Page 13 of The Love of Secrets

Looking up at the gorgeous creature sitting in front of me, it’s cemented even further that she belongs with me. I don’t want her to have any more reason to run. I want her to stay here in Rose Valley with me and create a future together. It’s time to lay down the groundwork, beginning with making sure that she isn’t with anyone else.

“Where is his father?” I lean my head toward Oliver.

Her face goes pale but she says nothing. Not necessarily wanting to pry, but the need to make sure that no one else will come to take her away is high. I place my hand on her arm, hoping that my touch comforts her. I soften my voice and carefully choose my words to make sure I don’t scare her away. “Pretty Girl, you don’t have to tell me about him. It doesn’t matter. I just want the two of you.”

She swallows roughly, as if she’s not sure what to say. I watch as her resolve strengthens, and she says with conviction. “I’ll tell you one day about him, but for now, let’s just be. The three of us.”

A breath leaves me as I’m comforted by her words. I didn’t realize how badly I’d needed to hear them.

Chapter ten

Cecilia

Today started off rough with my baby boy not feeling good, but he seems to be on the mend as the night progresses. I guess that little nap we had earlier was just what he needed.

I couldn’t believe it when Mateo was the one standing at my front door. For a split-second, fear had a hold of me and I thought Michael had found me. It was a welcome surprise that it wasn’t him, but the reaction Mateo had when he saw Oliver had thrown me. At first, I thought he wasn’t happy that I had a son, but it was actually the opposite.

It felt like I was living in a dream when he ended up making us dinner. No one has ever done anything that nice for me. It’s always been me taking care of everyone else. It was nice. I could get used to it.

When dinner is over, I stand up from my seat and start collecting the dirty dishes. When a rough hand grabs my arm, I look up at Mateo with my forehead creased.

“Let me clean up.” His tone soft but still commanding.

I shake my head. “No. You cooked. I’ll clean up really quick and then I’ll put Oliver to bed.”

“Pretty Girl, let me do this for you. Go spend time with your son and put him to bed. Don’t worry, I’ll still be here.”

My jaw drops at his words. Is this guy for real? My whole body tingles. It’s so fucking sexy that he wants to do all these things for me. I don’t argue. “Okay.”

Even though it seems unreal and unfair, I take advantage of leaving the plates right there. Moving my attention to Oliver, I smile widely at him. “Look at my messy boy! You need a bath.”

He gives me a toothy grin. I pick him up from his highchair, holding him out and trying not to get spaghetti on me. He giggles. Apparently, he thinks this is hilarious. We walk into the bathroom where I place him down on the tile and start peeling his clothes off. Once he’s down to his pull up, I turn the water on in the bath, making sure that it’s a good temperature for him. I take his pull up off and place him in his bath.

“Bub-bles, Mama?”

“Let me see, baby boy.” I look under the cabinet and thankfully we have some. I don’t want to deal with a meltdown right now. He plays with bubbles for a bit as I clean off the tomato sauce. After a while of playing, his eyes start to droop. “I think it’s time for bed, big boy.”

“I no bed,” he shouts as he moves to get away from me.

“Oliver Maddox. No, we don’t act like that. Time to get out.”

He drops his head, knowing that if he pushes me more, he’ll get in trouble. Even though I make sure he knows he’s loved without a shadow of a doubt, I try really hard to enforce rules. The idea of my little guy turning out to be like his father, a petulant man child who doesn’t know how to behave, makes me want to vomit.

Mateo doesn’t seem to be like that. He seems more like the man I want to spend more time with, maybe even the type of man I want my son to emulate when he’s older. If how patient he’s been with me over the last few weeks is any indication.

I think back to when I first got here and how he started coming to the bar, just sitting and waiting. When I had time, he would ask me questions about myself. And even though we just started to get to know each other, I feel safe with him. Not just physically either, he makes me feel emotionally safe, too. And seeing how he is with my son cements that I could be on my way to falling in love with him. Which scares the crap out of me.

Once I have Oliver in his pajamas, I hold him close to me while I rock him. I place a small kiss on his forehead, and thankfully, his fever hasn’t returned. Maybe he’s finally recovered from this sickness. He quickly falls asleep and I’m able to put him in his crib. Before leaving, I make sure that his sound machine is playing and whisper, “I love you, little man.”

When I softly walk out of his room and find Mateo sitting on my couch, the electricity between us crackles in the air. It’s so strong that I stop right in my tracks to take in the scene before me.

Mateo is sitting on one side of the couch with his arm thrown on top of it, his legs spread out. My hands itch to feel him underneath his clothes. He has such a presence. Even though he tries to hide himself, it’s impossible. He’s sexy, confident, and gives off an elusive feeling. I’ve seen it at the bar. He doesn’t even seem to realize how he commands everyone’s attention just by entering a room.

Mateo draws me to him when he gives me his signature sexy smirk. He pats the spot next to him. “Come here, Pretty Girl.”

My clit throbs at his command. He calls me pretty constantly and, combined with that smirk, I feel like a goddess. I straighten my shoulders and saunter my way over to him. I feel so confident with the way he’s looking at me, I do something completely out of character for me. Instead of sitting next to him, I drop to my knees right in between his legs.

My hand glides up his thigh when I give him my own smirk, one I hope emulates his.

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