by Shay Stone
“Fuck that guy. Just because he was serving you papers doesn’t mean he has to be a dick about it.”
“I know, but I’m already afraid Michael’s watching the house. If he finds out you’re here …”
“He’s not watching the house. He thinks I’m dead, remember?”
“Memphis, please just humor me until we figure this out. I can’t stand the thought of losing you again.” Her eyes fill and now I’m the one being a dick. I scrub my hand across my face. “I’m sorry, angel. I’m just frustrated.”
“I know. I am, too,” she admits, removing the divorce papers from their package. “I’m not sure why I’m so shocked. I knew these were coming.”
I brush her hair from her shoulders. “It’s okay to be upset.”
“No. It’s fine. I’ll bring them to my lawyer to look over tomorrow and then I can sign them, and this sham of a marriage can be over.” She thumbs through the papers before tossing them onto the counter. “I know I shouldn’t care. I know he’s dangerous and paying him off is the best way to get him out of our lives for good.”
“But …”
“But …” she continues, “… it just chaps my ass knowing he’s gonna get that money. He threatened Conner, duped me, and almost killed you and he’s going to get five million dollars for doing it.”
I pull her to my chest. “I know. It’s not right. I’m still trying to come up with another way.”
The creak of the stairs draws our attention. Mason’s shoulders draw up to his ears. He climbs over the baby gate and sets Conner onto his feet. “Sorry to interrupt. We were getting hungry.”
Nyla turns her head, wiping beneath her eyes before her angry tears bridge the rims. “No, it’s fine. Dinner’s just about ready.”
“Mommy, why you cry?” Conner asks. The kid is so damn observant.
She squats in front of him. “Mommy’s okay. These are good tears. I’m happy Memphis and Mason are here with us.”
You can see the cogs turning as he debates whether to believe her. He wraps his arms around her neck, deciding he does. “Me too.”
We enjoy a nice dinner with Conner doing most of the talking. Afterward, Mason heads upstairs to play video games while Nyla, Conner, and I cozy up on the couch to watch a movie with Benji asleep at our feet. Just when I think Conner’s dozed off and I’m about to suggest we swap out Finding Nemo for something more adult-friendly, Conner pipes up. “Memfoos, you live here now?”
“Ummm … I ummm …” I stammer, having no clue how to answer. My eyes dart to Nyla for help, hoping she’ll field this one.
“Would you like Memphis to live with us?” she asks, brushing back his hair with her hand.
He nods his head, never dragging his eyes from the brightly colored fish. “And Mason too.”
Nyla and I share a smile at the inclusion of my little brother. “Okay, baby. We’ll see.”
That appeases him for thirty whole seconds. “Where’s Daddy?”
The words sting like acid poured over my heart. This is the first time he’s asked about Mike since we’ve been home. “I’m sorry,” Nyla whispers, knowing how much it irks me. “I never told him to call Michael that. He just started doing it one day.”
I cover her hand with mine. “It’s okay. Mike’s who he knows. He was here when I wasn’t.”
She sits upright. “You weren’t here because of his lies.”
Conner glances between us, waiting for an answer. Nyla forces a smile and lifts him onto her lap. “Michael had to go away. Why? Do you miss him?”
“No,” he replies honestly, turning his focus back to the television.
His response makes me chuckle, but I want to be sure he’s not hiding his feelings just to spare mine. I pat his knee. “You know it’s okay if you do.”
“I don’t.”
I grin, puffing up like a damn peacock in my seat. Nyla laughs at my blatant exultation. “Baby, what would you think about Memphis being your daddy?”
My eyes lift to hers, looking for confirmation that she said what I thought she did. “Really?”
“Really.” She smiles. “It’s time.”
I’m suddenly nervous. I want him to say yes so badly, I’m tempted to tell him I’ll buy him every toy at FAO Schwarz if he does. My heart hitches, awaiting his reply.
“Do you think you’d like that?” Nyla prompts.
“Yes,” he replies, nodding his answer again. “I love him.”
