I nodded. “That she has.”
“That makes her a great mother. I mean, I’ll always be grateful to the woman who raised me, now that I know the truth.”
Would Madeline ever want to tell Ruby the truth?
When I didn’t respond, Araneae went on, “Well, I should get upstairs and help Lorna. Can we plan on having your family for dinner?”
“You’re positive Sparrow knows?”
“I’m positive that your wife is welcome in my home.”
I inhaled. “Is that the same thing?”
“Are you questioning me?”
A smile curled my lips. “I’m not, I’m clarifying. At no point during this decision was it influenced by a call or discussion initiated by me.”
Her brown eyes shone and her grin grew. “No, this wasn’t you. It’s me. I’m making the call. If I learned anything moving in here, it’s that it can be lonely and scary until…”
“Until?”
“Until you learn that we aren’t a bunch of strangers—we’re a family. No one, not Madeline or Ruby, will ever feel unwelcome in my home.”
“I think I referred to us as misfits.”
Araneae nodded. “You did. I heard you and you’re right. We all have our own stories. One day, if Madeline is willing to share, her friends and family will listen.”
“You know,” I said, thinking back to a warehouse on a hot Chicago night, “I’m glad I helped.”
Araneae’s head tilted. “Make Ruby?”
“Yes, but not that. I’m glad I played a part in ambushing you a couple years ago. You’re the best thing to happen to Sparrow.”
“I know I am,” she said with a wink. “It goes both ways. Now, go get reacquainted with your better half and acquainted with your daughter. Then, come upstairs in an hour or so.”
“Yes, Mrs. Sparrow.”
Araneae squeezed my arm before she walked toward the elevators.
Pushing open the door, I stood for a moment, staring at the two women on the sofa. Though their voices were low, I could hear what they were saying to one another, yet I wasn’t listening. My attention was on the way they leaned into one another, touching without hesitation, and the way their eyes were focused on the other’s. Observation was my forte and what I saw between Madeline and Ruby was an unmistakable connection—a bond that doesn’t come with blood but with time and commitment.
How difficult was that to form in the Ivanov bratva?
I didn’t know, but I knew that despite the obstacles, Madeline had done it.
Madeline turned my way, her green eyes meeting mine as a smile came to her face. Lifting her hand, she wordlessly bid me closer. Tears glistened in her eyes as our hands connected. For the first time ever, she had her daughter and husband both within her grasp.
I cleared my throat as emotions I rarely entertained bubbled within me. Due to people and circumstances out of our control, this moment was occurring nearly seventeen years too late.
There should have been a hospital room and a baby. That reality of lost time could sour this moment, but I wouldn’t allow it. There was no reason to concentrate on what we’d missed. That would give those who had wronged Madeline and me too much credit. No, looking into the eyes of these two amazing women, my mind was on our future.
A tear trickled down Madeline’s cheek as she turned to our daughter. “I’m sorry, Ruby, that I never told you about Patrick.”
Ruby’s blue eyes came to mine. “You did. You told me he was a good man and you loved him.”
My smile widened. “The love part is real. Never doubt that you were conceived in love.”
Ruby’s nose wrinkled. “Too much information.”
I lowered myself on my haunches. “I’m a little out of my element here. I know it will take time, but I hope one day the three of us can consider ourselves a family.”
Madeline nodded. “I can’t believe this is real.”
“I can stay here with you two,” I said, “or disappear for a bit to 2. It’s a floor below, where we do what we do.”
Madeline looked from me to Ruby and back. “Maybe it would be best if you could give us some time?”
“Time is the one thing we have in abundance. Going forward, we have all the time.”
“Are we staying here?” Ruby asked. “In Chicago?”
“I hope so,” I replied. Standing straighter, I added, “And not to be that man, but for safety purposes, the elevator doesn’t work. Currently, neither of you have the ability, but by the sound of Araneae, I believe Ruby’s status will soon change.”
“Do you think it is all right for me to join them tonight for dinner?” Madeline asked. “Mr. Sparrow said—”
“The queen has spoken,” I interrupted, recalling my talk with Araneae.
Madeline’s forehead wrinkled. “How will the king feel about it?”
“If he has an issue, the two of them will work it out,” I said. “The invitation stands. Besides, I want to introduce you to Lorna and Laurel.”
“They’re nice,” Ruby said. “It’s really weird here.”
“It is?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said with a smile. “Not a bad weird. It’s real. They make you feel welcome. It’s not like at home—I mean there’re no servants. Everyone works together. It’s like a TV family or something.”
“No,” I said. “We’re real. I’ll be back in about an hour to go upstairs.”
As I stepped out into the entry, I couldn’t stop my smile. A dream I never thought possible was happening.
Taking the elevator, I rode to 2. Scanning my hand, the steel door opened to three sets of eyes. As they turned my way, my smile dimmed. “What’s happening?”
“Men on the ground in Detroit have some new information,” Mason said.
Madeline
“Are you sure?” I asked Ruby as she, Patrick, and I stood near the elevator in the Sparrows’ penthouse.
“For tonight,” Ruby replied. “Araneae wants to watch a movie and besides, it will give you and…” She looked up at Patrick and lifted her hands in a sign of surrender. “For the record, I want no information, but seriously, I think it’s not terrible that you two found each other again. And, Mom, you seem relaxed with him. I like it. Having me with you will cramp your style.”
“Never,” Patrick said. “Maybe I can be in on the next movie.”
Patrick summoned the elevator with his palm.
“Okay,” I said, kissing my daughter’s cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow. You’ll have to come to me.”
“See you tomorrow,” Ruby said with a wave.
Together, Patrick and I stepped into the elevator.
“Seeing the two of you together,” he said, “is like watching two versions of you at the same time.”
“She’s so much more confident than I was at her age. She’s lived more.”
As the doors closed, he wrapped his arm around my back and tugged me to his side. “You’d done a lot of living by her age. I’m glad hers wasn’t on the streets. You’ve given her what you couldn’t have.”