Page 14 of Crime Lord's Paradise

“Let’s go out of town,” she said.

Manny was right. She had to stop hiding in the house, waiting for the next shitstorm. Traveling would distract her from her worries and snap her out of her melancholy.

“We can go wherever you want,” Gavin said.

“Really?”

“Anywhere. France? Greece? Japan?”

“I want quiet, no crowds.”

“Mountains or beach?”

She peeked around him and eyed Nora. “Sand.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you.” She squeezed him and ran her hands over his toned stomach, allowing her hands to dip past his waistline. She grinned wickedly when his muscles flexed. He whipped his head around to look at her.

“What are you doing?” he rumbled.

She gave him a guileless look. “Nothing.” She took the cereal from him. “You need to make some calls?”

“Yeah,” he said distractedly.

“Go ahead. I can take it from here.” She widened her eyes at Nora who mimicked her and then babbled excitedly. She ignored Gavin who watched her for a full minute before he stalked from the room. Gavin reacted so beautifully to her. No matter how small her come on was, he noticed immediately. She had never been the aggressor at any time in their relationship, and there was no way she could ever be, but she could do other things … Like rile him up with deceivingly innocent touches and act oblivious about her effect on him.

“How’s my baby girl?” she cooed.

Nora smacked her hands against her rubber seat and shouted at the top of her lungs. As a natural blonde, she was fascinated by her daughter’s jet-black hair. She secretly hoped Nora’s hair would always have a hint of curl. Nora’s animated silver blue eyes shimmered with curiosity. Her round cheeks were rosy with color and even though her face was covered with cereal, Lyla couldn’t resist. She covered Nora’s face in loud, smacking kisses that caused her to scream in delight.

After breakfast, she decided Nora needed a sponge bath. The dogs accompanied her and licked Nora’s toes when they could. After putting Nora in a new outfit, she nabbed her phone and settled on the floor in the nursery as Nora scooted around, surrounded by a ridiculous number of bright toys.

A call to the hospital to check on her mom revealed that she’d been sedated in the middle of the night. Beatrice had an episode and damaged some machines. Lyla stared at Nora who faced Beau. He lay on his belly, watching her with adoring eyes. Honey paced around the perimeter, watching her warily. Apparently, Honey sensed her mood change. Lyla gave her a reassuring smile and swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Do you think I should come down?” Just last night, she agreed to stay away from her mother, but if she needed her …

“Personally, Mrs. Pyre, I think it’s best that you take a break. I know you’re a new mom, and after what happened yesterday … I think she needs to rest with no visitors or other stimulation.”

The relief she felt made her feel like a crap daughter. “Okay, please keep me updated.”

“Will do. You have a great day now.”

Lyla lowered the phone and stared at it. Whatever the nurse told her was definitely watered down. She let out a long breath and dialed Carmen who didn’t answer. Carmen moving out of the house had been hard for her. She was her best friend, cousin, and sister all rolled into one bundle of crazy. Carmen’s support had been invaluable when Nora was born... and during all the crazy shit that had happened since. No one could replace her. Although she wished her cousin was with her every day, she could see Carmen needed to move forward with her life. And damn, she grabbed the bull by the horns. Carmen had moved in with Marcus. Seeing her cousin in a relationship after all these years was a miracle. Marcus was a good man, one who Lyla believed could help Carmen heal. If Carmen ended up breaking his heart, she’d have to kick her cousin’s ass.

Nora screamed when she couldn’t reach one of her toys beneath a chair. Lyla retrieved it before the sound of his daughter’s distressed cry brought Gavin upstairs. She gave Nora the toy and plopped the baby in her lap. There was unavoidable pain in life, but there was also unspeakable beauty. She held it between her hands. Nora slobbered over her toy and stared at her with inquiring eyes.She’s gonna lead the pack, a born leader.Manny had predicted what she already knew. The independent tendencies Nora was exhibiting at such an early age were freaking her out. Nora was definitely Gavin’s daughter. He was so proud of her headstrong ways. She wanted to put Nora in bubble wrap and protect her for as long as she could, but she knew life would find her. All she could do was love her to make the hard times hurt less. She hugged Nora to her. Her daughter allowed this for a moment before she pushed off and abandoned one toy for another.

When her phone rang, she picked it up immediately. “Hey.”

“What’s up, chick?” Carmen asked.

She rubbed her temples. “Oh, you know, just trying to be a ray of sunshine.”

“How’s that working for you?”

“Not well.”

“You want to go to a dance class? It’s super dirty, way worse than my pole class. We fuck the shit out of these chairs.”

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