I never knew I needed this. Never thought I wanted someone to lean on. But having her here, letting me unload all this shit without trying to fix me or make it about her, lifts a weight I didn’t even realize I’d been carrying.
“Are you okay?” she asks when the silence stretches between us.
“Yeah.” My voice comes out rough. “I think I will be.”
We settle into bed, and she tucks herself against me, warm and solid. She falls asleep quickly, but sleep won’t come for me. I keep seeing Joey’s face, but somehow it morphs into Austin’s eyes and gap-toothed grin. The urge to check on my son is almost overwhelming, but waking a six-year-old at this hour just to ease my own mind would be selfish as hell.
My phone buzzes with an email from the PI I hired to look into Nina’s background. I open it carefully, making sure not to disturb her.
I hate digging into her life behind her back. It feels like a betrayal. But if there’s even a chance her past could put her or Austin in danger, I need to know before it blindsides us.
Most of it’s information I already know, but one detail makes me sit up straighter. Nina’s ex-husband didn’t just disappear seven years ago. His body was recently found—and apparently, he was murdered back then.
Dead since right after the night Nina and I first met.
I make a mental note to have the PI dig deeper. If Eric Newell was killed because of his debts or his enemies, that trouble could still find Nina. And if anyone thinks they can hurt what’s mine because of something that bastard did, they’re going to learn just how wrong they are.
But that’s a problem for tomorrow. Tonight, I’m just going to hold my family close and remember what I’m fighting for.
Everything.
33
NINA
“Okay, but seriously.”I gesture toward the sleek black gaming console sitting beneath the massive TV. “How much did that thing cost?”
Alessio doesn’t even have the decency to look guilty. “Does it matter?”
“It matters when you’re spoiling my kid rotten.” But there’s no real heat in my voice. Austin looks like he just won the lottery, and I’d be lying if I said that didn’t hit me with a rush of happiness.
“Ourkid,” Alessio corrects, settling beside me on the couch. “And he deserves to be spoiled a little.”
Our kid. Those words still catch me by surprise every time. Six years of being the only parent, and now suddenly there’s an “our” in the equation.
Austin’s already absorbed in whatever game he’s playing, tongue poking out in concentration as he figures out the controls. The afternoon light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windowscatches the amber flecks in his eyes—Alessio’s eyes—and for a moment I’m struck by how right this feels.
I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but maybe that’s just old survival instincts. I’ve spent so long expecting the worst that recognizing genuine good fortune feels foreign. In the past couple of weeks living here, I’ve gotten more comfortable, more hopeful. Started thinking of an actual future with him.
Austin deserves a mother who believes in happy endings.
“Did you register for classes today?” Alessio asks.
I can’t help smiling. “I start two weeks from Monday.”
Graphic design. Something I actually want to do instead of whatever pays the bills fastest. “I’m proud of you.” His hand finds mine, fingers intertwining. “You deserve to do something you actually want for once.”
“Thank you.” The words feel inadequate for everything he’s given us. “This wouldn’t be possible without you.”
He leans over and kisses me, soft and brief, but Austin still makes a disgusted noise from the floor.
“Gross. You guys do that too much.”
I laugh, the sound bubbling up before I can stop it. Alessio shoots Austin a mock-serious look.
“You’ll change your tune someday, kid.”
Austin wrinkles his nose like the very idea offends him. “Never.”
