Page 93 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 3

Jack chuckled and leaned across the seat to kiss TJ on the top of his head.

“Dada Yak!” he cooed, all smiles, his sweet face covered in vanilla ice cream.

My heart was so full watching Jack dote on TJ, wiping the mess from his face and tapping his nose while making silly faces. He was so good with him, completely committed to the little guy’s happiness. He was already becoming a great father, and as I looked around the plane, everyone watching the two interact, it was not lost on anyone else either. Even Savannah gazed at the two dreamily and rested her head on Erik’s shoulder.

“That’s gonna be you one day,” she sighed.

“And I can’t wait,elskede,” Erik murmured, his eyes on Jack interacting with their nephew. “Whenever you’re ready. No rush.”

Savannah and Erik were a great couple. A love match from The Marriage Auction. Madam Alana sure knew her stuff. Which reminded me we hadn’t touched base with the woman in weeks.

“Has anyone heard from Alana?” I asked.

Savannah nodded. “My sister Dakota keeps in contact with her, but I don’t think they’ve talked in a couple weeks. Last I heard they were heading back to France. Usually, she does that in between quarterly auctions. What I do know is they’re really excited about the twins.”

“They’re considering building a house near the Goodall ranch,” Henrik interjected. “We’re actually considering the same since Savannah and Erik bought a house there.”

“You bought a home in Montana?” Jack sounded a little hurt. Obviously, this was news to him.

Erik shrugged. “When the twins come, Savannah wants to be close enough to help out. We were planning on being there most of the first year. I hadn’t had a chance with all that has happened to update you.”

“Maybe we should consider the idea if everyone is planning to commune together,” Jack said. “How often do you plan to be there?” Jack asked Erik.

“We were thinking half the year,” Savannah answered. “I mean, I’ll go wherever Erik is, but my sister means the world to me, and she’s having twins. Even though she’s as tough as nails, having children is so far outside of her wheelhouse I want to be there to not only help, but to be a real part of the twins’ lives.”

“Makes sense. If Autumn was preggers, I’d be all over that like bees to a flower,” I butted in.

“Sisters always have each other’s backs,” Autumn responded.

“Damn straight,” I air high-fived her from across the plane.

“Damn, damn, damn!” TJ squealed.

“Uh oh, we’ve got a parrot on our hands,” I reached out and tickled TJ’s socked feet and watched him shriek with joy. “I’ll have to mind my word choices.”

The rest of the group laughed and continued discussing Montana. I didn’t care if Jack bought a house there. Like Savannah, I could be happy just about anywhere as long as I had Jack and now TJ. Of course, we still needed to figure out where we’d live most of the time, but that seemed less important than the three of us being a real family.

An official, legally binding one.

I just hoped Jack felt the same way after my surprise tomorrow.

Episode 85

Bad News - Part 1

GIOVANNI

“Why are we going to Joel and Faith’s penthouse if we’re meeting with his cousin Bruno?” Julianne asked as I held open the lobby door to one of the most prestigious buildings in downtown Manhattan. It was actually one building over from where I used to live. Which reminded me that I needed to connect with my realtor and put it on the market. Between the never-ending fiasco that was Bianca, and the fact that I was assaulted there, I had no desire to ever enter that building again.

I’d let my assistant Muriel hire a crew to clean it out. She would know best what things I’d want to keep and what I’d donate or sell. I’d already had most of my clothing and toiletries moved to Julianne’s place, now our current home, and there was little I could imagine needing from that location.

“No one knows where Bruno Castellanos lives. Not even his family. He’s an enigma and likes to keep it that way.”

“How mysterious. Do you think that means some of his work might be a little”—she pursed her lips and cocked her head from side to side—“shady?”

“Shady?” I chuckled.

She pressed the button for the elevator. “You know, sketchy, not on the up-and-up, dark and dangerous, possibly illegal?” Her eyes were wide and filled with excitement.

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