Page 57 of Ruthless Possession
"Favorable terms. The dino-dragon gets visiting rights to the kingdom."
A heavy silence falls between us. I watch Trenton's face as he stares into his coffee, his expression unreadable. When he finally looks up, his eyes move from me to Matthew and back.
"We always talked about having kids someday," he says, his voice low but clear in the quiet kitchen. "Before… everything. Before we left."
The words hit me like a physical force. Matthew goes completely still beside me.
"I'm not saying it will be easy," Trenton continues, his gaze steady on mine. "But it wouldn't be the worst idea, would it? Keeping her. Raising her."
My breath catches. "Trenton…"
"I've been watching you with her," he says. "Both of you. And I've been thinking, if we're going to protect her anyway, if we're going to keep her safe from him…"
He lets the sentence hang unfinished, but I can see it in his eyes, the same thing that's been growing in my chest since we found her in that cabin, since I held her while she cried, since I brushed her hair and watched her sleep between us.
"She's not just a case," Matthew says finally, his voice rough. "She's a person. A kid who needs…"
"Us," I finish for him. The word settles in the air between us.
Trenton nods. "Exactly."
The coffeepot gurgles in the silence that follows. Outside, the security lights flicker on as dusk settles over our property. We've built a life here, the three of us, from the wreckage of what came before. We've created something solid and worth protecting.
"I keep thinking about those other women," I admit, my fingers tracing patterns on the kitchen counter. "The ones he killed. Did any of them have children he took? Did he?—"
"We'll find out," Trenton says. "Techy's working on it. But that doesn't change what's right in front of us."
Charlie. Her small voice asking for one more song. Her eyes lighting up when she saw the yellow dress. The way she curled into Trenton's chest after her nightmare.
"She trusts us," Matthew says quietly. "After everything she's been through, she trusts us completely."
I think about the way she reached for Trenton in the car, the way she guided Matthew's hand while drawing, and the way she asked me to stay. How many people in her short life has she been able to trust?
"It wouldn't be easy," I say, voicing my fears. "The adoption process, if we can even?—"
"The club has connections," Trenton reminds me. "Greyson knows people. And Ethan, your dad's friend, knows the family court judge."
"The social worker mentioned we'd need to complete paperwork for permanent placement," Matthew adds. "She was talking about us as potential foster parents."
The pieces are falling into place, even as my mind races with doubts and fears. What if we're not enough? What if we can't protect her? What if Evan finds us?
"We'd have to be smart about this," Trenton says, his eyes hardening. "No more shopping trips until we've dealt with Harris. We need to tighten security, change routines."
"Fortify," Matthew agrees, nodding. "Make this place impenetrable."
I look between them, these two men who have been my whole world for so long. They're already planning, already thinking like parents would, like protectors.
"We'd be doing it alone," I say, the reality of it hitting me. "Three of us against whatever comes."
"Not alone," Trenton corrects. "We have the club. Your dad. The police are already involved."
"But at the end of the day…" I let the sentence trail off.
"It's us," Matthew finishes. "Just like it's always been."
I think about the house we've built, the life we've created. A life that suddenly includes a small girl with too small shoes and eyes that have seen too much.
"I want this," I admit, the words barely a whisper. "I want her."
