it’s my child she’s having next. “You never plan betrayal, Eve, but as the queen to the Valente empire, you must learn to expect it.”
She sighs, “Obviously, they both need to die. You can have Wade, but Vivianne is mine.”
“You can have her. Denver isn’t safe though, Eve. We need to go to New York. I can keep you and Abel safe there until we have a way to get them both.”
Kortez immediately steps forward, shaking his head. “We aren’t going back to the estate, Atlas.”
Atlas waves him off. “Not the estate, I don’t want my father near them either. We’ll go to Reverie.”
“What’s Reverie?”
“It’s a hotel Atlas owns, one of the first ones he got for himself and not through his father.” Kortez looks at Evie before nodding at Atlas. “It’s a good idea.”
“Good. Eve, how much time will it take you to get ready?”
Eve looks around the house, nibbling on her bottom lip as she does. “I’ll only want to bring a few things like our clothes and some sentimental stuff. The rest of this…it was bought for a life different than the one we’ll build together. I just need a few days to get Abel unenrolled from school and get things settled at work, I don’t want to fuck Sawyer over.”
“Friday then.”
Evie walks back over to me, taking my hand in hers. “I know this is sudden and I’ll understand if you want to stay – “
I reach up with my free hand and press a finger to her lips. “Enough. I spent years waiting for you to be mine, Evie. I need you, Evangeline. I need you more than I need the oxygen in my lungs or the blood in my veins. I wouldn’t settle for a love I don’t bleed for, and I would willingly slit my throat if you asked.”
She stands on her tip toes and presses her lips to mine, groaning when I swipe my tongue against her bottom lip that’s swollen from her anxiously nibbling on it. We’re both breathless when she pulls away, a small smile where a frown was before.
“That’s it then. We’ll leave for New York in four days.”
Chapter 39
Atlas
After three long days of packing, rotating sleeping schedules, and all six of us being at each other’s throats – we leave for New York tomorrow.
I say six because even my son has felt the tension and as of this morning, has been showing the Valente blood running through his veins.
My body is half covered beneath clothes, toys, and books as he ruffles through everything and tries to decide which bags to pack things in – which is apparently a very serious matter.
For the fourth time in ten minutes, I try to offer my help. “Why don’t you try putting your cars in the yellow bag?”
It seems logical to me, it’s the size he’ll need for all his cars and tracks; but forthe fourth time in ten minutes, my nine-year-old son shoots me a look that could level an entire army.
He’s definitely my son.
“No. The yellow one is for my summer clothes.Yellow is for summer.” He shakes his head and begins packing said summer clothes in the blue duffel.
I’m beginning to realize my son may have a way of looking at the world that I don’t. It’s…refreshing. Everything has a place in his mind while everything is utter chaos inside mine.
“Of course, why didn’t I think of that? What color goes with cars?”
He stops packing and looks around the room, his face falling as he does. “Black, like mom’s car, but…I don’t have a black bag.”
Now I can help with this.
“I’ve got one for you, son. I’ll be right back.”
