Page 73 of Savage Promises

She’s silent, looking at the jewelry, shaking her head like she can’t accept what’s happening.

“What is it, baby?” I ask, kissing the soft skin behind her ear. “What have I not made clear to you?”

“These were supposed to be Neve’s,” Lennox whispers.

“No,” I say sharply. “I told Ma I wasn’t going to hand over family heirlooms to someone who made it clear every day that she did not want to marry me. Did not want to be part of my family. Did nothonortaking the name Quinlan.”

Lennox swallows. “And you know that I...”

“Thatyouwant this? That you want me?” I growl. “Yes, I do know.”

“I do. It just doesn’t seem real, Shane.”

“It’s real.” I hold her hand against my chest. “Don’t you feel how my heart pounds for you?”

She nods in my arms. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“It’s happening, baby.”

“Coffee,” Ma announces with an edge to her voice. Like she saw how I gazed at my fiancée with that ferallook of a man ready to consummate his marriage early.

“Come on.” I steer Lennox downstairs.

In Ma’s parlor, a silver tray with a coffee pot and cookies sits on the cocktail table. She pats the sofa to show Lennox her photo albums. My baby photos in particular. I knew this was coming, too. Griffin warned me that Ava got an eyeful of him in the bathtub showing off his wee dick.

I’m pretty sure the photos of Sabine and me are tame. We were the last of six kids. We’re lucky we even got an album. There are at least ten of Ewan and twelve of Norah.

Ma flips through pages of faded pictures, stopping at one of me as a scrunched-up infant wrapped in a blanket.

“Shane was a surprise, you know,” Ma says with a fond smile, telling one of her favorite stories. “After Siobhan was born, I waited for the pain to stop. But then the nurses started going crazy in the delivery room. There was another wee one inside!”

Lennox laughs softly, glancing between the photos and me. “That’s why you’re the youngest? You came out second?”

I rub the back of my neck, feeling heat rise to my face. “Sabine came out first because I pushed her out. She was taking up too much damn room.”

Lennox bursts into laughter, her head falling back. I can’t help but grin.

“They were wonderful infants and inseparable toddlers.” Ma turns page after page of Sabine and me in the crib, in the playpen. Ewan holding Sabine. Norah holding me.

“You look loved,” Lennox says then asks to use the bathroom. Knowing where it is, she freely moves into the hallway.

I turn to my mother. “Are you really okay with this?”

Ma places her warm hand over mine, her expressionserious. “I’m thrilled. I see the way you look at her, Shane. It’s more than I could have hoped for. But...” She hesitates. “I don’t trust her father. Or her brother. I worry if they betray you, you’ll turn that poor girl out on the street. I know your temper.”

“Never, Ma. What Garrett has to bargain with is a game-changer for us to keep control. But I’d rather have Lennox. Plus, I know how to get that information from Garrett. He’ll hold up his end of the deal, or he’ll regret it.”

Ma shudders, remembering we are still ruthless gangsters. But there’s a hint of pride.

Lennox comes back smiling, and we finish our coffee. She says goodbye to my mother, who hugs her with such sincerity. Nothing has ever felt more right.

On the drive back to the hotel, Lennox is quiet again, lost in thought. When we arrive, I walk her up to the villa. There’s nothing I want more than to go inside and throw her down on the bed. Take her and claim her. But I want our wedding night to be special.

At the door, I kiss her on the forehead and grip her arm with quiet dominance.

“Lennox,” I say, my voice low. “The morning of the wedding, I want you packed and ready. You’re moving in with me that day. And be prepared for a very real wedding night.”

She shudders, her cheeks turning pink. “Did you plan to do all this with Neve? The real wedding night?”

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