My lip quivers, and I have to bite it to keep from crying. I pull him onto my lap and give Nyla a chaste kiss. “Thank you.”
She laces her fingers with mine. “Michael’s taken enough time from us. I’m not letting him take anymore.”
I spend the next few days reveling in my family, soaking them in. “Daddy” is rolling more freely off Conner’s tongue now. I never knew a two-syllable word could fill me with such joy. I’m beginning to convince myself we could have a normal life. That once Mike gets his money and skips town, we’ll be free to be a family.
As much as I love being here, I’m starting to get a little cabin fever, and I know Mason is too, though he’s never complained. He spends the majority of time playing video games in his room. To keep myself from going insane, I’ve been fixing odds and ends around the house and Conner has become my little assistant. Nyla picked him up a toy toolbox and bench yesterday and now that he’s properly armed, he mimics everything I do.
I’m helping him hammer down a pesky imaginary nail when I look up and catch Nyla grinning from ear to ear, filming us with her phone. I wink and push my lips out giving her an air kiss. “Hey, what do you say we take him to the park tomorrow?”
She lowers the camera and her smile fades. “Oh, Memphis. I don’t think that’s a good idea. What if someone sees you? Or sees us with you?”
“Angel, we can’t stay in the house forever. As much as I love being here, I’m starting to go a little stir crazy. I’m sure Mike’s not watching us. As far as he’s concerned, the con is all but done. He’s probably already scouting his next mark. Besides, it’s a weekday. He’ll be at work. He knows he still needs to keep up appearances.”
She falls silent, lowering her eyes to the ground. Tension radiates off her in droves. I task Conner with a giant plastic screw to fasten into his play bench and pull Nyla aside. “Angel, what’s going on? Yesterday I found you up at five a.m. trying to get a locksmith out to change the deadbolts. It’s like a tomb in here because every time I open the blinds, you close them.”
She nibbles on her thumbnail. “I know. I’m completely paranoid. Please just bear with me until this divorce is final. I’m sure I’ll feel better once Mike is gone and we won’t have to worry about him or Vito ever again.”
“Sure,” I mutter, managing a weak smile.
She lifts Conner into her arms. “Come on, baby. It’s time for your bath and to get you ready for bed.” She gives my arm a gentle squeeze as she passes. “You coming?”
“Go ahead. I’m gonna put this stuff away. I’ll be up in a minute or two.”
I start gathering the toys together, placing them in the box one by one as she makes her way up the stairs. The second I hear the water running, I whip whatever plastic tool I’m holding across the room and sit on the steps, cradling my head in my hand. I’ve been a damn fool. A selfish, goddamn fool! What the hell was I thinking? Vito’s not going to magically disappear when Mike does. He’ll bide his time as long as he has to until he finds me. He has people everywhere. There’s no place we’ll be safe, especially not in Manhattan.
“Memphis, I left the baby shampoo I bought on the counter. Will you bring it when you come?” Nyla calls down from the bathroom.
I snatch the bottle off the counter and drag my ass upstairs, screwing on a happy face. We bathe Conner, dry him off, and slather him with the lotion that gives him that intoxicating baby smell before dressing him in his favorite pajamas. Nyla scoops him up and smiles brightly. “Oh no. Guess what time it is.”
“Kiss attack time,” C
onner replies with a huge smile. She covers his face with kisses, and he laughs hysterically when she blows raspberries on his belly, holding him up for me to do the same.
“Okay, time for bed. Give Daddy goodnight kisses.”
Conner places a hand on each side of my face and pushes out his lips. I scoop him out of Nyla’s arms and give him another kiss attack, just so I can hear his uninhibited, carefree laugh again.
“Careful, Memphis. You shouldn’t be lifting him yet,” Nyla voices her concern.
“I’m fine. Now blow a raspberry on your son’s tummy like a good mom,” I command, holding him out to her. She smiles, obliging with a big one that has Conner cackling and flailing like a captured fish. I lay him in bed, and we tuck him in with his Wally. This is it. This everything.
“Goodnight, monster.”
“G’d night, Daddy. Love you.”
Oh, my heart!
