“I told you.”
The doctor excused himself from the room, and we were left alone.
My hands started to shake as I held the results. Without my even realizing it, tears welled in my eyes. The drops became so big, they fell and splattered on the page. My chest ached with both pain and relief. I’d been terrified to raise the child of my tormentor. I would’ve loved that child anyway, but I would love it so much more if Hades was the father. Hundreds of pounds of weight were lifted from my shoulders. And I could finally breathe again. That asshole had no hold over me anymore. I never had to think about him again. I could move on with my life without looking back.
Hades wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. He held me as I sobbed and made the ink run on the paper. My makeup was destroyed, and my mascara trailed like rivers down my cheeks. This was what I’d wanted more than anything else…to have this baby with my husband.
“It’s alright, baby.” His hand moved to my stomach, and he cupped it with his large palm. “We’re a family…the three of us.”
I could barely speak through my tears. “I was so scared. I wanted you to be the father. I needed you to be the father. I’m so happy it’s you. You’ve been such a good husband to me, and I know you’ll be an incredible parent.”
His eyes stilled as he looked into mine, caught off guard by what I said. It seemed like he wanted to disagree with what I’d just said, but he never did. “I’ll spend my life taking care of both of you. The two of you are the most important things in the world to me.”
I looked into his eyes and saw sincerity shine through. “I know.”
I was a whole different person.
I was living in a dream, the kind you never wanted to wake up from. My life was stable once again, and I was actually happy. Now that I knew Hades was the father of my son, I was so excited to be a mother. I was excited to start our family. I didn’t know how I was going to balance my job and my kids, but I was determined to figure it out. I could leave the kids with my mother, but I didn’t want her to watch them. I wanted to watch them.
I sat in the office at the hotel, my thoughts drifting to baby clothes and diapers, when my phone rang. It was Damien, so I answered. “I have some really good news…”
His tone was always melancholy now. With Hades still so cold to him, Damien seemed to have lost his spirit. It was profound in his tone of voice, the way he always seemed half asleep or depressed. “Yeah?”
“Just got the results from the doctor and Hades is the father.” It was ironic that I talked to Damien as a friend when Hades wasn’t even his friend anymore. I was used to having Damien in our lives, and it felt odd that he wasn’t there anymore. He’d screwed up big time, but I knew his heart was in the right place. He cared about me, and he certainly cared about Hades.
“That’s fucking great. Thank God.”
“Yeah, I was pretty scared. Hades was so confident that the baby was his, so he didn’t seem concerned about it. But I was a total wreck.”
“Yeah, Hades has a sixth sense when it comes to stuff like that.”
He was passionate about his decisions and so stubborn that he could never change his mind. He thought he was right about everything…and maybe he was. “I’m so happy he was right.”
“Good. Now you can move on. And congratulations on the baby. I don’t think I ever told you that.”
I leaned back in my chair and crossed my legs under my desk. “Thank you. We weren’t ready to start a family just yet, but I’m glad that it happened.”
“Hades will be a good father. He’s the best guy I know.”
Listening to the pain in his voice made me so sad. “He’ll come around.”
He sighed loudly, like he didn’t agree with that statement at all. “It’s his birthday on Thursday. That’s why I’m calling, just so you know. He’s not big on celebrating his birthday, so I know he would never tell you.”
He was right. It never came up, and I never asked. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
“My best advice is don’t make it a big deal. He doesn’t like a lot of attention.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t know. Probably because his family is dead and his brother hates him. Well, he used to hate him.”
My hand moved to my stomach. “Well, he has a family now.”
21
Hades
It was loud in the club. Bass from the music vibrated from the speakers, and nearly naked ladies passed around glasses of booze.
Damien and I sat in our private booth, leather seats with a black table. We had glasses of scotch, but various drinks were piling up from admirers. Damien accepted the glasses with a wink in their direction. But I just ignored mine.
It was the perfect place for our conversation, because nobody could eavesdrop. It was so fucking loud. Damien kept several feet between us, treating me like he was the one who was pissed. He didn’t try to rectify our relationship. He seemed to have let it go. “Maddox is hurting. We’ve sabotaged most of his distributors, and his drugs are disappearing from the streets. It’s only a matter of time before that fucker shows his face.”
“And I wonder how he’ll do that.”
Damien grabbed an extra drink sitting at the end of the table. “With a normal person, I’d say he’d threaten us. But with this psychopath, he’ll probably throw you a parade or some shit. Fucking weirdo. I would assume he’s gay for you except for the fact…” He looked away, clearly embarrassed by what he’d just said. “Never mind.”
He’d shoved his foot in his mouth, but I let it go. “You’re probably right. He’ll call me.”
“I’ve been trying to track him down, and I think he’s in the city.”
“What makes you think that?”
“It’s what the guys on the streets are telling me. But you never know, that information could be bullshit. With other guys, they’re pretty straightforward. But Maddox reminds me of a fucking clown. He’s always putting on a show. You never know what’s real and what’s not.”
I couldn’t wait until he was dead.
Damien watched a pretty girl walk by before he turned his gaze back to me. “I heard the good news.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What good news?”
Two women approached our table. Both brunettes and both familiar. The first one on the left addressed us. “Hey, Hades.” She gave me a flirtatious wave. Her eyes shifted back to Damien. “Hey.”
It took me a second to recognize them. We’d been on a double date before. Or a double fuck…that was more accurate. They were both nice girls, so I was nice back. “How are things?”
“Good.” The first brunette turned her eyes back on me. “A little cold for my liking, but I’ll survive. You two look like you’re having a heated conversation. We’ll swing by later.” She winked and walked away with her friend.
I forgot about them the second they were gone. “What good news?”
Damien’s eyes watched them for a long time, his mind in the gutter and far away from this conversation. When they disappeared into the bathroom, he finally paid attention to me. “That the kid belongs to you.”