The next day, I was finally discharged from the hospital, and James, with Andy tagging along, came to pick me up that afternoon. Of course, both men watched over me like mother hens as I slipped out of bed and began to get myself ready.

I was just reaching out for the luggage to start packing when Andy said, “I’ll do that for you. You go and get changed.”

I nodded and headed into the bathroom, a dress in my hand.

While Andy packed my stuff into the bag Savannah had brought for me, James was in the bathroom, aiding me with getting dressed since my movement was slow. Of course, I didn’t mind the fact that I was half naked in front of him, in just undies and bra and my bare skin marked with dark bruises everywhere. After all, he had seen me naked last night when he was making love to me, albeit under the dimness of the wall light.

“Raise your arms,” he instructed as if I were his daughter. I thought he was being very parental toward me.

I smiled as I obeyed him, raising my arms high above me. He was grinning, too, as he slipped the dress over my head. Once the soft material lay lovingly against my skin, I said, “You could have slipped it on from the bottom. It would have been easier.”

“You’re right,” he said, as he gently nudged me around so my back was to him. Once he finished zipping me up, he bent down and seductively kissed me on my nape.

Warm heat aroused within me, and I grinned. I was about to turn around and give him a hot kiss on the lips when Andy’s voice came through the door from the other side.

“Are you guys done yet? We’d better get going.”

I sighed. That kiss would have to wait, I guess. Andy sounded eager to get me home, after all.

James said, “Let’s take you home,” and I nodded in agreement.

After saying good-bye to the wonderful nurses who had looked after me, I gleefully left the ward I had been cooped up in for the past week.

The moment we arrived at James’s million-dollar mansion some half hour later and I got out of the car, Aria ran up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Yay! Mia, you’re home. You’re finally home. I missed you so much,” the little girl said, a big smile on her adorable face.

I carefully came down to my knees, since my body was still inflamed, and hugged her tightly. “I’ve missed you, too,” I said.

When I let her go, Aria moved back and shrieked excitedly, “We’re going to have a girls-only slumber party tonight. Yay! I can’t wait. I can’t wait.”

Aria’s eagerness was certainly infectious, and I found myself chuckling along with her, quite enthusiastic about the prospect as well. Especially since I had been in hospital for a week, which had been quite lonely to say the least.

When I managed to stand again, because my legs were still a little sore, I noted Savannah watching us not too far away. I moved forward, and we hugged tightly.

“How are you feeling?” Savannah asked.

“Better,” I said, chuckling. “Let’s go inside.”

She nodded, and as we headed into the house, James lifted Aria into his arms and followed us. Andy, on the other hand, was busy taking out my suitcase.

The moment I stepped into the foyer, Scott came toward me, a handsome smile on his gorgeous face in greeting.

“Hello, Mia, darling,” he said, pulling me enthusiastically into his arms. “You look better than when I last saw you.” He moved back and carefully inspected me as if I were an expensive jewel. “Hmm… Your bruises are getting a lot lighter.”

I said, “That’s good, isn’t it?”

He nodded as he led me farther into the house. “Yes, of course.”

Once we were in the living room, I saw Eric, Matt, and William drinking what I assumed was beer and chatting away. Obviously, they were socializing. The moment they saw me, they came over and asked how I was feeling, to which I replied that I was much better. Savannah, to my surprise, was acting very maternal and fussing over me. She even shooed away the men to give me some space and suggested I retire to my room since it looked as though I needed a good rest before the party this evening.

I turned to her. “Party? What party?”

She smiled. “Just a welcome home party,” she said. “Aria suggested we do one for you.”

“I see,” I said, turning my eyes to Aria, who was still in her father’s arms, grinning at me cheekily.

“It’s gonna be fun.” Aria turned to her dad. “Right, Daddy?”

James nodded as he winked at me. I blushed profusely since he looked so hot when he did that. Once again, I wanted to kiss him, but of course I couldn’t. Not here when there were people around.

“Yes, that does sound fun.” I turned to Savannah. “Right, I’m going to go up and take a little nap. Feeling rather tired.”

It must have been the painkillers.

After excusing myself, I headed up the stairs to my room, Savannah coming along with me.

It wasn’t long before I found myself cozily snuggling in my own bed, which was a blessing.

Once Savannah had finished tucking me in and said, “Have a good sleep,” I nodded and closed my eyes, falling deep into my slumber straight away.

When I woke, I felt refreshed and alert. That sleep had been indeed wonderful.

I stretched before getting out of bed. I was just raiding my closet for a change of clothes before heading into the shower when a few knocks came at the door.

