Page 104 of Worth Risking It

Oddly enough, Milo was the ray of sunshine for my shattered heart. Seeing how ecstatic he was about this baby, how much in love he already was with her was astounding. I knew he would be a good dad, but I never imagined he would be this head over heels for our future daughter.

In all the chaos that had surrounded our lives the last few months, I found a new secret to keep me busy. Those first few weeks, the pain of losing Wyatt had been so unreal, I honestly didn’t think I could survive. That pain eventually led to a rage I had never felt before and the only thing that eased that beast was shooting.

I wasn’t sure what led me to this new hobby of mine. For weeks, I had been sneaking out of the house without Wyatt or Frank or Milo. I would wait until no one was paying attention, creep out to the carport, and take my car to the city. Sometimes I would just drive around, crying in solitude.

Then one day, I found myself in Wisconsin, rolling down the private driveway to the cabin Amanda had once lived in for months after Meyers was killed.

It had been abandoned since Richard was born and she returned to her life as Jack’s wife. Sliding the glass door aside, I had walked around the tiny space, seeing images that already seemed like an entire decade ago, and not just a few months.

While I was sitting on her bed, gazing downstairs at the main section, I had looked over and seen the nightstand drawer partially opened. Inside was a small pistol.

I had picked it up, gone outside, and screamed at the universe while shooting at any and everything. When the clip was emptied, I sat on that log on the front porch and wept, the experience almost purging, in a way.

Ever since then, I had been sneaking up there at least once a week, becoming quite the regular at a rifle range. By now, I was pretty damn good, if I said so, myself. Even the trainers at the club were impressed with my accuracy.

No one knew it, but I had even purchased my own handgun to carry everywhere I went in a secret pouch in the purse I bought with it.

My absences were definitely noted by everyone, and tempers flared for a while. I eventually convinced everyone I had simply joined a mommy-to-be group and we just went on walks or shopping sprees, chatting about the pregnancies and what our plans were when the babies were born.

So now, that one day a week, I was allowed to come and go freely without a guard or escort. I drove up to Wisconsin, loaded my Taurus Slim, and shot out my rage and heartache.

Milo crawled onto the mattress behind me, lifting the blanket to curl against my back. His lips were pressing to my shoulder, working his way up my neck to my ear.

I sighed, grateful that I at least still had love for him. Had I not, there was no way I could continue on, baby or not. I was ladened with misery over losing Wyatt, but at least I still had Milo. It was just barely enough to keep me going every day.

His palm roamed down my hip, pulling my nightgown up. Nibbling my lobe, he lifted my leg and draped it over his, meshing our bodies perfectly so I could feel he was naked. Reaching around my thigh, he rubbed at the outside of my pussy, wiggling his middle finger to touch my clit.

My stomach turned over and I sighed, my eyelids closing. Sex had been different since Wyatt and I ended our affair. There were some nights they were just as passionate as they’d always been, some nights were violent as I fucked him more out of rage, and then there were nights I was so lost to my grief, I faked every minute.

Of course, my husband noticed. He was a cheater, but very devoted to me, at the same time. He knew I was struggling with something, but I always brushed it off as pregnancy hormones and all the physical changes happening to my body.

I was running out of time before I couldn’t use that excuse anymore. Two months left of this pregnancy, then I would have a couple extra from post-partum and adjusting to being a mom.

Then what?

Maybe by then my heart will have healed enough to allow me to tap back into who I was when I was wholeheartedly in love with my husband.

A husband who was making love to me and I’d not even noticed his cock entering because I was thinking of the man one flight above.

Milo slid his arm between me and the mattress, curling it to gently grope my breast while the other caressed up and down my thigh.

“I love you so much, baby girl,” he whispered in my ear, rocking in and out so tenderly.

My heart fluttered, my brain forcing Wyatt to the recesses to focus on my husband. This was the life that was chosen for me. I had a good man who worshipped me and was finally faithful, millions of dollars at my expense, a gorgeous home, a thriving company, and a baby on the way.

It was time to put those few months with Wyatt in a special little closet in my soul and lock it away. Amanda was home safe, though not living as Jack’s wife behind closed doors. He still had his fling with Alberts and occasionally still brought Dave into their little mix. Wyatt was a wonderful father and Richard was growing bigger every day. No more mistresses, no more cheating, no more lies on either part.

This is exactly what I had always wanted. Time to embrace what I had and stop dwelling over what I lost, what I never should have had, what was never meant to be mine.

I was Chastity Pampinella, wife to Milo Pampinella, liaison for his family’s mafia business hidden through a shipping corporation. Next week, we had a meeting with the Russian again, the week after that, we were going to Canada to discuss smuggling some rifles into Ontario.

And in ten weeks, I would be giving birth to my daughter. This was the life chosen for me, it was time I learned to play my cards accordingly.

Chapter 45

Wyatt Shaw

Slouching low in the chair behind the receiving desk, the heel of my boot was propped on the surface, my ankles crossed. My fingers twined over my stomach, I was peering through the partially opened door into Chastity’s room, watching her massage her client. Everyone else gone for the day, it was just the three of us, so I could stare at her without worrying someone saw how crazy in love I was.