into my hair, and he breathed close to my mouth. “Unless that means you want to start on baby number two.”
I hadn’t given it any thought since he’d walked out the door. All I’d cared about was him coming back. “I don’t know if that’s what I want…but there’s no way you’re wearing anything.” I wanted Cato inside me, skin to skin, and I wanted his come inside me for the rest of the night. If that meant we would have another baby, so be it.
He lifted me into his arms and carried me to the bed. “Good answer.”
All of Bates’s things were packed into the car, and he was ready to leave. “So, I guess this is goodbye.” Bates walked up to his brother and clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ve lived through some pretty crazy shit, huh?”
“Hopefully, this is as crazy as it’s going to get,” Cato said.
Bates shrugged. “It would be boring if it was. So, are you going to miss me?”
“Not at all.” Cato clapped him back. “Giovanni won’t miss cleaning up after you and doing your laundry either.”
“I don’t believe him,” Bates said. “It gives him purpose. Well, I’ll miss you. It was nice spending that time with you.” He didn’t look at his brother as he said those tender words.
Cato’s eyes softened. “Alright…I’ll miss you a little.”
Bates grinned. “You’ll miss me a lot. I know you will.” He came to me next. “I’ve got your back for the rest of time, Siena. Regardless of what happens between you and my brother…I’ll always be there for you.” His eyes looked down at Martina in my arms, and he smiled.
“I know you do, Bates. I’ll miss you.”
His eyes flicked up to mine. “You will?”
“Of course. Water under the bridge, Bates.”
He gave me a slight smile before he turned away.
“Wait, aren’t you going to say goodbye to your niece?” I placed her in his arms and stepped back so he could hold her.
Bates flinched on the spot, overwhelmed by the gesture. He looked down into Martina’s face and wore a subdued look of joy. “Hey, sweetheart. I know we don’t spend a lot of one-on-one time together, but I’m your uncle. We have the same eyes.”
Cato looked at me, a hint of a smile on his lips.
Bates kissed her on the forehead before he handed her back. “She’s beautiful—just like you.” He got into his car and drove away.
Cato came to my side and wrapped his arm around my waist. “That was gracious of you.”
“He’s family…you forgive family.”
He brushed his lips against my hairline. “You’re a great role model for Martina. She has the best person to look up to.”
I looked into my daughter’s face and thought of my mother, the woman who had always been my role model. “Thanks…that means a lot to me.”
I fed Martina as Cato got ready in the morning.
He put on all the pieces of his suit then tied the laces of his shoes.
“Where are you going?” I sat in the armchair while Martina breastfed. My nipples were so raw I could barely feel her sucking lips anymore.
“Work. Where I go every morning.”
“Oh…” After everything that had happened, I guess I expected Cato to stop working. All of the horrible things that had happened to us were because of his business. Damien and Micah wanted to overthrow him. That was why we’d experienced this nightmare in the first place.
“Why?” He rose to his full height then smoothed out his navy blue suit.
“Why what?”
“Why would you think I wouldn’t go to work? The doctor said I’m fine.”
That wasn’t why. “I just… I guess I thought you would take more time off.”
“All I’ve done is take time off for the last six weeks. Now that I’ve recovered, I’ve got a lot of stuff to do. I’ve got to manage the new cigar business, and I’ve been inundated new clients since I executed Micah.”
So, it never stopped. It would never stop. This would be our lives until one of us was killed.
He caught the look in my eyes. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
Once the dust had settled, I’d had this daydream that he was going to walk away from the business and we would have the quiet life I always wanted. After almost losing his life and nearly losing me, I’d thought his attitude would change. But it was exactly the same. “Nothing.”
19
Cato
Bates fell into the chair facing my desk. He pulled out a cigar as he started to ramble on. “Since the Skull Kings didn’t participate,