22. Chloe
22
CHLOE
I was so close to telling Franco about Caleb. So close, but so far.
We distracted each other with lust, but that was no excuse.
Then Liam’s call about a lead on Wes came in, but that wasn’t something I could control.
As I left the gym and avoided my room, I felt antsy and unsure what to do. Until I could woman up and tell Franco my big secret, until I could finally tell him why I ran away all those years ago, this tense, prickling sense of shame and anxiety would continue to consume me.
“Chloe?” Tessa asked when I passed her in the kitchen. Again. I thought grabbing a water bottle would give me something to do, but I was still on edge. I ended up pacing back to put it back, not in the mood to eat or drink anything.
I faced her as Eva came into the room too.
“Are you all right?”
I shrugged, then hugged myself.
“For God’s sake, Tessa,” Eva drawled dryly. “Of course, she’s not all right. Look at her.”
I winced at Eva.
“What’s going on?”
I heaved in a deep breath. I still couldn’t tell them that I was the mother of Franco’s son. He had the right to learn that before them.
But I couldn’t blow them off and lie poorly that nothing was wrong. Like Eva pointed out, they saw on my face how something had to be terribly not right.
“I…” I heaved out a deep breath, latching on to the other thing bugging me. “Franco and Liam left to go after Wes.”
Eva nodded. “Yeah…”
“And I know that means they will kill him.” I swallowed hard. “I’ve never… I haven’t been involved in someone’s death before. That’s not something I ever wanted to be involved with.”
“Whoa. No. Hold on.” Tessa shook her head. “You are not at fault here.”
“You’re a victim,” Eva said. “Wes brought this upon himself. And he will answer for his actions.”
“But—”
Tessa took my hand. “Listen. It is weird. I struggled with it a little bit myself. The whole concept of knowing someone is going to die, to be killed, by a man you trust. And love.” She raised her brows. “Right? You love Franco?”
“I’ve loved Franco my whole life. Before I left him ten years ago, during that time apart, and now.”
“Okay. So…” She winced a bit. “It takes some adjustment. Because this isn’t a normal way of processing justice. If you’re not born into the Mafia life”—she gestured at Eva—“there’s a learning curve. An adjustment.”
“But it feels so bizarre…” I winced, wishing I could get over it. “Back then, I didn’t see Franco as a killer. I saw him as my boyfriend. Now, I know he’s a killer. I know he killed that man who chased me to the hotel after they shot up the deli. Liam too. I’m grateful they removed the dangerous men hunting me down.”
Eva shrugged. “It’s the same thing, Chloe. Franco will kill your stalker to protect you.”
“Well, that and because he had the deli shot up, a Constella business,” Tessa added.
Eva shook her head. “He’s going to avenge her. Because he loves her.”
Tessa nodded. “You get used to it.”
I huffed. “The idea of them killing people? I think I might be too much of a pacifist for this.”
“Nonsense,” Nina said as she entered the room.
“How is it nonsense?” I asked.
“Because they kill to keep us safe,” she replied. “Like the time Dante killed the men who kidnapped me and almost gang raped me. No cops would’ve delivered justice like that.”
Tessa chimed in as well. “Romeo killed the men who did rape me.” She sucked in a deep breath as though it was hard for her to say that out loud.
“And Liam killed countless enemies overseas when he was in the military,” Eva said.
“We will help you,” Tessa said. “We all stick together, even us women as the men keep us safe.”
I smiled at her, appreciating her kindness. “Thanks. I… I needed that.”
“Anytime you want to talk, we’re here,” Nina said.
Dante and Romeo entered the room, glancing at us and pausing in whatever they were speaking about.
“Is… everything okay?” Dante asked, looking at Nina first. His brows were raised.
“Yeah. Everything’s okay.” Eva nodded. “Or it will be.”
Romeo looked at me and opened then closed his mouth. As though he had something to suggest otherwise. He swallowed whatever he had to say, though, because the front door burst open.
And my son ran inside.
“Caleb?” I blinked quickly, unable to believe my eyes. “Caleb!”
It’d only been several days since I dropped him off at Ethan’s apartment. But it was the longest we’d ever been apart.
My baby!
I dropped to my knees and held my arms out as he launched at me. Nothing else mattered. All the other details of the room faded into a meaningless blur as I focused on my sweet little boy running into my arms.
“I missed you, Mommy.”
He crashed into me, and I didn’t hesitate to hold him to me. His small arms squeezed me tight, and I closed my eyes at the firm hug he gave me. I tightened my embrace and buried my face against his neck. The first deep scent of him somehow calmed my heart. My soul was full, and I knew that everything truly would be all right now.
Caleb was my miracle. My savior. My reason to live. He was proof that love always prevailed despite the wicked hardships that were thrown at me, at us.
I went to the extremes to keep him alive and with me, and I would never, ever regret a decision that I made in the name of love for my son.
