All she has to do is let go. The more she fights, the tighter that noose will pull around her neck. It’ll keep on shrinking until it strangles her, and despite what she may think, I never wanted her to be miserable. I much rather prefer her to be happy.
Reino, in his warped sense of romanticism, left a demi bottle of champagne and two glasses in the cupholders of the console between the backseats. The celebratory drink he smuggled into the car before we left my office only serves as a joke to mock us.
Taking a napkin from the console, I hand it to Tatiana.
She accepts it without wiping her eyes.
I hate her tears. I hate what they signify—how little she wants to have anything to do with me, let alone marry me.
Too bad.
She’s already had my baby. I didn’t do things in the proper order, but I will put an order to them, come hell or high water. I will claim what’s mine, and I will make that official in every way.
When Reino pulls through the gates of my property, Tatiana’s eyes are at long last dry, but they’re not less haunted or melancholic.
She stares at the double-story house through her window. “Where are we?”
“At my place.”
She looks at me quickly. “I thought you lived at the condo.”
“Only when I work from the office and stay late.”
Reino brings the car to a stop in the circular driveway. He gets my door. One of the guards on duty opens Tatiana’s door.
She steps out, craning her neck to study the black façade with accent walls of volcanic rock. The glass walls on the ground and first levels let in plenty of light. The interior is spacious and uncluttered.
She’s so busy taking in the environment that she doesn’t object when I take her elbow. She follows me down the gravel path with the grey slate stepping stones that leads through black marble ponds and modern water features. Footlights illuminate the path and sculptured Bonsai trees. A Japanese Maple tree stands in the center of the rock garden, the vibrant red leaves alight and blazing in the setting sun.
The ponds are shallow, but the lap pool is deep.
“Can Noah swim?”
She frowns.
“If not, I want him to take swimming lessons.”
Her back snaps into a straight line. “He could swim before he could walk.” She adds with a bite in her tone, “The motels where we lived weren’t much, but they had pools, Dante.”
“I don’t want to take a risk. The pool in the backyard isn’t fenced, but I’ll rectify that tomorrow still.”
At my explanation, her defensive posture relaxes a bit. “It’s the first thing my mom taught us. She insisted that Leander and I take swimming lessons.” A small smile plays on her lips. “I guess the example rubbed off on me.”
As if suddenly remembering whom she’s discussing her mother with, her smile slips. Clamping her lips shut, she looks away.
The guard at the front door nods as I lead her up the three wide steps. He opens the door and stands aside for us to enter. Reino and the rest of the men stay on the perimeter until we’re inside. I’ve instructed him to go home and get some sleep once he’s seen us home.
The moment I lock the door behind me and activate the alarm, Noah comes running through the foyer. Jasper follows hot on his heels, but she stops in the door frame when she notices us.
Noah slams into Tatiana with so much force he nearly knocks her off her feet. I’ve barely steadied her with my hands on her hips before he hugs her legs, almost sending her toppling over again.
“Mommy!”
She goes down on her haunches to embrace him, forcing me to let her go. “I’m here, sweetheart. Did you miss me?”
“No.” Despite the denial, he holds onto her if his life depends on it. “I was a big boy like Dante told me to be. I wasn’t scared. Ask Jazz.”
Jasper hovers in the doorway, hugging herself. “You were the man, Noah.” Now that she’s in my territory, she seems a lot less sure of herself.
