Page 108 of Worth Risking It

Absently, my hand fluttered to my throat to play with the diamond pendant that I hadn’t worn in months. She was right. Who would take care of Richard if something happened to Wyatt? Did I really want one of Milo’s whores to step in and be a mom to Isabelle when she was born?

“Milo loves you,” she whispered with a silent plea in her blue pools. “I know you still love him. Cut your losses, Chazz. Live the safer life. It isn’t the same love and hope you had for Wyatt, but it’s just as good, and the kids will be raised properly.”

Forcing a smile, I swiped at my eyes and closed the basket. “Let’s get inside.”

We both grunted as we struggled to stand, she with Bradly, me being as big as a whale these days. I picked up the basket and then the blanket we’d been sitting on, shaking it out as we strolled toward the gate to the pathway up the hill.

“So, I don’t know if I told you, or not, but it seems as if your friend Dave is still sleeping with my husband.”

“Oh, yeah?” I giggled, holding it open for her.

“Yeah. He has no idea Dave is the one who set up the cameras. He still thinks that was my private eye. So, they have this regular thing going with Alberts and he seems happy.”

“Well, as long as he’s distracted with his affairs, he’s not thinking about you.”

A brow lifted and she shot an arrogant glance. “Oh, he’s sniffing around me, again.”

“No!” I rasped, stopping on the steps to stare after her as she continued to ascend.

“Says he’s very heartbroken over the loss of our last baby and was wondering if I would be interested in having another.”

Gasping, I jogged to catch up, brushing a few lower limbs out of my way. “Are you serious? What did you say?”

“I told him I would think about it.”

“Amanda!”

She paused to look down at me, swaying her son side to side. “Look, I will never trust him again, that’s for certain. The rest of my life, I will be walking on eggshells. I’m young and if sleeping with Jack once in a while mends that bridge between us to the point where I am not constantly wondering if today will be my last, then it’s a small price to pay.”

I lifted one side of my face and shrugged. “Plus, real dick sure beats vibrators.”

“Chazzy!” she shrieked and then laughed, swatting at me.

“What, I’m just saying?” I laughed, holding the blanket and basket out. “You wanna ride a plastic toy, or hot, warm cock?”

She turned beat red, rolled her eyes, and spun on her toes, shaking her head while climbing the stairs. “I am so glad you are my sister-in-law. I definitely need you in my life.”

Giggling, I stood next to her when we were off the stairs, chatting away about Isabelle’s birth in a few weeks. Jack was putting down his revenge toward Amanda and it looked like she was going to be safe, no one would ever know Richard was Meyer’s, so he could grow up to be a strong, resilient Shaw, and my little girl was as healthy as could be. My affair was over and never discovered, and Milo had ended his, as well.

For the first time since Milo Pampinella came swooping into my life like a bat out of hell, fucking everything up, there was a calmness on the horizon. The pain of losing Wyatt would always be there, but I had found a way to survive with it, so long as the affair was never mentioned to remind me what was lost.

Everyone was safe. Everyone was moving on. Life was actually going to be normal, as far as Pampinella’s were involved.

I should have known it was the calm before the storm, and everything was about to blow the fuck up. When you live this lifestyle, there are moments of stillness, but never peace. Never let your guard down. Lessons learned the hard way.

Chapter 47

Chastity Pampinella

I stood over Isabelle’s crib, my heart filled like never before. How could I love someone as much as I did that little girl? From the moment they put her in my arms right after she was born, I had been obsessed with my daughter, unable to take my eyes off her.

And Milo was no different. I sometimes would wake up to an empty bed, just to find him sitting in the rocker, scooted as close to the crib as possible, staring through the slats to watch our precious miracle sleeping.

“What’s she doing?”

I giggled on the phone and whispered, “Still out.”

“She didn’t do anything important since I left, did she?”