Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Dante
Tatiana doesn’t say a word on the way back to the house. The tears she quietly sheds next to me in the back of the car must be tears of regret. I bet she wishes she never ran into me outside their condo on the day she did, the very same day her father told her who she’d marry.
Bumping into her was a coincidence. I like to think of it as fate. But the reason I was in her neighborhood wasn’t. I was there for her, intent on stalking her until I got my way. One way or another, I was always going to make her mine.
I look at my fiancée’s beautiful face. With the golden light of the sinking sun that highlights her flaxen hair, pale complexion, and full pink lips, her Slavic heritage is evident. Those jade green eyes glitter all the more brightly with her tears.
She’s too perfect. I want to reach out, grab that image, and grasp it in a fist like I used to catch fireflies when I was a kid. Back then, I’d let those little insects go to watch their light disappear in the darkness of the woods where I was camping with my friends.
Now, I don’t want to let go. Ever. I want to cling to the memory of how she looks today so badly that I risk snuffing the life right out of it and snapping every bone in my fingers.
Because today marks a huge milestone—the achievement of everything I set out to do.
It’s the beginning of the end for Leander Teszner and only the start of us.
No matter how it came about, they’re my family, she and Noah, and nothing can change that for all eternity.
My name will be carved into their gravestones.
We’ll be connected in the afterlife, in history, and into forever.
A hundred years from now, someone may stand in front of those graves and wonder who those people were. Our memories may be long forgotten. But everyone will know Tatiana was a Morici, that she was my wife, mine to protect and provide for, and that Noah was our son.
The thought of being bound together in this life and the next brings me a measure of peace.
I twist the ring Tatiana gave me for my birthday around the L of Lee’s name that’s tattooed on my finger.
I put the first letter of his name right there, under her ring, so it could remind me every day what I was fighting for. What I’m living for.
It’s a handsome ring. A coil of silver rope runs around the middle, flanked by iron bands.
The gesture was sweet at the time. I wonder if she knew how symbolic that rope would become.
It’s tied around her neck like a noose now, barely allowing her space to breathe.
She’s my prisoner in every way that matters, chained to my bed and tied to me by blood.
Soon, she’ll be locked up in my house. I’ll put a ring on her finger, one I won’t allow her to take off.
And then I’ll give her my surname before putting another baby inside her.
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 facade 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.
“That’s good.” Tatiana’s voice breaks a little as she wipes Noah’s curls from his forehead to study his face. “I’ll never leave you. You know that, right?”
She’s confirming what I already know. She’ll honor the terms of our prenuptial agreement.
She’ll stay in my house, married to me, because she’ll never abandon her son.
Yes, it was underhanded of me to slip in that clause, but I’ll do whatever I must to ensure she stays where she belongs, no matter how dirty I have to play.
Noah bobs his head up and down. “You’ll always come back, just like Dante.”
She looks at me, searching my eyes with fear and concern sparking in hers as she lets that statement and its meaning sink in—one, that I’m going nowhere, and two, that I made sure my son understood that exactly as she’s reassuring him now.
Noah wiggles out of her arms. “What’s the surprise, Dante? You said you’ll tell me when you get here.”
I take Tatiana’s hands and help her up, trying to ignore how she immediately pulls away and how much that bothers me.
Instead, I give Noah my full attention. “The surprise is that your mother and I are getting married.”
Tatiana cuts me an accusing look. She appears hurt and betrayed, not hiding her disapproval of the direct way in which I shared the news, but the sooner Noah knows the truth, the better.
Jasper doesn’t take the announcement well. She pales, shock painted over her face.
Noah gasps. His eyes grow wide and hopeful. “Does that mean you’re going to be my daddy?”
“Yes.” Emotions nearly strangle the words before they can leave my lips. “I am.”
He drags in a long, loud breath, his chest puffing out with the effort. “As for real?”
“As real as it gets, buddy.”
He wraps his arms around my knees and hugs me like only he can do, putting every ounce of his strength into the effort.
Tipping back his head, he stares up at me. “Can I call you Daddy?”
I smile through the knot that forms in my throat. “I’d like that.”
“Cool!” He lets me go and swings his arms through the air. “This is the best day of my life.”
Jasper clears her throat. “Congratulations.”
“That’s why we’re having a special dinner.” I take Noah’s hand. “Did you meet the chef?”
Noah grins. “He made me a milkshake, and I haven’t even eaten my food yet.” He adds with enthusiasm, “He’s nice.”
“Exceptions are allowed when you’re celebrating.” I motion for Tatiana to go ahead of me. “Let’s go through. I’m sure Jasper knows the way.”
Jasper avoids my gaze as she turns to lead our small group to the dining room.
The table is set with crystal, silver, and candles.
As I don’t have a housekeeper here, I hired a chef to prepare a special meal.
As usual, Penelope took care of the arrangements.
She would’ve stocked the fridge and the cupboards as I’d instructed.
I trust her to always do a good job. My assistant is yet to disappoint me.
There are only four of us, so the chef serves the courses himself. When I approved the menu, I opted for fish dishes and exotic salads that are to both Tatiana and Jasper’s tastes. Noah gets a crumbed fish fillet to eliminate the danger of him swallowing a fishbone. The desert is crème br?lée.