Page 83 of Hateful Union

“Mo stór.” My voice is hoarse.

“I love you,” she repeats, her eyes watery as she places her hand against her stomach where our baby is resting.

I close my eyes, the emotions crawling up my throat. I open my eyes and look at her. God, I fucking love this woman. “I love you too,mo stór, now come here.”

She smiles so brightly at me that I’m surprised I’m not blind.

I brace myself as she jumps onto the bed, her lips pressing against mine.

Fuck yes, this woman is everything.

My phone rings and I ignore it as I focus on my woman. It rings twice more before I can’t take it anymore

“This had better be fucking important,” I snap as I answer it.

Da’s chuckle pisses me off, “Get your arse on the next plane to New York. Finn’s in trouble.”

My body locks, “What?” I hiss.

“The stupid arsehole has kidnapped Destiny Carter.”

What the actual fuck? Destiny is barely eighteen. What the hell is he playing at? Since Granda died, my uncle Finn hasn’t been the same. He’s been distant, cold, and like a fucking bear. A nightmare to deal with.

“We’ll be on the first flight out.” I end the call and look at my fiancée. “We gotta go, baby.”

She pouts. Fuck it, what’s thirty minutes more?

It’s time to show my woman just how much she means to me.

***

RAYLEE

Four Years later

“Mama, mama,”Olivia cries. My four-month-old is a mama’s girl and there’s no denying it, no matter how much Malcolm tries to deny it.

“Ma,” Mayer yells, my almost five-year-old boy is the image of his father, including that cocky grin Mal has. My son is going to be a heartbreaker, for sure. “Livie’s calling you.”

“Where’s your father?” I sigh as I press myself against the shower curtain.

“He’s on the phone,” he says, and I groan as I hear the bathroom door opening. “Do you want me to get her?”

I quickly shut off the shower, grateful that I managed to at least wash my hair. I wrap the towel around me just as the door to my bathroom opens and Mayer walks in with an impish smile on his face. “I’m coming, baby.” I reach out and run my hand over his dark brown hair.

“Da’s going to see Aunty Kenna again,” he tells me and I tense. This is news to me. “He and Granda are talking about it now.”

I smile at him. “That’s so cool, baby, why don’t you play. Once I have Olivia up, we’ll go out into the pool. Go get Malachi, and the two of you play until I’m ready.”

His eyes widen and the smile stretches across his face. “Yay.” He jumps up and down while clapping, before running out of the bathroom. His exuberance is something that I love to watch. I hear him yelling for his two-and-a-half-year old brother, the excitement makes my smile widen.

I’ve vowed that my children’s childhoods will never be filled with worry. That they’d always feel love and adoration. I’ll never abandon my children, even when they’re older. I understand that my mum had suffered trauma, that she had been a victim of abuse for so long that she needed time to heal. But she left us behind and it’s not something that I’m able to forgive. I needed her the most when she left without a second thought.

Our relationship is fractured, we rarely talk and when we do, she bitches about my father. The man’s dead and I have done my best to put him behind me. My family has grown closer, stronger, and more loving since the death of Harry Silver. My brothers are my only family and I love them beyond words. Not only do I, but my kids do too. Especially Kiro. Mayer and Kiro have a special bond, something that reminds me of the way that Bentley and I are. They’re two peas in a pod. Malachi adores Jake and my brother feels the exact same. I’m so blessed to have my brothers in my life.

I move through the house, toward the sound of my daughter’s cries, the towel wrapped around my body tightly. I step into her bedroom and Olivia’s face lights up, her chubby cheeks red from her teething. Those beautiful golden-brown eyes, so much like mine, are filled with tears. She’s standing in her crib, chewing on the teething rail that surrounds the bed.

“Well, hey there, pretty girl,” I whisper as I lift her from her crib and pull her into my arms. “You didn’t have a very big sleep.”

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