He was the reason I would never tell Franco that I regretted leaving him the way I had. Caleb was the proof that I had to run from his father in order to keep us both alive and well.
“I missed you, too,” I told him.
I felt the rise of his cheek against mine, that little roundness pushing up with his smile at my words. I was everything he had, and he was all I thought that I had. For his whole life, that was it. We had each other, and I fought every time to keep that true.
I clung to him, letting him hold me tight. After so many days away from him, it felt too damn good and right to have him in my arms again. Separation anxiety was a wicked beast, but when I was also suffering from other fears and threats, it had me worried that I’d never see him again.
When I feared the shooters at the deli, and then when they chased me all the way to the motel, I worried that Caleb would be orphaned, that he’d lose me.
When I came here and fell deeper under the spell of loving Franco again, I worried that I wouldn’t be able to explain without blowing up both of our worlds.
I had to now. Letting myself calm down with the reassurance of my happy, healthy son in my arms, I slowly returned to the moment that everyone else was locked in here.
They had to be so confused. So surprised. Caleb’s dashing in here was a huge shock. I felt the burn of all their stares on me, but I couldn’t focus on them. I couldn’t spend my energy on explaining that I was a mother and this darling boy was my son.
The only person I owed answers to was his father.
Franco.
If Caleb was here…
Confusion kicked in now. I held Caleb close, letting his presence soothe me, but I racked my brain for how in the world he’d just appeared here.
“Liam,” Eva said from the side of the room.
Wait. Liam is back. That means Franco must be too. And if they came here with Caleb…
“Oh, God…” I mumbled. I was lagging horribly, delayed in my reaction time with Caleb showing up unexpectedly like this. My confusion lingered, but as I made the connection that Liam and Franco must have brought Caleb here…
“Mommy, I met Daddy!”
Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck me. My heart raced again. This time, not in elation and joy at seeing my son, but in trepidation and dread.
“You… did?” I opened my eyes, facing the music.
Franco entered the house. He stood in the foyer, staring at me with such an unreadable expression. I sensed his pain, the anger he tried to keep inside.
He was furious, and rightly so.
My big moment of truth was here, all right. And because I waited too long to tell him a thing, it was all exploding in a huge, chaotic mess.
I stood on shaky knees. My stomach dropped, sinking with all the knots of shame, guilt, and anxiety.
I knew I should have told him sooner. I should’ve come clean immediately, but nothing about this was simple. Not a thing was cut and dry, easy to determine.
I felt so lost since the moment the deli was shot up. Now, my mistakes were catching up to me.
“Look, Mommy,” Caleb said as he tugged my hand and pointed. “He’s right there. He and his buddy came to tell Wes to get lost.”
I widened my eyes, looking at Franco for confirmation that Wes was gone.
Liam cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, Mr. Morrison wasn’t around.”
Caleb sighed, dejected. “Next time, then.”
I frowned at my son and squeezed his hand, prompting me to face me. “What do you mean, next time?”
“He came to Brent’s apartment all week. I saw him and made sure he couldn’t see me. Like you taught me.”
“Did you tell Mr. Ethan?” I asked, so pissed that danger tagged after my son. When would it ever end?
It will end when Franco kills him, that’s when.
“No. Because I knew if Wes was looking for me, he couldn’t be bugging you or looking for you.”
Oh, Jesus. I hugged him to my side. This sweet, protective boy, trying to watch out for me when it was my job to take care of him.
Looking at Franco, I sucked in my lower lip and strained to explain. All the words I rehearsed didn’t come.
“Is Caleb my son?” he asked.
His voice was dry and dull, monotone, as if he were numb.
“The math seems about right,” he added.
I inhaled a deep breath and stared right back into the eyes of the man I loved. The man who I hoped would love me after I broke his heart all over again as I confessed my darkest secret.
“Caleb?” Dante’s voice cut through the thick tension in the air.
“That’s your name?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” my son answered. “Who’s asking?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, the attitudes match, Franco,” he said quietly. “My name is Dante, Caleb. Do you like to swim?”
“I love to swim!” Caleb furrowed his brow. “But isn’t it kind of cold to be swimming outside yet?”
“Come check out this pool back here, then.”
Caleb tightened his grip on my hand. “My mom says I can’t follow strangers anywhere.”
“He’s not a stranger,” I told my son.
“Yeah. He’s my dad,” Romeo said, joining in Dante’s efforts to distract my son.
“Daddy!” Olivia said as she ran toward Liam. She’d just come in the room with a nanny, but she ran too fast and tripped.
Caleb rushed out to catch her, and they both tumbled so goofily that they ended up laughing.
“Good catch, Caleb,” Liam said as he scooped up his giggling daughter. “If your mom’s cool with it, I bet Olivia here would love to have a friend more her size to share the pool with.”
“Can I, Mommy?”
I nodded, grateful for their distracting him from what would be a very, very difficult conversation.