“Love you, too.”
Nyla pulls the door shut and rocks back on her heels. “What should we do? Grab a bottle of wine and the baby monitor and head up to the roof? Watch a movie?”
“I’ve got a better idea,” I reply, entwining our fingers and lead her to our bedroom. I secure the lock on the door and weave one hand into Nyla’s thick chestnut hair, slinking the other around her waist. “Let’s make Conner a little brother or sister.”
She slips her arms around my neck. “There’s only one problem with that, lover boy.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m on the pill.”
“Hmmm,” I reply, cocking my head to the side and tapping my chin like I’m thinking. “Then how about we practice making Conner a little brother or sister?”
Her tongue peeks out, gliding over her full lips. “You sure you’re up for it?”
I slide my palms down her backside, filling my hands with her perky ass and press the hard bulge in my pants against her. “Oh, I’m up for it.”
I keep my tone light and cheery, but my mood is anything but. My mind is spiraling into an abyss only she can pull me back from. I cover her mouth with mine and our tongues curl around each other fervently.
With one quick tug, my shirt is off, landing somewhere on the floor. I take my time undressing Nyla, dragging her pants down her legs and guide her onto the bed. My eyes gaze upon her naked body with the reverence it deserves. She covers her stomach with her hands, and a hint of embarrassment spreads across her face. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why. Maybe it lacks some of the definition it once did, but it’s toned with a softness I find equally sexy. And even if it wasn’t, she gave birth to my son. What’s more beautiful than that? For a split second, I wonder what the hell Mike must have said to her to make her doubt her beauty, but quickly shake away the unpleasant thought.
I crawl between her thighs and pull her hands away. “Look at me,” I demand when her eyes fall to the side. “You’re perfect. This,” I say, lowering myself and dropping my mouth to her tummy, tracing over it with my tongue, “… is one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.”
She smiles, her confidence restored. I kiss every inch of her, watching the way her back arches and chest expands when I spread her folds and swipe my tongue over her clit. I treat her to one, two, three orgasms, before she rolls me over and straddles me, easing me inside. Her body welcomes me without protest, cocooning my length in velvety softness.
I’m home.
Her lips part on a pleasure-filled gasp as I fill her to the hilt. Once she’s taken all of me, she stills. I run my fingers along the outside of her face. Our eyes lock and an understanding passes between them. Any distance, unspoken question, or hint of doubt is erased. We belong to each other.
Her hips begin to undulate and I watch myself slide in and out of her, coated in her slickness. Slow and steady. Fast and hard. Pressure builds and dissipates only to climb higher as my hands grip her waist, controlling the tempo. Our hearts bind together; our souls fuse.
We make love until our bodies take over, demanding release. She cries out my name digging her nails into my shoulders, riding a wave of ecstasy until she’s breathless. I flip her onto her back and piston into her, drawing out one more orgasm before allowing my own to unleash. Three years of want and need flow out of me until she’s taken all I have, and we’re left quaking in each other’s arms.
“I love you, angel,” I whisper, peppering kisses along her collarbone. We drift off to sleep with me inside her, neither of us wanting to break the connection. One last blissful night before I destroy our perfect world again.
FIFTY-ONE
I’m sitting at the kitchen table on the phone when Nyla pads down the stairs full of smiles, looking sexy as hell in my t-shirt. She dips in for a kiss, which I happily indulge. “Who you talking to this early?”
“Max,” I mouth, returning my attention to my call. “I know what I’m doing. Just promise me, dammit! Thank you. I said, ‘I know what I’m doing’. I gotta go. Nyla just woke up.”
“What are you doing?” Nyla asks, pulling a mug from the cupboard and filling it with coffee.
I wrap my hands around my own cup, staring pensively into it. “Sit down, angel. We need to talk.”
“Uh-oh. Sounds serious. You’re not breaking up with me, are you?” she teases, sliding into the chair and sipping her drink. I can’t even manage a smirk. Her cheerful smile transforms into a mien of concern. “Memphis, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me.”
“I’ve been up all night thinking, and I’ve decided to turn myself in.”
