Page 23 of His Paradise

“I’m still going to make him fucking suffer, my heart. I’m going to make him beg you for forgiveness while knowing the only mercy that awaits him is death.” The words are dark, animalistic and I take comfort in them. I shouldn’t, and the woman I was a month ago would cringe away from the idea.

“I want him to suffer,” my voice is steady, and Aden pulls away to hold my face gingerly. His lips curl as he watches me, seeing something in my eyes that makes him happy. “You are so damn strong. Let’s go get you bandaged up, I know a little guy who has missed you as much as I did.” He says. My sweet little Leo, I rush getting dressed in Aden’s oversized black t-shirt and shorts, tolerating him carrying me down the stairs as I favor my sore ankle.

I think he just wants an excuse to touch me, to have his hands on me. The woman waiting in the living room gives me a friendly smile, her eyes raking over and I can see her mentally noting the visible wounds. Her long doctor coat is nearly the same shade as her pale hair, and I recognize her immediately, Dede slaps Aden across the back of his head when he gently sits me on the couch.

“You made her suffer when you should have called me the moment you landed, boy.” She chastises, immediately setting out her medical kit as she shoots him a grumpy look. Having been employed privately by the Barone brothers for their entire lives, she never asks questions. But she didn’t bite her tongue and I felt a fondness for the woman that has stitched my husband back together more times than I can count.

An hour later with more stitches than I’d like and Dede stands back, eyeing her work. “You poor girls always bear the wounds of your husbands, while they wear matching ones on their hearts. I can’t say I envy you.” Aden’s phone rings and he finally stops pacing long enough to answer it.

“How is she?” He means Luna, his sister that took a bullet for me. “I’ll be there in ten,” He hangs up, turning to me as he tries to wipe the fear from his face.

“I’m coming with you.” I say, turning my back to him as I hobble to the stairs. I can hear Dede laugh when he starts groaning, saying their goodbyes as he chases after me. “She was shot because of me, and she’s my family too.” I keep my head held high and he sighs, looping his arm around my waist to help me get dressed.

Seeing Jared so distraught almost makes me turn and walk back out. Luna looks exactly as she did last time she was in this hospital, except the burns across her face and neck are pink scars instead of being swathed in thick white bandages. Wires are poking out from beneath the fuzzy blanket Jared tucks around her, again.

“She gets cold easily.” He says, his voice low as if she’s just sleeping. The steady beep in the corner followed by the hissing of air from the tube in her throat makes my hand tighten around Aden’s. He brushes a strand of silver hair from her face, and I notice how tangled it’s becoming.

“I need a brush,” I say, and Jared digs one out of a bag he must have packed for her. I slide a chair close and sit near her head, gently pulling her hair out to fan the pillow as I carefully brush the silky strands. I can feel her husband's eyes locked onto me and my hands start to shake.

“I’m sorry, Jared. This never should have happened. It should be me.” I can’t look up. I can’t look at him even as his massive frame towers over me. When he sits on his heels, crouching until we are eye level, he reaches forward and flicks my nose. I startle and jerk back, looking at him in shock.

“Luna didn’t have a family growing up. We,” Jared motions to all of us, waving his hand to encompass the Barone’s that aren’t here yet, “Are her family. Any one of us would do the same for each other. Would you do it for her?”

“Absolutely.” I tilt my chin up, and Jared has the ghost of a smile on his face as he stands. Luna’s nurse comes in at that moment with wide eyes and another behind her pushing an ultrasound machine. Jared stands straight and Aden comes behind me as we watch her nervously tap on the screen of her tablet.

“Out with it,” Jared snarls. The nurse looks at us and motions for the door. “You might want to step out, so we can discuss some things.”

“That’s my sister,” Aden says, and Jared crosses his arm with a brow raised. She sighs, looking at the screen as she speaks.

“Her hormone levels are concerning. They should be trending upwards and while they aren’t dropping, they’re not where we would like them to be. We’re just gonna check on the ultrasound.” She says. Jared has nearly become a statue, his face frozen between irritation and fear.

“How far along is she?” I ask him. I wonder if he’s heard me after a few minutes pass until he finally takes a deep breath, glancing at me. “Sixteen weeks,” The words leave him in a rush, and I stumble over to hug him. Jared awkwardly pats my head, stepping away as he drops onto the sofa and watches the nurses prepare the machine and gel.

“Luna’s pregnant?” Aden asks, finally catching on. Jared just nods with his interlaced fingers pressed tight to his chin. “Jared, hold her hand.” I whisper and he looks up at me, suddenly a lost and broken boy. “Luna needs you to hold her hand while they check the baby.” I gently say. He takes my abandoned seat, laying his head on her chest as he cradles her hand. Too much time passes as they rub the wand over her stomach, twisting and turning.

Then we hear it.

The steady and quick thrum of a beating heart. Jared’s shoulders tremble as buries his face in her neck and Aden claps a hand onto his shoulder. His eyes are locked on the screen, wide and full of conflicted happiness nearly identical to when we were carrying Leo.

“Holy shit, my little sister is going to be a mother.” The wonder and joy in his voice makes my throat constrict. I slip from the room, silently closing the door behind me as I lean against the wall with my head bowed and my hands braced on my legs. Luna is fighting for her life, and their child's life, while I stand here and struggle to hold back tears.

Chapter twenty

Nina

Asoft whimper from the busy hallway makes me whip my head around as I look for the source. I would know that cry anywhere. I see Aden’s father Vincent smiling as he and Isabelle hurry towards me. Isablle is grinning with a carseat in her hands and tears in her eyes.

My baby. There was a time that I wasn’t sure if I would ever see him again, and I can hear him crying louder when I rush to meet them. Isabelle wraps one arm around me as I grab the seat, crying as I look at Leo. He whimpers, yawning while stretching his neck to stare at me. I fumble with the buckles until Isabelle reaches forward to unclip him and I pull him to my arms.

He squeals, grunting as I rub my face against his chubby little neck and breathe him in. A large, warm hand cups the back of my neck and pulls me against a broad chest. Aden lifts me off my feet, startling me as I cradle Leo and look up. Content is the best way to describe his expression.

“My legs aren’t broken.” I smirk. Aden huffs, barely glancing at me until we step into a dark room and he kicks the door shut behind us. “Aden?”

“I want to be alone with my family.” He lays on the hospital bed, Leo between us as we curl our bodies around him. Aden props his head on his hand, looking between us. Leo clings to Aden’s hand as he taps his tummy, tickling him as he grins down at our baby.

“I love you both so much.” My voice feels loud in the quiet room. The way that Aden’s gaze burns through me takes my breath away as I wait for him to say something, anything. After the silence stretches to a point I can’t stand, he blows out a breath and shakes his head.

“I’m afraid that you’ll disappear when I close my eyes, Nina. What you went through happened because I failed you all those years ago. Seeing Luna like that, I feel so damn wrong for being relieved that you’re okay.” I can see it now, the fear mixed with waves of guilt in his eyes. I reach for him, my mouth opening to tell him it’s not his fault when his pocket buzzes and interrupts us. He groans when answering it, sitting up as he answers with his name.

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