Page 99 of Single Mom's Undoing
“Good, then you can have this,” he says and holds up a box.
In it is a hot ginger tea and a freshly baked bear claw. Instantly, my appetite returns with a vengeance, reminding me that I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.
“Oh, thank you,” I reply and take a slow sip of the tea before I proceed to scarf down the pastry in a few measured bites. “My God, this tastes like heaven.”
“We need to make sure you’re fed and taken care of,” Damon says with a gentle smile, then looks over to Matty. “I brought him a bag of Sour Patch Kids, but I guess we’re saving it for later.”
“Little man’s exhausted,” Jace chuckles.
“I can’t blame him,” Carter says, then sits beside me. “How are you feeling, Clara?”
I look up at him, allowing myself a moment to get lost in those gray-blue pools of his, to find comfort in his presence and safety against his chiseled body. “I’m much better now. My mind is clearer. My heart is focused. Physically, I’m good.”
We look at each other for a while, without saying a word.
But there is a conversation that we can no longer avoid. Not if we want a future together now that a future is possible, once again.
“Clara, I understand what my father did and the impact it had on you,” he says. I allow a heavy sigh to leave my chest. “It’s okay that you left. I promise. We’re not mad. I’ll never hold it against you because I really do understand. Maybe I would’ve done things differently, but I could never know for sure because, well, I’m not you.”
“I would’ve done things differently had I known then what I know now,” I reply.
“We can’t change the past,” Damon says softly. “But we can change the future.”
“Just promise that you will trust us,” Carter says. “The three of us are here to stay, Clara. For you, for Matty, for the little one you’re carrying. What we started is beautiful and strangeand rarely heard of. It’s complicated as hell, but it also works.”
“It does work,” I say. “I promise, Carter. I promise all of you.”
He smiles and pulls me into his arms, kissing my lips with feverish want and need. “You’re not alone anymore,” he says. “Clara, we’re in this together, and whatever life throws our way, you know we’ve got you. I love you like I’ve never loved anyone before, and Matty, dammit, he’s a piece of me. We made him.”
“We sure did,” I smile softly as I glance back at him.
Jace comes closer and cups my face, then plants a kiss on my lips. I can feel his love pouring through me, filling my very soul.
“I love you so much, it fucking hurts, Clara. No matter what happens, you need to understand that we belong together. So no more running away if things get tough, okay?”
“Okay.”
“We’re going to build a life together,” Damon adds. “The four of us, with Matty, Shiloh, the bun in the oven. We’re going to make it work. And there won’t be anyone to stand in our way. We’re stronger together, baby.”
They’ve proven that much in moments of dire need.
They saved me.
Not just with Bill and his henchmen. They saved me when I thought I had no other choice, no better life ahead. They chose me. They forgave me. They made me a central part of their existence, and running away from them felt like tearing out a piece of my very soul.
As Damon kisses me, I’m reminded of a simple but powerful truth—nothing beats the strength and determination of a man in love.
Let alone three men in love.
“What happens next?” I ask, my head resting on Carter’s shoulder.
“We get you home, back to the cabin,” he says. “We’ll need to liaise with the Feds regarding my father and his crimes. It will be a long and messy process, but they’re doing most of the legwork from here on out.”
Jace nods in agreement. “We did our share and then some. We provided them with evidence, leads to follow, and so on.”
“What about my testimony?” I ask.
“When you’re ready, Agent Whitfield will ask you to come down to the field office for that. It will be recorded and sent over with the motion to exhume Stephan’s body,” Carter says.
