Page 66 of Righteous Enforcer
“Well, you know fairies are shy, but I bet if we’re patient, we will.” I glance at Eva walking on the other side of Mirabella and give her wink.
Her smile is sweet, like it warms her heart to see the father I am to Mirabella.
If only I could break through the wall she continues to use to keep parts of herself away from me.
Inwardly, I laugh at myself.
Who knew I could be such a mush?
I spread a blanket beneath the oak tree not far from a tiny little stream that crosses the property near the back.
"Is this good?" I ask Mirabella, who's bouncing on her toes beside me.
She nods enthusiastically, clutching the fairy doll I bought her yesterday. "Can we have the strawberries now?"
“I don’t see why not.”
Eva starts to unpack the lunch, ignoring the fact that twenty yards away, one of my brother’s soldiers leans against a tree, pretending to smoke while scanning the perimeter.
He’s not protecting us. Alessandro's watchdog was assigned to keep an eye on Eva.
The constant surveillance grates on my nerves, but it’s the concession I had to make.
Considering the secrets she still holds, I can’t deny that it's a good idea to watch her.
But fucking hell, she doesn’t need to be watched when around me.
I'm right here.
I can watch my own woman.
But Alessandro's voice echoes in my head. "I can’t let your dick make decisions for the family." It’s not my dick that’s theproblem. It’s how much I want back what I lost. If I’m wrong about Eva, it’s not my dick that will suffer. It’s my heart.
“Here are a few berries,” Eva says, setting ripe red strawberries on a plate and handing them to Mirabella.
The sunlight catches in her hair, and for a moment, I forget everything else.
Eva is smiling, something she doesn’t do often.
Mirabella climbs into Eva's lap and eats her berries.
I arrange the food between us.
"It’s a beautiful day. This is a really nice idea,” Eva says, catching a strawberry that nearly rolls off Mirabella's plate.
I smile. "I want her to have normal memories too. Not just fancy rooms and security details."
Eva’s assigned guard shifts position, moving to keep us in his sightline. Eva tenses beside me.
"Ignore him," I whisper. "Today is just for us."
What I don't say is how I'm fighting against my brother's suspicion with these small moments of normalcy.
How I’m trying to show Eva she can trust me, can trust that I’ll burn the world down before I let anyone hurt her or our daughter.
At the same time, I can’t deny the kernel of doubt that grows each day Eva hides her secrets from me.
What is Eva hiding?