“Mia?” Andy’s voice came through.

“You can come in, Andy.”

The door opened, and my brother walked in. “Hey, feeling better?”

I nodded. “That sleep was good. By the way, what time is it now?”

“It’s nearly six in the evening.”

I blinked in surprise. Shit! Had I been sleeping that long? I must have been quite tired, then.

I asked, “Am I late for my own homecoming party?”

Andy chuckled. “Nope. Take your time. I just wanted to see if you’re fine… I mean I’m leaving tomorrow morning, and…”

I turned my gaze to him and smiled. I knew he was worried about me and worked to alleviate his concern. “I’m fine, Andy. James is taking very good care of me. He was with me almost every night when I was in the hospital, which was very nice of him.”

He nodded. “I know that. I just can’t believe…”

“What?” I asked curiously.

He raked his fingers through his dark hair. “That somebody like him… would… Shit! I don’t know how to put it into words, Mia, but you know what I mean. Anyway, I’m just happy that he loves you and takes good care of you, and…”

I came to him and gave him a hug. “And I’m so happy that Matt loves you and takes very good care of you, too. I’m relieved that there’s someone there for you other than me.”

He snorted. “Yeah, in his own weird way, he does care about me, doesn’t he?”

I thought there was a hint of doubt in Andy’s voice. Maybe my brother needed time to really trust Matt, which was fine, considering what he had been through.

When I moved back, he said, “I’ll leave you to get yourself ready. See you downstairs, then.”

I nodded, and he kissed me on the forehead. Then he was gone, leaving me alone to wonder why he was unconvinced of Matt’s feeling for him. I mean, I might not have that much experience when it came to the subject of romance, but I felt it in my gut that Matt truly loved Andy and really cared about him. The way the man showed that sentiment was different from most people. His tenderness was perhaps a bit rough around the edges, and he tended toward the controlling and possessive type. Matt was the type to bully the one he liked, after all.

I dismissed the thought of my brother and Matt from my mind and headed into the bathroom to shower. When I was done, dressed in a lovely loose, long-sleeved blouse and trousers, my makeup lightly done, since my bruised skin was still too sensitive, I headed out the door.

I found Savannah sitting on my bed, waiting for me.

“Hey,” I said. “Sorry, I think I might have overslept a little.”

Savannah chuckled. “No worries. I did that this morning as well. I was so tired.”

I nodded. Of course, her having found out about my kidnapping had really scared her, and the whole situation must have exhausted her. Now that I was safe and sound, everything had just kind of caught up to her. I didn’t miss the dark circles under her eyes, either.

I was so moved by the fact that she had been so good to me, especially since we had only been friends for a short time, that I gave her a tight hug again. “Thank you for coming all the way here and helping out.”

“It’s fine, Mia,” Savannah said. “You’re my friend, after all.”

I chuckled. “Yes, and I’d do the same for you. You know, be there for you. So if anything happened to you or if you need help, just tell me, all right?”

Savannah chuckled as she nodded in agreement. I must have looked so adamant. “All right. Thanks, Mia.”

A moment later, we left the bedroom together and headed downstairs. When we entered the living area, a loud cheer went up, and I chuckled in delight. Everyone was there: James, Aria, Scott, Eric, Matt, William, and of course, my brother Andy. Not to mention Ms. Lane the housekeeper as well as the cook and housemaids. Of course, there were Sammy and Alfie as well, barking loudly in greeting.

The night was a blur, with lots of laughter and drinking and food. I would say the welcome home party planned by Aria was indeed a success, and to be honest, I had never felt so happy and had so much fun in my life.

It was around half past eleven that evening when Aria, Savannah, and I were about to head upstairs to begin our girls-only slumber party in Aria’s bedroom.

Ms. Lane appeared at the door and announced, “Mr. Maxwell is here.”

I didn’t miss the fact that her voice was a little shaky, which surprised me.

Mr. Maxwell? Suddenly, it hit me. She meant Liam Maxwell, James’s father. I started panicking, and apparently, I wasn’t alone.

Eric swore loudly, “Fuck!”

Suddenly, the man I had heard so much about, the powerful man who had fathered three hot, amazing sons appeared at the door like a king making his grand entrance.

Liam Maxwell—a striking man with silver fox hair, angular face, sharp eyes, and tall, lean body in an expensive Italian suit—strolled into the room as everyone watched.

“Grandpa!” Aria shrieked cheerfully, breaking the ice of silence that had only descended moments before.

The man chuckled in delight as he opened his arms wide for his granddaughter. Aria excitedly ran to him, and Liam lifted her up. Then he kissed her on the cheeks, and she return those kisses on his wrinkled cheeks, too.

