“Remember what I said about my tattoos?” I rested my hands on either side of her head.
She looked at one arm, then the other, then raised one hand and skated her palm over my forearm to my elbow, then down again. “I like your tattoos.”
“Yes, well, you’re one of the few. It was thought that it made me incompetent. But this isn’t about me. This is about you and what we’re going to do to make sure nothing bad happens to you.” I bent and kissed the tip of her nose. “Our reputations do not define us. Our love for you is more important, and we will protect that with all our hearts.”
She pressed a kiss to the inside of my wrist. “That’s sweet, and I’m glad you think like that. But I’m going to feel terrible if I’m the reason your company suffers.”
“Don’t.” I kissed the center of her forehead. “We’ll find out who’s harassing you before anything bad happens.” It was unwise to make that kind of promise, but I had to. I had to erase that tight line of defeat marching across her forehead.
“Okay, but I want all of you to go to work tomorrow. I love having you here with me, but it’s going to be suspicious if you keep taking days off.” She settled against Dante closed her eyes. “I want all this to be over so we can get on with enjoying our lives together.”
“Now that’s something I can agree with.” I took a step back. “I’ll finish dinner.”
“Thanks, Julian. Instructions are on the counter.” Dante gave me a grateful nod.
I walked backward to the kitchen and picked up where Dante had left off, following the recipe to the letter.
Dante, Harper, and Alexander carried on a conversation loud enough for me to interject my opinion from time to time.
Alexander argued that no one knew she’d come back to New York, so what did it matter if they took a few days off?
Harper explained that the person threatening her knew, and they’d probably find a way to get word out at Elevate, which could cause more problems for us.
We’d squashed the last rumors, but if they started up again without us there to put an end to them, they could spread too far too fast for us to reel them in by the time we returned.
“We have the rest of our lives. As much as I want you here with me, I want this behind us once and for all. Go to work, listen to the gossip mill, and figure out who is doing this to us.” The strain returned to her voice, and Harper slumped into a ball.
Our reluctance faded with her argument.
“Okay. We’ll go back.” Dante agreed with a dark look. “But we may come home early, or call you multiple times a day. I want you to feel excited when your phone rings.”
We all wanted that for her. The panicked way she’d run into the room would reside in my nightmares for the rest of my life. I never wanted to see that look on her face ever again.
35
DANTE
We’d done as Harper asked and returned to work, leaving her home alone in my penthouse. She had plenty of security, and anyone attempting to approach her would find a nasty surprise waiting for them. Not only had I employed extra security at the penthouse, but the cameras around the property and especially outside my doors and windows, were top of the line. That did not stop the constant churning in my stomach.
I’d bought her a new phone and left it with her while Julian took her old one in case of any new threats. The change in her demeanor had been instant this morning when I showed her the phone and promised her that Lila, and the three of us, already had her new number saved. No one should be able to contact her except for the four of us. She’d promised not to give out the new number, except to her doctor.
I fisted both hands and rested them on my thighs, taking several deep breaths to try and find that calm, cold place in my core that gave me strength.
It slipped away from me.
Fuck.
Harper had more than unraveled me, she’d changed my very nature. Pretending everything was normal became more difficult with each passing second. I’d closed my door as soon as I arrived, something I always did, but a sharp, closed-in feeling smothered me. The dark walls and glittering liquor cabinet did nothing to ease my frazzled nerves. I considered a drink, but I needed to keep my senses sharp.
Someone was coming after us, after Harper, and my hands were tied.
I tapped a few keys on the laptop and continued reading about gestational diabetes and pregnancy in general. I’d never had a reason to study it before, and the progression of pregnancy gave me a focus. We were at the end of the first trimester, based on my calculations. Soon there would be ultrasounds and more tests. More doctor visits. Would she want all three of us going with her to the doctor? We could rotate, but that might be even more confusing to the doctor and staff, especially since we all planned on being there for the birth.
Harper carried our child. The smothered feeling eased, replaced with a sense of awe. I was going to be a father. We had not bothered talking about paternity testing. We were all the baby’s father. It’s how things were always meant to be for us. Unconventional, sure, but somewhere along the way, we became a unit. I preferred it this way. The four of us made a whole family. Five counting our upcoming bundle of joy. It took all of us for this to work, and I’d never cared for conventional relationships anyway.
They always failed me. Harper and my best friends had never failed me.
Her reassurance that her father would approve put the icing on the proverbial cake.
