CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Gracie Allende plucked her twin siblings away from their mother’s abdomen. “What did I tell you?” She said to them primly, and Romy had to hide a smile. Gracie patted the twins on the head gently. “You can’t crawl on Momma’s tummy. It’s sick, and we have to be careful.”
Gracie looked at her mother with wide, green eyes. “That’s right, isn’t it, Momma?”
“It is petal, just for now. Just until I feel better. Then all five of us are going to go have fun. Daddy’s already talking about going somewhere hot for a vacation…maybe somewhere you would like…maybe somewhere with a fairytale castle?”
Romy laughed as Gracie whooped. All the money in the world, Romy thought fondly, and all my daughter wants to do is go visit Mickey Mouse.
Gracie frowned at her. “Do you think the castle has a library?”
“A library?” Romy asked in confusion, aware her young daughter loved to read but still not connecting that with Disney.
“Beauty and the Beast,” Juno stuck her head around the door and grinned at her sister. “Come on, Romulus, keep up.”
Gracie giggled at her mother’s nickname, and Romy rolled her eyes. “Hey, twins, you can’t crawl on Mommy, but Aunt Juno loves it.” She grinned at her sister’s expression as Gracie, taking her mother’s joke and running with it, handed Juno the twins. Rosa immediately spit up on Juno’s sweater, grinning widely afterward as if she’d achieved something spectacular.
Blue followed his sister-in-law into the room, and Romy saw in his eyes that he had something to talk to her about. “Hey, Gracie boo, why don’t you go help Juno clean up, then she might take you all for some hot chocolate?”
Juno, taking the hint, nodded, and bore the children out of the room. Blue closed the door behind them then came to sit by Romy. He leaned over to kiss her. “Hey, Piccolo.”
“Hey, gorgeous.” She stroked his face. “You look tired.”
“It seems to be my default position these days, so I’m used to it. Don’t worry about me, Piccolo.”
“Not an option,” she said and pulled his face closer to kiss him. “I love you, big guy.”
Blue sighed and leaned his head against hers. “I love you too, baby, which is going to make what I have to tell you harder.”
Romy searched his eyes. “Franks?”
Blue nodded. “He’s in the wind. Atlas and I have people searching for him, but for now, you’ll notice extra security around.”
“As long as the kids and you are safe, that’s all I care about.” Romy shifted and winced as her torn stomach muscles pulled painfully. Blue placed his hand gently on her belly.
“God, Romy…I swore I’d never let anyone hurt you again after Gaius…”
“This wasn’t your fault. It was the act of a mad man, Blue, and that’s all it was. Working at Haven, we’ve seen the results of a twisted mind so, so many times, Blue, we should have suspected something might happen like this.”
Blue closed his eyes. “I know it’s wrong, but the thought of you going back to work there…”
“But, don’t you see, this is exactly why I have to go back to Haven. They don’t get to win.”
Blue stared at her with unhappy eyes but nodded. “You’re my heroine.”
“Ha,” Romy grinned at her husband. “Well, the second I’m better, you can show me just how much you admire me, all night, every night.”
Blue chuckled. “That, my love, is a guarantee. Sexy woman.”
“Yeah, real sexy in my sweaty nightgown and with greasy hair. I would kill for a shower.”
“Might be a little while before that happens, baby.” He touched her thighs. “How are the pins-and-needles?”
“Still there but less, I think. At least I can move my legs. I got lucky.” Romy regretted her words as soon as she saw the pain on Blue’s face.
“Lucky,” he choked out and struggled to contain his emotion. Romy tangled her fingers in his black curls and drew him down to her.
“I misspoke,” she murmured, her lips against his, “I just mean…I’m still here. I’m still with you.”
“You always will be,” he rasped, framing her face with his hands. “I’ll never let you out of my sight after this, my love, my life.”
Ebony couldn’t help but tremble as she held onto her brother’s arm. Obe steadied her and made her look at him. “You don’t have to do this, Ebs. We can go into that courtroom and tell Atlas it’s too soon, or you’re not ready. Just say the word.”