“So how are you doing, my love?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.

“I’m good, Grandpa,” Aria said, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ve missed you so much. You haven’t been to visit for ages.”

The man chuckled again. “Grandpa has work to do,” he said. “Sorry about that, sweetheart.”

Aria giggled. “You’re forgiven ‘cause you’re here now.” She kissed him on the cheek again.

Liam said, “You know what? I have presents for you.”

Aria asked excitedly, “Really? Yay!”

Liam nodded. “From Japan.”

Aria said, “Can we go and get them now? Can we, Grandpa? Can we please?”

Liam nodded as he put her down. “Eric.” He turned to his youngest son. “Why don’t you help bring in the presents?”

“Yeah.” Eric turned to Aria. “Come on, darling.” Hand in hand, uncle and niece left the room.

I thought about going after them to help since I knew there’d be quite a haul, based upon the last time Aria had received presents from both Scott and Eric. It must have been a Maxwell thing to lavish Aria, the only girl in the family, with gifts. But then James caught my wrist, stopping me from moving an inch.

I was a little confused, but then I realized Liam was standing right in front of me. If I were to move, I would have bumped into him.

I raised my eyes to look at the great man. Up close, he was indeed intimidating. Tall, lean, dark features, and definitely a Maxwell. I noted he had those Prussian-blue eyes, which James had inherited.

“So you’re Mia Donovan,” he said, his gaze scrutinizing me, which made my heart race. Maybe just a little.

I nodded. “Hi,” I said. “And you must be Mr. Liam Maxwell.”

He cocked his head to one side and said, “Yes, I am.”

I smiled brightly, my heart now calming. “That explains why you look just like James. You behave just like him, too. Very intimidating upon first meeting.”

Suddenly, Scott burst out laughing, and I wondered why. When I looked at James beside me, he too was grinning as if he found something rather amusing. And of course, Matt and William did the same. Savannah looked worried.

I licked my lips and then asked no one in particular, “Did I say something wrong?”

Liam said, “So I look like my son, eh?”

That was when I realized I’d phrased it wrong. But instead of apologizing and rephrasing the words or explaining my meaning, I said, “But you do.”

With a dark look in his eyes, Liam leaned forward, his face so close I could feel the warmth of his breath fanning my skin. I was surprised I didn’t even flinch or, worse, scramble away like a mouse being chased by a cat. Instead, I just stood there and stared at him. Perhaps it was because he looked so much like James that he didn’t scare me, despite his intimidating demeanor.

“You’re not scared of me?”

I shook my head. “No.”

He seemed displeased at my answer and even asked, “Why the hell not?”

I licked my lower lip and gently pushed my hair behind my ear. “Because James is here with me, and he won’t let you hurt me.” God, I sounded confident, didn’t I?

Scott chuckled in amusement.

Liam shifted his gaze to James beside me. The two men locked eyes for a moment, which kind of freaked me out because I thought they were going to start some sort of father vs son fight, considering neither seemed to be backing away or showing any sign of forfeit.

But then Liam returned his attention to me and suddenly touched me, his fingers about my chin. He tilted my face up a little and inspected me thoroughly. “Yet you have bruises all over your face.”

I knew what he meant and said, “Well, what happened to my face didn’t really have anything to do with James. The man responsible was from my past, and he—”

“He’s dead now,” James said darkly.

Liam said, “I see. Did you make sure the bastard got what he deserved?”

James nodded.

“You’ve been through quite a bit, haven’t you, young lady?” Suddenly, Liam leaned even closer and kissed me on the forehead, which surprised me. It was then that I felt this tense atmosphere dissipating around us.

Before he moved away, he said, “If James upsets you, come to me, and I’ll make sure to give him a good beating.” He even winked.

I was stunned, of course.

Liam then moved over to James, and the two men hugged.

“Dad,” James said. “So I’ve heard you’ve been messing around in Japan. What the hell is going on?”

Liam chuckled. “You’ll find out soon enough,” he said before moving on to hug Scott, too. Then he greeted Matt and William and, of course, the nervous Savannah.

By then, Eric and Aria had returned, along with Ms. Lane and two other maids, arms loaded with presents. I wasn’t surprised. They dumped the various boxes in the middle of the room, and Aria excitedly started unwrapping them. There were many soft toys, along with cute dresses, costumes, and figurines.

It was some twenty minutes later, after Aria thanked her grandfather profusely, that we girls headed up the stairs for the night, taking along her presents, leaving the men to socialize and talk business.