Page 23 of Salvation

“It’s the perk of being the vice president,” he replied, tightening his hold on my neck.

“Really? Does it say, ‘act like an asshole’ in the job description?”

He never got a chance to answer. My attention was taken away from him and focused solely on Dante walking through the door, our son in his arms.

Axel was beaming up at him, babbling away in his own little baby nonsense. Dante was nodding back at him, talking too quietly for me to hear his responses.

They looked perfect together.

Dante’s big, muscular arms almost dwarfed Axel’s tiny frame, and yet he nestled in like he was in the safest place in the world.

He probably was.

When I had first found out I was pregnant, this is the exact vision that had come to mind. This was the scene I pictured. Father and son. He held him so delicately, and yet looked so ferocious. It did things to me I would never admit to his face, but I felt one brick of my resentment wall slide away, and I wanted to punch myself for it.

Axel had one arm wrapped around Dante’s neck, and the other fist was clenched in excitement as he told his nonsense story. I’d love to be in his head for a day to know what he was actually trying to say.

“He’s a cute kid,” Vienna said, climbing off my knee and sitting next to me.

“He is,” I grinned.

“Dante will be a good dad, you know that.”

I decided not to respond. I had been given nothing but months to reflect on Dante’s parenting, and I realised the others were right. He was severely lacking in the parental department with the way I had seen him raise Bee. But I suppose everyone could change.

“And what about you?” I asked Vienna. “I figured upon my return, Gabriella would be here and there would be a dozen mini, bearded Viennettas running around.”

“Viennettas,” he chuckled. “It’s a nice thought, and maybe one day… but sadly, not right now.”

“No luck with Gabriella?”

“Do you see her?” He said, his tone sharper than it had been.

“No, but—”

“She’s with Nico now, Rachel.”

“Nico?” I almost spluttered. “HercousinNico? The new president of the Rough Riders?ThatNico?”

“One and the same.”

“Come on… She surely can’t be happy there. From what I’ve heard—”

“And what have people heard about Dante? And yet you’re perfectly happy… or at least you were at one point.”

“No, that was different. That was—”

“Your own business?” He interrupted. “No one knows what goes on behind closed doors, and she’s made it perfectly clear she wants to stay there.”

“And you’ve actually asked her that question directly?”

“Yup. We even ambushed her once and tried dragging her back here. She kicked and screamed at us until we let her go and then pleaded to be returned.”

“Pleaded? That doesn’t sound like a happy woman. That sounds like a trapped woman.”

“She looked happy enough. She said she loves him. What am I supposed to do, Rachel? Short of kidnapping her, I can’t force her to leave him.”

“You don’t fancy being the next Dante, huh?” I smiled sadly.

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