“Turn yourself in? To the police? Are you insane? You’ll be a sitting duck. They’ll kill you.”
I fold my hand over hers. “Please just hear me out.”
“No! Not when you’re talking crazy,” she snaps, springing off the chair. “It’s suicide.”
She’s right and we both know it. “It’s the only way to keep all of you safe.”
“No! I won’t let you.”
I stand, gripping her hip. “Angel, this is happening. I already texted Giovanni and told him I needed to talk to him. We’re meeting this evening.”
She jerks away. “Then text him back and tell him you changed your mind.”
“Nyla, please don’t fight me on this. I don’t want to spend our last day together arguing. And I’m not going to lie and tell you I changed my mind and then slip out in the middle of the night to turn myself in, which is exactly what I’ll do. This is the only way to stop Mike and keep you safe from Vito.”
“No. There’s got to be another way. We’ll hire bodyguards. Get a better security system. We’ll come up with something!”
“There’s no way we can be protected twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for God knows how long. You’re already a nervous wreck. Is that how you want to spend the rest of your life?”
“It’ll get better. Once the divorce is final and Michael is gone, it’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.”
“Angel, I wish that was true, but it’s not. As long as Mike is free, he poses a threat. At some point, he’ll blow through the money and come back wanting more. He’ll threaten Conner … blackmail your father … he’ll find a way to hurt you. And if he’s desperate enough, maybe worse. He’s already killed twice that we know of.”
“There’s got to be something else we can do.”
“There’s not. Trust me. I’ve played out every possibility. If it was just Mike, it’d be different. But it’s not. It’s Vito and his entire organization. We’ll never be able to go anywhere without looking over our shoulders.”
“What about witness protection? We can ask Giovanni about that. We’ll be safe. He’ll keep us safe.”
“No. I won’t do it. You’ve worked too hard to get to where you are.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“Maybe you don’t, but I do. You’d have to give up everything. Your name, your job, your family, your friends. Can you really see yourself never speaking to Alex or Jen again? Or your dad? With Harrison gone, you and Conner are all
he has left. He needs you. You’re vital to him and his business. And it’s not like we could ask him to give up his company and come with us.”
“No, too many people depend on him. It wouldn’t be fair to him or to the employees.”
“No, it wouldn’t. And you’ve got all those kids from Katie’s Helpers that love and adore you. You’d have to let all that go. You couldn’t have anything to do with it. We’d be at the mercy of the feds. They’d dump us in some Bumfuck town in the middle of nowhere. There’d be no family vacations. We’d have to constantly watch what we say. Any friends we made, we’d have to lie to. And no matter where we were, there’d still always be that threat. We’d live the rest of our lives in fear. That’s not the life I want for you and Conner or Mason.”
“What if we ran away on our own instead? We could move to a different country and start over.”
“And then they’d come after the people you love. They’d torture your dad or rape Alex in front of Colin to get him to talk, or …”
“Stop it! Just stop it! I get it, okay?” she shouts, repulsed by the graphic images I’m painting.
“Angel, I’m sorry. But I need to make you understand. These are bad people. As far as Vito’s concerned, I tried to take down his entire organization. His brother died trying to silence me. I guarantee you he won’t stop until he has my head on a platter and he’s avenged his brother’s death.” I scrub a hand over my face as frustrated by what I’m saying as she is. “Please, let me do one noble thing in my life. Let me protect you. Let me protect my family. I’m okay with dying if I know it allows you to live. If it was just me and you, maybe we could run. But it’s not. We have to think about Conner and Mason. Okay?”
“No, it’s not okay. You promised you’d never leave me again,” she sobs.
“I know,” I whisper, pulling her to me and dropping kisses to her head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, angel.”
Mason shuffles down the steps, half asleep. “What’s with all the yelling?” he asks, pausing when he notices Nyla’s wet face and puffy eyes. “Everything okay?”
“Fine,” I say, releasing her. “Get ready. We’re going to breakfast and then to the Museum of Natural History. I want to take Conner to see the dinosaurs. And then we’re going to a baseball game.”