hadn’t had a fight like this in a long time. The last few months had been spent in comfort. Like most couples, we had a routine. I went to work, came home, we had dinner, and then we went to bed and had sex. It sounded boring, but it was actually very comfortable. It was a lot more fulfilling then heading to the bars and clubs like I used to.
“Promise me you’ll never smoke again.”
“For the rest of my life?” I asked incredulously.
“Yep.”
“I only smoke once a week—”
“If you smoke so little, then it should be no problem to stop altogether.” Blood lust was in her eyes, the same expression I wore when I manipulated my clients into agreeing to my outrageous terms. She wouldn’t settle or negotiate. She made her demands, and I could meet them—or face the consequences.
“Baby, I appreciate what you’re trying to do—”
“Cigars or sex. Pick.”
Did she just give me an ultimatum? “You’re being—”
“I’m serious, Cato. I love you too much to watch you slowly kill yourself. Smoking is the number one cause of premature death in the world.”
When she tossed her love for me into the mix, I was blindsided. She hadn’t mentioned her feelings for me in several months, and then she dropped them when I least expected it. It always made me lose my footing. It made me feel good and terrible at the exact same time.
“No more.” She snatched the cigars out of my pocket and threw them on the floor. “Promise me.” She stared into my face until she heard the words she desired. She knew I wasn’t the kind of man to make a promise I couldn’t keep, so my word was good enough.
If she were someone else, I wouldn’t comply out of principle. If we weren’t having a daughter in a month, I probably wouldn’t care about giving her what she wanted. But I wanted to be around as long as possible so I could always take care of Martina—and Siena. So, for the first time in my life, I folded. “I promise.”
It was the vow she wanted to hear, so she sighed in relief then looked out the window again.
This woman could make me do anything.
And I hated that.
We spent the entire day shopping. We got everything Martina could possibly need, from toys to bottles and all the other products I had no idea were required to take care of a baby. Siena had fun picking out all the clothes Martina would get to wear, and even though she was on her feet all day, she didn’t complain once.
I’d never spent more than five minutes shopping. My personal stylist picked out my wardrobe then had my tailor customize it to my measurements. Then one of my men picked up the clothes and placed them in my closet.
I didn’t even go grocery shopping.
After the long day, we headed home, taking the entire store with us.
“Should this be her bedroom?” Siena stepped into the guest bedroom next door to mine. My office was on the other side. “It’s right next door.”
“I don’t think our daughter is going to want to be right next door to us.”
“Not forever. Just for now. That way when she cries in the middle of the night, I don’t have to go far. I think the smart thing is keeping her close.” She stepped into the room and looked at the furniture that was already inside. “I guess we could donate all of this. Everything looks to be of exceptional quality. Unless you have somewhere else to put it?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Then we’ll donate it to someone. I want to paint the walls and set up the crib next to the window. Do you think your men could get rid of everything tomorrow?”
“They could get rid of it now if that’s what you wanted.”
“God, no. It’s seven at night.”
“This shift is on until midnight regardless.”
“So you have men working constantly?”
I nodded. “They work twelve-hour shifts.”
“Do you pay them well?”
“Of course. You can’t expect men to put their lives on the line unless they’re giving their families the best quality of life possible. That’s all they care about, making sure their wives don’t have to work and their kids get the best education. Any honorable man would do anything to give his family a better life.” That was all I ever wanted for my mother when my father ducked out. I wanted to erase what he did and prove what being a man really meant. “So