Page 87 of Ruthless Secrets
“But you’re living together.”
“Well, yes. But it’s going well.”
I purposefully leave out the part where some enemy of Marco’s kidnapped my daughter and now I’m under house arrest. If Sam knew the truth, there’s no way she would let me get within a thousand miles of Marco.
“The universe does seem to work in mysterious ways—” Sam gasps so loudly that I jump, spilling some of my orange juice down my front.
“What?”
“Oh, my god, I just remembered!” Sam settles her drink down on the table between us before turning to face me. “Adam was in the hospital.”
“What? Are you serious? Is he okay?”
Sam shakes her head. “He was beaten up pretty badly. But it looks like he’s going to make a full recovery.
“Beaten up?” My throat feels like it’s going to close up. I can barely breathe, and my hands are shaking as I set my drink down on the table. “W-when was this?”
“Maybe a week ago.”
Images of Marco’s bruised knuckles and bloodstained hands flash through my memory.
“Oh, my god.”
Did Marco do this to Adam?
“Shit, sorry. I wasn’t sure whether to tell you or not, and now you look like you’re going to be sick.”
“No, I’m fine.” I wave a hand. “I’m glad you told me.”
The truth is, I’m not sure how I feel.
Marco put a man in the hospital using his bare hands. But it was a man who hurt me almost to the point of no repair. If he had been caught, he would have been thrown in jail, but still he risked his life in order to defend me.
“Why don’t we talk about something else… How’s that beautiful baby of yours?”
Sam and I spend several hours talking and catching up, which proves to be a great distraction from the Adam situation.
Delilah, Andre’s housekeeper, brings us out some lunch, and we eat it by the side of the pool with our feet dangling in the water.
“I’m sorry I have to head off, but I can’t get out of this work event,” Sam says as I walk her down the front steps of the house toward Jax’s waiting car a few hours later.
“Honestly, don't worry about it. But next time, you’re staying for dinner.”
“Next time, I’m staying forever.” She laughs, though her eyes are focused on something over my right shoulder.
I turn around and smile when I notice Marco heading toward us with Zoe in the stroller.
“Hey.” He approaches us, flashing me that smile that has all the air leaving my lungs.
Before I have a chance to fling my arms around his neck and kiss him, he holds out his hand.
“I’m Marco, Zoe’s father.”
I glance nervously at Sam and see her slyly giving Marco the once over despite the polite smile on her face.
She takes his hand. “Lovely to meet you. How is my ZoZo?”
Sam turns her attention to Zoe.
