Page 92 of Born into Darkness

Enzo’s brown eyes stare into mine, and I give him a big smile. “Hey, little man. I’m your Uncle Max. Well, actually first cousin once removed, but who wants to say all that? I like uncle better.”

I hear a sigh and look up in just enough time to see my mom and Talia snapping a bunch of photos while everyone else stares at me. Everyone is emotional, and I know what they’re all thinking. Today could have very easily been different. It wouldn’t have taken much for me to die in that basement, and then they’d be here celebrating today without me. I never would’ve gotten to meet my newest nephew, and I wouldn’t be about to spend my life with the woman I love. My life would’ve ended, and that would be that.

My mom’s sniffling pulls my focus back. “Don’t cry, Mom. I’m here, and everything’s going to be fine.”

She nods while my dad pulls her in tightly against him. “I know. I’m just really happy.”

“We all are,” my Aunt Jolene says, snapping another photo of me holding her grandson. She looks around the room and gives us all a smile that’s wobbly with emotion. “How about no more kidnappings, huh?” She gives a soft laugh. “Can we just say, been there, done that, and move on? I think our families deserve a break.”

“Hear, hear!” my Aunt Emily says, raising a glass of champagne that someone has apparently smuggled in. “To baby Enzo and a time of peace for all of us.”

I guess I was busy staring at my nephew while they were busy passing around the bubbly, because everyone raises a glass, toasting the newest edition of our family and hoping for a peace that, in all honesty, probably won’t last too long. Not for this family, anyway.

When Enzo lets out a hungry whimper and starts rooting around, I look to Nat for help. She laughs at whatever she sees on my face as Dominic takes his son and puts him in his mom’s arms. Knowing she’s about to nurse, we all start to say our goodbyes. I hug them both and congratulate them again, and as soon as we’re out of the room, I nod at my brother and grab Talia’s hand, pulling her down the hall and into the elevator.

“What are we doing?” she asks with a laugh.

‘We’re going home,” I tell her, pushing the button for the parking garage where one of our guards is already waiting to take us to my house. I’d texted Niki earlier, letting him know what I had planned, and he’d helped me set up a night away for us. Dima and Bran packed her a bag and had it sent over. Everything is ready. The only thing missing is Talia naked in my bed, but I plan on remedying that as soon as possible.

Once we’re in the SUV and on our way, she asks, “What about everyone else?”

“It’s taken care of. Your brothers packed you a bag, and everyone knows to leave us alone for twenty-four hours. I invited your entire family over for lunch tomorrow, so they can see my house and how secure it is and so that you can spend some time with them before they leave.”

I cup her face, running my thumb over her soft skin. “But we need this time together, Talia, just the two of us.”

She grins up at me. “We do,” she agrees. “But we’re not skipping your finger exercises. I still need to do it three more times today.”

“I wouldn’t dream of trying to skip out on it, my bossy little nursemaid.” Leaning in closer, I whisper, “I am curious to see what my reward will be.”

“I’ll see what I can come up with.”

I pull back and give her a wink. “I can’t wait.”

She returns my smile and then spends the rest of the drive staring out the window, excitement written all over her face.

“We can do anything you want,” I tell her. “Go anywhere you want, see anything. Just let me know, and I’ll make it happen.”

“It’s so different from Oregon.”

“You really miss it, don’t you?”

She quickly turns to me and rests her hand on my thigh. “I like it here, too.”

I take her hand and kiss it. “I know it’s a sacrifice,” I start to say, but she shakes her head to cut me off.

“Nothing about being with you is a sacrifice to me. Don’t ever think that. I want to be here with you. Please don’t ever doubt that, Max.”

I don’t push the issue because I don’t want to upset her, but I also know I need to figure something out to make this doable. I won’t have her giving everything up for me. It’s not fair to her, and I would never ask her to do that. That kind of one-sided sacrifice usually ends in resentment, and that’s the last thing I want for us. I don’t ever want to be the cause of her unhappiness, the person standing in-between her and her family. I’d never forgive myself.

I put that particular worry on hold when our driver pulls up to the security system Niki put in place. Rolling down my window, I press the pad of my thumb to the scanner and make sure I’m looking straight into the hidden camera. My face and fingerprint run through the system, and when they match with what’s on file, the light turns green and the wrought-iron gate swings inward, allowing us access.

“Wow,” Talia whispers when she sees the large brick, two-story house in front of us. A sudden rush of nerves hits me when I realize how much I want her to love this place as much as I do. I haven’t had it long, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it was meant for me. The property is big enough to seem private and allow for good security. There’s a pool in the back, and a ton of trees, which make the place seem like a little oasis in the city.

The security I have at the house is top of the line, so I feel comfortable sending the men in the SUV away. Nothing is getting onto the property without at least two warning systems going off, one of which will go directly to Niki, who will alert the whole damn Bratva to get their asses over here. We’re as safe as we can possibly be, so I grab Talia’s hand and lead her inside.

Nerves continue to eat at me as we walk further into the house. She looks around, taking everything in with an open curiosity. I watch her every move, looking for any signs that she might not like something or wish something was different, but she’s all smiles, walking around the kitchen and then the living room as she touches anything that catches her eye.

“This is beautiful,” she finally says, stopping to look at a painting Sveta made for me. “It’s you, right?”

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