“It is a lot,” I admit. “I don’t know how you do it with four.”
A laugh slips from her throat. “They’re a handful for sure, but I couldn’t imagine my life without them now.”
I nod thoughtfully.
She watches me for a beat, her eyes sweeping over my face a couple of times before she leans back into the soft cushions. “You know, it didn’t always come easy. It’s a lot of work to haveso many people in a relationship, a lot of people’s feelings to consider in every decision that’s made, and a lot of room for mistakes. But it’s worth the extra work. To always have someone home with me. To know that our baby will always have at least one parent who can drop everything to be there for them. To feel true love with more than one person.”
“But doesn’t it scare you? Having four people you could lose?” The question is morbid, but she’s in a unique position to give me insight I desperately need right now. Crew and Rowan went to high school together, for god’s sake, and although I’m a few years older than she is, there’s still a good age gap between Rowan and me.
“It does. It’s fucking terrifying, to be frank. But if I lost one of them, I wouldn’t be left completely alone. Our baby wouldn’t be left with only one parent. It’s morbid to think about, and I try not to let myself focus on it too often, but it’s a practical worry to have, especially when there’s an age gap involved.” She glances over her shoulder, checking that none of the men have reappeared before continuing. “Early on in our relationship, Crew struggled with what he brought to the table, and what he could offer long term when it came to kids and a future, but at the end of the day, any of us could die at any time. His age doesn’t ever occur to me…except when he starts playing his music. Then I’m more than aware of our age gap.”
A laugh fills the room, and it takes a moment for me to realize it’s coming from me. In just a few sentences, Camilla has put one of my main concerns to rest and has squashed others before I had time to consider them.
“It’s normal to have doubts when you enter a relationship like ours because there are more people to consider, but don’t let those fears be the reason you lose your perfect future.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
ROWAN
Crew and Asher drop into the seats across from me.
Before Camilla came along, I’d probably only seen Crew in anything other than a suit two or three times since their rise to power, but finding love has softened some of his sharp edges, and seeing him sit across from me in sweatpants and a Henley is a nice change.
Sometimes I forget how long we’ve been friends, and that Asher grew up with Bishop and Kaos, and later Kovu. We’ve come such a long way from pedaling drugs to make ends meet to where we are now, and sometimes it feels like that was another life altogether.
“You look happy,” I say, the words slipping out without permission. Despite knowing each other for most of our lives, we rarely talk about anything personal. I suppose it’s a product of our age and generation, men always being discouraged from showing emotion, but maybe that’s where our kids have got it right.
“I am happy.” He nods, glancing toward the door, like he’ll somehow be able to see Camilla downstairs. “I thought I’d feel scared becoming a dad again, especially at this age, but I’m so ready for our little girl to be here.”
Asher squeezes his shoulder. “Plus, you’ll be able to guide the others. I can’t imagine Kovu has held many babies in his time.”
A laugh bursts out of Crew. “We went to visit Leighton not long after she had the baby, and I swear he’s never looked so awkward. Camilla couldn’t stop laughing the entire time, so in preparation, he’s learned to swaddle everything in the house and regularly walks around with random things strapped to his chest.”
I snicker, the image painting itself in my mind.
“But they’ll all be fine. Once they hold our baby, everything will snap into place the same way it did for us when we held Bishop and Asher for the first time.”
“It’s different when it’s your own,” I agree.
Asher groans. “I can’t wait for Hannah to be pregnant.”
“Which is why we need to take care of Jeffrey, so we can start the rest of our lives,” I say. It might sound cheesy, but I’ve been thinking about a future with Hannah for years, and now she’s finally mine, I don’t want to wait any longer for the future I’ve dreamed of.
If Hannah decides she doesn’t want kids, that’s fine. But I want her to feel safe enough to make that choice, and that’s not going to happen until her grandfather is six feet under.
“Tell me what’s been happening.” Crew switches from family man to ruthless Mafia leader in the blink of an eye.
I detail everything that’s happened to this point. The date Jeffrey forced Hannah on. The calls she’s received, and the threats he made to Asher, before explaining the van that followed us last night.
Crew nods along, his brows dipping the further into the story we get. By the time I’m finished, his fists are clenched in his lap.
You can say what you want about the men of the Legion, but their most absolute rule is that innocent women and children are not used as pawns in the games of men.
“What do you need from us?”
“If possible, we need you guys to hold down the fort at the fights. I want to keep the three of us on lockdown for at least a few days to see what his next move is going to be before we make any rash decisions.”
“You got it. Kovu and Kaos are driving Camilla crazy, so it will be a good excuse to get them out of the house and out of her hair.”
