Her eyes flash with added meaning. I wonder if she’s hinting at that night. The night we fell onto each other like wild animals, the night everything changed.
I wrap my arms around Theo, staring down at him. Then the world blurs. Shimmers and changes shape. It takes me a few moments to realize there are tears in my eyes. I hear Ava’s breath catch, but I don’t look at her. Just keep staring down at our baby.
Then, like magic, he stops crying. He blows a spit bubble and his mouth creases into a smile. I rock him gently, leaning down, kissing the top of his head.
“Hello,” I whisper. “It’s nice to meet you, little man.”
“I think he likes you,” Ava says, sounding surprised, and perhaps even a little annoyed, like part of her wants him to reject me just like she thinks I rejected her.
“Is he a big crier?” I ask, rocking him gently.
“On the whole, no. But he has his moments.”
“What about the birth? Was that okay? You have everything you need?”
“We did okay,” she replies. “My parents were there to help me.”
“They help you a lot?”
“Yeah, they’re great. They would’ve had him tonight, but it’s their anniversary.”
We both turn at the sound of the door. It’s Adrian. He pauses in the doorway. His eyes go wide when he sees me holding the baby, gaze flicking between Ava and me and the bundle in my arms. Recognition slams into him. I see the moment he realizes. Maybe it’s the eye color or the sheer fact that I’m holding him.
He knows Theo is mine.
He clears his throat and takes a step back. “I’ll, uh, leave you to it.”
Yeah, you do that. I glare at him until he backs off.
“Give him back to me,” Ava says a moment later, voice soft.
I don’t want to hand him back. I want to keep holding him, to learn every little thing about him. But I’m pushing my luck already as it is.
“Thanks,” she says.
“Amazing, how he can be screaming the place down one second and fast asleep the next.”
She looks over the top of his head, glowing, so beautiful, I want to grab her and kiss her right now. “He’s a miracle, all right.”
“You should give me your number.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Should I?”
“We can’t leave things like this, Ava.”
“Maybe you should tell me who you are first,Michael. Perhaps you should tell me if the rumors I’ve been hearing all night are true. Are you a mob boss? Why is everyone scared of you? Why did you give me a fake name? Why did you abandon me? Why are you spinning this little story about believing I was dead?”
I’m not a man accustomed to being questioned like this.
But Ava is a unique case.
I take a step forward, looking sternly down at her. “You deserve answers,” I tell her. “But it’s too much to get into tonight. I’ve got matters I need to handle.”
Namely: find Nico, figure out why he lied, and why he’s dodging my calls.
“And you need to get the little one to bed.”
“Sounds like a delaying tactic to me,” she murmurs.
