My stomach flipped. To each their own, and I didn’t want to yuck her fun, but that future sounded exhausting.
Wiping her eyes, Linda pushed off the armchair, came over, and sat down on the couch beside me. She stuck her finger in Luca’s chubby fist.
“Can we…can we keep in touch?” she asked. “I’d like to know how he turns out.”
“I would love that,” I admitted.
Because I couldn’t face the feelings rolling through me, I put my arm around her and gave her a hug.
Linda returned it before she pulled back. “I assume you’re taking him with you?”
The response was a clap of thunder from the other side of the room. “Yes.”
I cut my gaze to Liam’s.
Emotion blazed through his eyes, turning them the brightest shade of blue I’d ever seen. While it was hard to describe the look he gave me, I didn’t feel anger rolling off him.
He didn’t see me as the black sheep, the disgraced girl who’d been knocked up. His fierce focus drilled into me.
As if….
As if I were the most beautiful creature he’d ever laid eyes on.
“Well, there’s no reason for me to stay here,” Linda said, sounding relieved. “I’ll pack a bag, and I won’t tell Garret that Brady’s gone back to his birth mother until you’ve settled the paperwork.”
“I’m going to need you to sign a few things,” Amanda said quickly. “But when we’re done, we can grab drinks, and I’ll help you devise a plan to take that bastard for everything he’s worth.”
“You’d do that?” Linda gaped.
Amanda smirked. “A cheating husband? Absolutely. Free of charge.”
Linda breathed a deep sigh and smiled. Amanda began tapping on her phone. She followed the soon-to-be divorcee to the foyer.
But Linda paused in the archway. “Brady—I mean, Luca, sleeps with a red bear.”
“I know,” I whispered.
Linda’s perfectly manicured brows knit together. She muttered something about creepy but was already jogging up the staircase to start her free, single life.
I would have expected her to fight harder.
I snuggled Luca, who was starting to fuss again, clearly sleepy. He was worth it.
He was everything.
A shadow crossed in front of me, and the beast crouched. “So, this is Luca.”
I peeked up at the underworld kingpin, a soft smile playing on my lips. “Yes,” I breathed, and then, summoning all the courage I had left, I added, “Do I really get to keep him?”
Liam’s eyes flashed with pain. “You do, cailín.”
My eyelids closed, and I fought back the tears. “Liam.”
Gloved fingers gently brushed under my chin, tipping my face up. “Look at me, little bird.”
I obeyed. I owed the masked devil that much.
“He’s coming home with us,” Liam promised.
