The night was exactly what he’d said it was going to be. As were the three nights after that. She just didn’t want to leave him. Or Katie and Isaac.

The tabloids and news sites had gotten an early wind of it, of course, and it was plastered everywhere just what was between them. Well, some of it.

Marc was doing his best to keep her out of the limelight. Katie and Isaac were ecstatic to have her there, and being with them helped. It really did. Made her see that she would get through this.

Luc was still searching for people who wanted to harm him. Marc was busy sending taskforces and units and anything else he could scurrying to find the possible threat—and to stop Opal Joy.

Another large warehouse had been found with millions of dollars’ worth of the drug found in Garrity County.

Zoey and her deputies had found it. It was the biggest bust in Garrity County history.

All of that happened in the handful of days Ari hid out at Marc’s.

But on the fourth day, it was time.

She’d missed the grand opening of W4HAV. Margo and Luc had ganged up on her and made her do so. And she’d not been able to disagree—if she was the target, or Marc, the last place she needed to be was around the people of W4HAV, putting all of them in more jeopardy.

Everything she had worked for and she had had to miss it.

But…all of those home-grown idiots who disagreed with Marc’s political stances were claiming responsibility—and some had mentioned finding her again.

She wasn’t ready to deal with that.

On the fourth day, Rayne pulled Marc away fairly early. The kids were with their newest nanny, a woman Ari had high hopes for. She’d still spent a good portion of the day with Marc’s children while he worked. Katie and Isaac had tutors from ten until one, with plenty of breaks built in. After that, the nanny had games and things for them to do until three. During those five hours, Ari spent most of her time on the phone and computer, working remotely with Margo and the rest of the staff at W4HAV. She might not have been in the office, but with the kids occupied and her having dedicated workspace—Marc had loaned her an office area of his house right next to his own—she was able to make up for lost time.

Enough that she actually felt like she’d gotten something accomplished.

Katie and Isaac were out in the fenced backyard—Marc had extremely tight security on the place now, having left Warner with her and the children, and taking two men on loan from Houghton to guard himself. Her guard Michael was out there, too. Marc had almost fifty acres of private land just on the outskirts of Finley Creek. He’d fenced all of it. Blackhawk walked the perimeter, as well.

She wasn’t entirely clear on who was where, but he’d promised her that she was safe. She suspected there was at least one other out there.

Ari trusted him.

Far more than she ever had anyone else in her life. Maybe even Jillian and Lacy. With Marc she didn’t have to pretended to be tougher than she was.

That changed everything.

She worked until almost noon, then took a break when Michael came back inside to announce she had a visitor. She smiled.

Pen had promised to join her and the kids after a lecture at the Finley Creek main campus concluded. It was just about time for her new little sister to show up.

She’d texted and pestered Ari—and even Marc, to some extent—practically since the moment Zoey had spirited her away the night of the bombing.

Just checking, Pen had said, obviously trying to be snarky. But Ari got it. Pen was feeling insecure, and the texting was her way of keeping control.

Apparently, her little sister shared Ari’s anxiety gene.

She looked up, as the door opened, expecting her sister to be there.

Marc and Rafe’s mother stood there instead. Ari rose from her seat.

“Mrs…Deane.”

“Well. Here you are. I take it you’ve settled in nicely? I hope you’re proud of yourself. Many women have tried to accomplish what you have.”

Ari bit her lip as anxiety immediately tightened up her gut.

She forced herself to relax. This woman was nothing to her. This woman had bought a baby, completely disregarding the state’s laws, let alone the laws of basic morality.

Eve Deane had no right to judge Ari at all. Or to imply that what was between her and Marc was due to her scheming.

It wasn’t like that. What was between her and Marc was love.

As equally as strong as that between Lacy and Travis, Rafe and Jillian. This woman would not disdain that. “Is there something I can help you with today? Marc won’t be home until nearly six tonight, if you’d like to come back then. Or the children are outside with their nanny. I can call them in to visit, if you’d like. But they don’t know about the bombings. You’ll have to not let your concern for your son show through.”

She jerked her chin up. Ari was finished biting back the words on her tongue.

She’d had a lifetime of doing that.

No more. It was time she stopped trying to fit herself into molds to please everyone else, and start being Ariella. The woman she actually was.

Marc’s mother was as good a place to start as any.