Page 318 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
“Roger will remain your main detail, though. Hugo will only work with me.”
Not wanting to start a fight, and grateful he's trying to curb his jealousy issues, I smile and nod. His lips curve into a panty-clenching smirk, pleased with my agreeing gesture.
After enclosing his hand around mine, he walks us toward the door. My eye catches sight of the handwritten note sitting on the entryway table on the way. Although it’s been read, it sits where I initially placed it on New Year’s Eve as a reminder of everything we have been through.
You deserve to conquer the world,
to achieve your every desire and dream.
Thank you for showing me I deserve that as well.
I will always love you.
Isabelle xx
Isaac assists me into the back of his town car but maintains his quiet, reserved composure. I don’t mind. It gives me plenty of time to people watch.
My attention is diverted twenty minutes later when something taps my jean-covered thigh. Shifting my gaze, I'm met with a white envelope. My lungs take stock of my oxygen levels when the address on the top corner of the envelope registers as familiar. It’s the laboratory that handled both of Isaac’s paternity cases.
Since Theresa was arrested, she was required to give her DNA as part of the investigation. Regan secured a warrant for a sample of her DNA to be used for the paternity testing on Jeremiah. Ophelia, although reluctant, agreed to take her son, Bobby, to the same clinic.
My eyes lift to Isaac. He's staring at me, his expression unreadable. “What did it say?”
The pulse in my neck thrums when he replies, “I haven’t read it yet.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because I wanted you to be with me when I found out the results.” His eyes drop to the sealed envelope before he drifts them back to me. “No matter what’s in the envelope, nothing will change between us. You're mine, and I’m yours. Okay?”
A smile curls my lips high. “Okay.”
My heart beats in an unnatural rhythm when he removes the envelope from my grasp to pry it open. I keep my eyes on him, seeking a reaction that would disclose the results without me needing to read them. Isaac keeps his cards held close to his chest, not displaying any clue on his strikingly handsome face.
My shaking hand rattles the paper when he passes the document to me. After shifting my eyes between his, I lower them to the document. The first thing my eyes zoom in on is the wordexcludedwritten in thick black ink on both documents, closely followed by the 0% in the probability of parenting.
“You’re not their father?”
Isaac shakes his head. “No, I'm not.”
I don’t know whether to be disappointed or happy. I’m happy Isaac doesn’t have illegitimate children, but I’m sad that he’ll never see a mini version of himself running around.
Isaac grips my chin before hoisting my face back to him. After his eyes flick between mine, he shakes his head. “Only you would be disappointed, Isabelle.”
I roll my eyes, hating that he can read me so easily, where I could study his face for hours and not extract a single fact he didn’t want me to see.
Chuckling, he gathers me under his arm where I remain until we arrive at a private airstrip in Hopeton. I eye him warily when Hugo drives onto the runway before parking next to an industrial-size hangar. “Please don’t say we're getting on a plane.”
After Isaac took me against the wall in the hallway of our home, the next morning, he tried to bundle me into his car and fly us to Reno to get married. Thankfully, even blinded by lust, my levelheadedness resurfaced in enough time to gain back the shrewdness that always evades me when I'm in his presence.
Although our marriage license has been filed, and the wedding rings have been purchased, I'm holding off on setting an official date until I come down from Cloud Nine. I want to make sure this is what Isaac truly wants, and I’m not forcing his hand because he’s unable to control his domineering nature.
Isaac slides out of the car before leaning back in to assist me out. I grip his hand tighter the closer we get to the private jet idling near the hangar. When we stop at the bottom of the stairs, the galley pop door opens. I inhale a sharp breath when my dance partner from The Dungeon’s impressive frame fills the doorway of the plane.
As my heart thumps my ribs, I drift my baffled gaze to Isaac. His eyes are scanning my face, acting nonchalant. With my heart in my throat, I return them back to Ayden. Like I could get any more shocked, I’m taken aback for the second time when a little girl peers out from behind Ayden’s thigh. At a first guess, I'd say she's a toddler of maybe two years of age?
As Ayden walks down the jet’s stairs, she remains cowering behind his leg, only peering out when Isaac crouches down to her level. When he holds his hand out for her, her big brown eyes peer up at Ayden for several heart-clutching seconds before she leaps for Isaac. Her brisk movements have Isaac sprawling onto his ass, but the most scrumptious laugh also bellows out of him.
After gathering her into his chest, Isaac stands from the ground. My pulse surges through my veins at a rapid pace as I stare at the little girl who just saw Isaac’s soul from one glance into his eyes—just like I did with my Uncle Tobias.
