Page 148 of Mila: The Godfather

Of that, I have no doubt.

Message from M

C,

Take me with you.

Somewhere.

Anywhere. - M

Extraordinary You

MILA

“I’ll go wherever you go.” — M

“You’re all bloody.” I point out the obvious.

“Killing a man in cold blood will do that to you.” He laughs.

“It’s not just his blood.” I frown. There’s so much blood on him. His and Lock’s.

Riagan leans back on his office’s leather chair here at Mayhem, positioning me between his parted thighs.

“Are you alright?” I ask, watching as he winces while he shifts in his seat, trying to find a comfortable position. “And don’t sugarcoat it or make jokes, please.” I demand, giving him a firm look that he must find endearing because he smiles. “I’d say two bruised ribs and a split lip is the worst of it.”

“Nu-uh.” I poke his eyebrow gently, and he does his best to suppress a groan which makes me smile. “This doesn’t look good.” I reach for the first-aid kit he had lying around his office and open it. After we left the fight he took me to his office, and I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t bear looking at him this way. He was hurting, yet he shook it off as if it was nothing, and I guess for a man like him, it is nothing. Still as soon as he unlocked the door to his office and let us both inside, I rushed into the bathroom and frantically dug through his cabinets for first aid supplies. I came out of the bathroom with a plastic container full of gauze, butterfly bandages, elastic bandages, salves, splints, braces, glue, and even a sewing set for stitches. I was pretty sure I would be having a mild heart attack if he didn’t have all the things I needed to patch him up. Grabbing the bottle of alcohol and a cotton ball, I start to work on cleaning his wounds. All the while, he remains quiet, just holding onto my waist.

I’ll never get tired of this exhilarating feeling I get when he looks at me with longing and more. A strange warmth spreads across my chest. After I’m done cleaning his wounds, I add the butterfly stitches. The part I hate. Something Riagan notices because he speaks next, breaking the silence. “Baby, did you know that I haven’t had a single bad day since you came into my life?” he whispers as if he’s sharing a secret, making me smile.

I think about that for a second, stopping what I was doing.

Bad days.

I used to have a lot of those, even when I had my sisters. Even when I tried to pretend all was okay. It wasn’t.

Our life wasn’t normal, and our days weren’t all happy.

But since I’ve crossed paths with Riagan, I hadn’t had a single bad day, and even if I did have a bad moment, he would make it better just by being him.

By protecting and caring for me even when I didn’t know that was what he was doing then.

He made sure I was taken care of and surrounded by people who were kind. He made my life better and happier.

I was trapped in a city that held a lot of bad memories, but at least I had good people to make good memories with. He gave me that. My sisters did, too.

“When I think of my good days, the best days now, all I see is your face.” I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “You changed me, Riagan. Fully and wholeheartedly.” I confess.

“Ditto, butterfly.” He breathes while touching the exposed skin on my belly, making my heart race and my breath hitch. A moment of silence passes between us, and I can’t help but notice how the air around us feels sweet.

So sweet.

Raising my head, I stare directly at him for a long moment. “And did you know that I have discovered new things about myself since you barged into my world? Things I didn’t know were possible?”

“Like what?” I feel his hands tighten on my waist and his minty breath close to my face.

Clearing my throat, I say. “Before you, I knew joy but not in the capacity that I do know. It was fleeting but not anymore.” I open my heart to him at this moment, and I don’t feel scared. I feel safe. “I feel so much joy when I hear your laugh or witness your smile. Before you, it made me happy to see other people smile, yes but now I look forward to your smiles. When you don’t smile I worry that you’re having a bad day. It makes me sad. The thought of you hurting in some way lingers in my mind the whole day, and my heart won’t settle until I know for sure that you’re okay. Until you smile.” I whisper, now looking away from him, a bit embarrassed but not enough to shut my mouth. I focus on cleaning his bloody knuckles and carry on. “I also feel free to express my thoughts, and I no longer second guess every single thing in my head before I say it. Not with you. Even with my sisters, I was always cautious of the things I said, not wanting to trouble them in any way, but with you, it’s different. Everything is different. The good kind. Change always scared me, and surprises made me anxious because they were almost never good. Until you.” I take a deep breath, but don’t give him time to answer before I’m rambling again. “I don’t like when you’re away, and when you’re near, I feel peace. I never had that before. Not entirely. I was happy at times, yes, but it never lasted long. The dread of what comes next in a home like I had never allowed me to. Here, in your world, I feel peace. Here with you, I feel strong and vulnerable. Brave and afraid. I feel so many things all at once. It’s a whole new world to me, and I wouldn’t change it for a thing. You gave me all of that. You, Riagan.”

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