Page 67 of Merciful Lies

His big hands cup my belly and I place mine on top of his, laughing as our baby kicks to greet his papa.

“I love you both,” he says, dropping to his knees, and Nico kisses my stomach.

And I swoon on my feet.

“Easy, Little Mama.”

He steadies me. His smile is wide, and I bask in it.

So, this is what happy feels like.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX-NICO

“Idon’t give a fuck what Sanchez says. He did what he did. Now, he can fuck off,” I growl.

She loves me.

“Boss, he wants a meeting.”

“No meeting,” I say.

Anna loves me.

I rap my knuckles against the desk and expel a breath.

I can’t just fucking sigh like a high school kid.

But this fucking meeting has gone on too long. It’s just Angel and Luc, business as usual, a daily recount of events and things that needed tending to.

But I want to leave.

My wife said she’s in love with me.

And I want to crow at the top of my lungs. I want to beat my chest with my fists. Strut around like a goddamn rooster.

“Uh, Boss, there is something else,” Luc hesitates.

“What?”

“Maria. She’s been hiding something,” he says.

“And?”

I know the little bartender has been hiding something. It’s probably why she set her cap at me at first.

“I don’t know, Nico. But that scuffle the other day? The guy I fucked up is a scout for Sanchez,” Luc says.

“So, you think Maria is working for Sanchez?”

I frown, and Luc glares at me before remembering his place. He averts his gaze.

“I don’t know,” he says honestly.

“We had Maria vetted like everyone else,” Angel adds, but I can see he’s brooding.

He has other things on his mind. A curly haired, green-eyed thing in particular, I’d wager.

Anna hasn’t mentioned Giselle to me recently, so I don’t know what’s up with them. But Angel’s been quiet, and a quiet Angel is usually not a good thing.

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