Page 31 of Secret Baby for the Italian Mafia King

But all at once, the spark just goes out of her. She suddenly hits that wall where all her energy is completely tapped. It’s like a light switch, on to off. She leans against my side, burying her face against my pantleg with a whine. I run my fingers against her hair.

“Are you tired, baby?”

She nods.

“Is she alright?” Ren asks.

“She gets like this. It’s normal.” Or at least, it’s normal where Harper is concerned. She always goes until she has nothing left to give, doesn’t know her limit until she’s already flown passed it. All the rambunctious energy of a child coming up against her body’s limits. She opens her arms up for me, but right in front of me, Ren scoops her up instead. She wraps her arms around his neck, buries her face against his shoulder, while my heart drops to the floor. He carries her on his shoulder and starts toward the parking garage. I don’t follow.

He turns around, looking at me as my feet turn to iron on the sidewalk.

“She asked for me,” I say, through a tension that feels like it’s got its hands around my throat.

“I can carry her easier.”

“That’s not the point!” I say, my nerves that have been fraying through the whole day finally snapping like the last thread of rope that had been holding me together. “She’s my daughter, and she asked forme!” I step toward him, my voice low and furious, as I can’t hold it back anymore. “You can sweep in and play hero and give her whatever you want—fine, that’s great, do that—but she still needs me! You can’t just take her away,” I say, even though I know,knowthat he can. That he will.

But then he steps toward me and offers Harper up. Just like that.

I search his face, so confused that for a moment, I forget to hold out my arms. Harper comes swinging into my grip, not caring who’s carrying her as long as someone is.

I thought this was part of the punishment. That he was just trying to torture me, to push me out of her life and make me watch from the sidelines as he gave her everything I couldn’t, dangling my inadequacy in front of me like a silent taunt. Harper transfers over to me and tucks in against my side. I heft her up on my hip. She really is getting too big for me to keep doing this, but I refuse to complain about it or falter now that I’ve already made a scene.

The thank you gets caught in my throat.

Again, Ren puts his hand on my lower back and guides me wordlessly toward the car. My brain feels like it’s on fire, and if Harper weren’t right there between us, I think I would finallyjust break down and beg for him to explain all this to me. Line by line, rule by rule. I need to know.

I’m happy to clarify any questions.

Maybe those words weren’t as snide as I thought.

We make it back home in complete silence. Harper is already asleep by the time I get her to her bedroom. I tuck her in, just like I always do, with Applesauce right there under the covers with her. I turn off the lights and leave the door cracked, the fading sun still going down in the windows.

“…You’re sure she’s alright?”

I almost jump out of my skin as I spin around to find Ren still there, waiting for me.

“It’s just how she is.”

“I want the list.” When I’m struggling to fill in the blank, he adds, “Her doctors. The one you tried to give me before.”

“Oh.”

Before my mind can start its gymnastics, he says, “I want to verify that she’s getting the best possible care. That there’s nothing more that can be done for her.”

“…Why do you care?Doyou care?” I ask.

“I do.”

Before I can question further, Elijah comes stomping in.

“Where have you been?” he demands of Ren, “I’ve been trying to get hold of you for hours.”

“I saw. It didn’t seem urgent,” Ren says.

“Every meeting we had today, including with Blackwell, didn’t seem urgent?” Elijah clarifies slowly. “Never mind that you didn’t even give me enough notice to cancel those meetings and left me on my own. I thought something might have happened to you.”

“Then it’s lucky it didn’t since you did nothing about it.”

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