They were standing out in the hallway at City Hall and, in a few moments, Ebony would join Atlas in front of the judge, and they would be married. She sucked in a deep breath and glared at her brother. “I am ready, Mr-I-Got-Married-After-Three-Weeks.”
Obe grinned, shrugging good-naturedly. “Just checking, sis. I couldn’t be happier for you, I just want to make sure you’re doing this for the right reasons. Having a child out of wedlock is no problem in this day and age.”
“It’s not because of that,” Ebony felt guilty that she and Atlas hadn’t told anyone that the baby wasn’t his, “it’s because we love each other, and providing a solid family for Fino will help us in the court case. All the right reasons.”
“Then all power to you both. You ready?”
Ebony nodded, and they walked together to the courtroom. Ebony smoothed her dress down over her knees, a simple but elegant cream tea-dress which brought out the gold tones in her skin. A single scarlet hibiscus was placed behind her ear, and she carried no bouquet.
Atlas, glorious in a dark blue tailored suit, smiled widely as he saw her walking to him. As she reached him, he shook Obe’s hand and bent to kiss his fiancée’s cheek. “You look sensational, baby.”
The navy blue of the suit made his dark hair and light green eyes even more startling and Ebony sighed over his sheer physical beauty. This god-like man was about to be her husband, and she could barely believe it.
Fino, giving her a genuinely happy smile for the first time in weeks, stood next to Atlas as his best man. Ebony bent to kiss the boy’s cheek. “Handsome boy.”
The wedding vows were over in a flash it seemed to her, but she didn’t care, Atlas was kissing her with so much adoration, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she’d made the right decision.
She gazed up at her new husband when they came up for air. “Our family,” was all she said and Atlas, smiling, nodded.
“It’s everything to me.”
Juno, Obe, Bella, and Fino joined them for a celebratory lunch. Stanley, still in New York, had sent his best wishes, and Blue and Romy had called Ebony that morning.
Ebony sat next to Atlas, his arm locked around her, both unable to stop smiling at each other. “Atlas, Fino…I wanted to share this with you,” she said, “but I thought I would wait until now, in case either of you found this upsetting.”
She opened the locket on her necklace and showed them both the picture of Mateo she had placed in it. “I wanted your father, your brother to be a part of our day. He will always be with us, Fino, and if we are lucky enough to become your adoptive parents, we will never seek to replace him, but carry on the fantastic way he was bringing you up.”
Fino nodded, his eyes filling with tears and he launched himself at Ebony and hugged her tightly. Atlas smiled at her, his gorgeous eyes shining at her. “Perfect, baby. Thank you.”
“Oh!” Bella exclaimed loudly, making everyone start. “Sorry,” she grinned sheepishly, “it’s just I made some handmade confetti at home, and of course, I forgot it.”
Ebony laughed. “We can use it for something else, don’t worry.”
A movement across the restaurant caught her eye. One of their huge security guys talking into his phone. Atlas’s attention was caught too.
“Say, how about we take this party home?” He asked the question lightly, but they were all alerted to the fact that even on such a happy day, they were all still in danger.
As they got up to leave, a commotion began with one of the guards and a sharply-dressed man. “I have to bring this to Ms. Verlaine.” He was waving an envelope, but the bodyguard wouldn’t let him near her. He frisked the man then looked at Atlas who nodded. The newcomer, looking annoyed, walked over to them. “Miss Verlaine.”
“Mrs. Tigri now,” Ebony said coldly, “but yes, that’s me.”
The man handed her the envelope. “Congratulations, both on your marriage, and the fact that you’ve been served. Have a lovely day.”
He left the party stunned and walked out of the restaurant, throwing a glare over to the bodyguard.
Ebony opened the envelope and read the letter. “What the hell?”
“What is it, baby?”
Ebony looked up at Atlas, confused. “It’s Cormac. He’s demanding a paternity test.”
“For Fino?”
She shook her head. “No…for the baby. He thinks you’re not the father.”
Atlas stared at Ebony, and they shared the same sense of impending dread. How the hell did Cormac know…and what would he do when he found out he was right?