Page 71 of Forced Marriage Vows

I smile, crossing over to Mikhail’s side. “Quit glaring at her, babe. She’s here to make amends. Let’s all try to be nice. For Jalen’s sake.”

That seems to be the magic word. Both their expression softens before Mikhail lets out a soft breath.

“Why don’t we have a seat?” he asks.

The three of us head into the living room. I sit beside Mikhail, while Sierra perches on the love seat. It’s silent for a little while, awkward, until I lightly jab my elbow into Mikhail’s ribs. He grunts quietly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks, opening up the conversation.

Over the next twenty minutes, Sierra tries her best to explain while Mikhail listens.

“I’m really sorry,” she says once she’s done. “I know nothing I say can make up for the time you’ve lost.”

He seems appeased by that. “I’m sorry you had to go through it alone.”

I can tell she’s genuinely surprised he said that. I’m just proud.

“How’s your brother doing?”

“Elijah moved to Louisiana a couple years ago. I barely see him anymore,” she replies sadly. “If you’re wondering if I was alone during the pregnancy, I wasn’t. I had my mother and my best friend. They helped me through it all.”

“Are you in a relationship?”

That question raises red flags and I’m about to narrow my eyes in his direction but I ease off for the sake of my newly inherited stepson.

“I’m not really big on dating. Jalen’s the only man in my life,” she explains, which makes me smile.

“What have you told him about me?”

“Nothing, to be honest. He’s only just started speaking in full sentences, and he recently realized he doesn’t have a father like most other kids. I haven’t told him anything about you. When he asked a couple weeks ago, all I said was that you were on a long trip. I’m not sure he understood but it seemed to appease him for a while. Look, I’m really sorry, Mikhail.”

“It’s fine. Considering I can’t get back the three years I’ve lost, all that’s left is to look forward to the future. When can I meet him?”

Sierra hesitates, which causes Mikhail to tense beside me. I completely understand her hesitation, though. She’s already opened up to me about her reservations and it’s a really big step, introducing Jalen into this world.

“I promise he’ll be safe, Sierra. He’d never let anything happen to his son,” I tell her.

“No one will hurt him,” Mikhail agrees gruffly.

“Okay,” Sierra breathes. “You can meet him in two days.”

I let out a breath of relief and Mikhail smiles for the first time since Sierra walked through the door.

“Thank you,” he murmurs.

“Sure. Plus, it’s not like I have much of a choice. If I said you couldn’t see him, I would have probably had twenty-plus men breaking down my front door to take him away from me.”

The look in her eyes tells me that this was a genuine fear.

Mikhail frowns. “I wouldn’t have done that to you, Sierra.”

“Thanks,” she says gently, offering him a small smile. “Is there anything you’d like to know about him?”

“Everything,” he replies immediately.

She laughs. “He’s just like every other three-year-old boy. He likes to draw and paint and he’s always getting himself stuck inthe weirdest places, which annoys me to no end. Just days ago, I had to get his hand unstuck because he’d jammed it into a pipe,” she says, smiling fondly.

“Oh, and he’s always running around. I have a keep a tight leash on him when we’re in public. He’s in constant hide-and-seek mode. I lost him in the park once and found him hiding under the jungle gym.”

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