Page 133 of Vicious Deception

For the first time, fear ignites in her eyes. She doesn’t know who I am—what I’ve done—but she’s getting a glimpse of it now.

“I can’t take you away from Benny,” I say. “I’m sure he loves you, and I won’t be the reason he loses his mother. But the moment I hear that you’re treating him poorly, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you never see him again. You understand?”

The anger that fizzled out due to her fear comes back full force. “Howdareyou threaten to take my son away from me. He’s mine! You didn’t even know he existed a month ago. You’re amonster.”

“And you loved the man who created me. What does that say about you?”

She’s about to answer, but then we hear a shout from the driveway. When I look out the window, I see Benny running up the path. He must’ve seen my truck out front. He knows better than to let on that he knows who I am, but of course he’s excited.

I turn to Corinne, knowing we only have a few seconds alone. “I’m in their life from this point on, whether you like it or not. My advice to you? Don’t fuck this up. Because if you do, you’ll regret ever getting involved with Richard in the first place.”

Just as the front door swings open, Corinne nods quickly. I can see it in her eyes. Now that Benny and Andrew are about to meet me, she’s lost control. They’ll never forgive her if she tries to push me out. Benny will continue living with her—as long as she treats him well—but she knows she can’t fight.

I’ve already won.

Chapter thirty-nine

Elliot

ThreemonthsafterLudo’sdeath

A warm summer breeze rustles my clothes as I pop a piece of fruit into my mouth. This is the first picnic I’ve been on since I was a kid, and I’m kind of wondering why we haven’t done one before Wren.

“It’s nice here,” Oliver says from where he’s lying on his back with his head in Rhett’s lap. “Peaceful, you know?”

I nod in agreement. “What do you think, love?”

Wren sits a mere foot away from me. She’s wearing a lilac dress I picked out for her the first weekend we were together. As soon as the weather got warm enough, she started wearing sundresses almost constantly. I think it made Oliver just as happy as it seems to be making her.

Taking a deep breath, she looks around. “I think it’s beautiful here.”

I smile. We promised to take her wherever she wants, and so far, we’ve followed through. This trip to England is just one of many.

Following Wren’s gaze, I watch the waves from the sea lap up onto the shore. The water is a pretty blue-gray color thanks to the mostly overcast sky. It’s the perfect day for a picnic.

Eventually, I choose to focus on Wren instead of the view. Her hair is up, so her butterfly tattoo is visible. It makes me smile every time I see it.

At some point, I stopped remembering the woman I killed every time I looked at Wren. The fear and love in her eyes right before I shot her will never fade from my memory, but it’s not as present as it used to be.

When I looked into her background, I discovered she did some work with a charity that supports single mothers. I waited until things settled down, and then I set up a monthly donation to the charity in her honor. It’s not officially in her name—that would raise questions—but I know who it’s for, and that’s what matters.

Over the past few months, we’ve let ourselves live. There hasn’t been anything looming over our heads—no jobs, no guilt, no plans. Just us.

I didn’t realize just how much our choices had affected us until after the fact. We’ve had to relearn how to exist. Our priorities have changed, and we’ve been spending more time with Oliver’s family and Rhett’s brothers. It’s been . . . different. Slower, but not in a bad way.

I cover Wren’s hand with my own. Even with all the pain and stress, I wouldn’t change our past. In the end, it was worth it. We avenged Sammy, and we ended up closer than ever.

Sitting up, Oliver picks up a strawberry and holds it to my lips. “You look way too serious right now, Ell.”

Opening my mouth, I take the strawberry and suck the excess juices off his fingertips. Heat ignites in his eyes, quickly followed by annoyance. We’re not alone out here, so he’ll have to wait until we get back to the hotel.

“Tease,” he grumbles.

I smirk at him.

“What were you thinking of?” Rhett asks.

“How far we’ve come.” I rub my thumb over the back of Wren’s hand when she looks my way. “How happy I am.”

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