Page 44 of Own

Swallowing, I dig my nails into my palms, hoping to move past the stutter. “Th-thank you. I a-ap-appreciate the effort.”

“Come! The kids are waiting, and you must be famished if Cato is anything like this beast.” Ella pulls me along behind her, and Theias issues her a warning that makes her blush, and boy, do I know all about that type of desire.

I feel Cato’s eyes on me the entire time until we disappear inside.

“Hester!” Scarlett’s exuberant voice distracts me, and I drop to my knees as she comes barreling forward, leaping into my arms. Nate follows behind, excitement written all over his face, but he’s more reserved, holding back until I open my arms for him too.

“We missed you,” he whispers in my ear as he squeezes us both in his embrace.

“I missed you both immensely. I’m so glad to see you. Have you been good?” Our conversation is muted, so only we hear each other, but when I look up, I see their grandmother watching us, a smile on her face as she gives a little wave.

“It’s good to have you with us again,” Sandra says, watching us.

Scarlett now sits in my lap, her head pressed to my chest. The feeling of love brings tears to my eyes.

Nate gets to his feet once he hears male voices behind us, and I’m not surprised when he stands between me and the door. He’s such a protector. Watching his and Cato’s eyes meet, I see the two have a silent conversation before Nate finally relaxes next to me and tells his sister their dad is here.

She sits up, rests her chin on my shoulder, and waves; her little body is tired, and when I hear her whispered, “Hi, Daddy,” I can tell she’s ready for a nap.

“Princess, Abuela tells me you haven’t been sleeping well.” Cato’s caring tone nearly makes my ovaries explode. When he comes over, crouches next to me, runs a soothing hand over her soft brown locks, and says, “How about Hester and I tuck you in for a nap?” tears spring to my eyes at being included. These three never cease to amaze me with how well they’ve accepted me into their little family.

“Can Hester sleep with me tonight?”

At her question, my heart thumps wildly. I glance at Cato, and he nods for me to answer how I wish. “Of course,” I reply, kissing her forehead.

Getting to my feet with her in my arms, Cato grabs my waist to steady me. When he takes her from my hold, it’s a bit of a relief, because while Scarlett is a tiny girl, I don’t have the strength to carry her up the stairs.

“We’ll be right back,” he tells Theias, who nods and goes to the kitchen with Sandra and Nate.

Scarlett points the way as Cato whispers quietly in her ear, making her giggle and whisper back. By the time we’ve reached her room, she’s half asleep and barely registers us tucking her into bed and closing the curtains.

“Very soon”—Cato circles behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and cupping my flat belly—“we’ll be doing this in a nursery.” I gasp, and he chuckles as he kisses along my ear, his warm breath making my heart skip several beats.

Conflicting and confusing emotions worm their way into my mind as I think of all the things I missed as a child with my own parents. The knowledge of who I am and where I came from haunts me.

Turning in Cato’s arms, I ask, “D-do you th-think it would be d-d-difficult to f-find my b-b-birth p-p-parents?”

He lifts a hand to brush his fingertips along the side of my face and across my jaw, then swipes his thumb along my lower lip, pulling down until my tongue peeks out to touch him. “Not if I can help it.”

Leaning down, he seals the promise with a toe-curling kiss that quickly turns into more, and soon he carries me to an empty room and makes love to me until it’s my turn to nearly pass out.

CHAPTER 25

Cato

Theias decided to accompany us to Bakersfield after offering his personal plane, so we didn’t have to fly commercial again. I think he misses getting his hands dirty, but the man won’t admit it in front of his adoring wife.

As we exit the aircraft, Devlin leans against his big black Escalade in a perfectly tailored black suit, with shades covering his cool gaze. The private airport bustles with midday traffic, which, for some reason, surprises me.

“Cato, it’s good to see you, friend.”

Taking his hand, I pull my friend in for a back-slapping hug, and we laugh together.

“Don’t treat me like a stranger, then, huh?” As we draw apart, Z brings over my luggage, along with Theias, who offers Devlin a stiff handshake. “Let’s get this show on the road, then. I have a new fiancée waiting for me in Vegas; the perfect venue to tie her to me before we head back home.”

“A fiancée…really. When did that happen?” Devlin raises a brow, clearly surprised, since he knew my feelings on the institution of marriage.

“Recently.” And I’m eager as hell to tie her to me.