Page 80 of Deacon

‘He’s been blowing up my phone since we left Nairobi, asking for updates. He’ll lose it when he sees you. I might have kept it a secret that you were coming to Mijas with me.’

His words warmed my heart, and I gave him a soft smile, my thoughts now focused on my son and my craving to see him.

The van arrived at a gate where Deacon typed a code into the keypad.

We then drove up a private gravel road and pulled up to a whitewashed sanctuary nestled against the cliffside.

My eyes widened at the sprawling stone architecture.

Vibrant purple flowers and vines draped over the villa’s archways, and the blue shimmer of an ocean-facing pool caught my eye through the glass windows.

‘Woah.’

‘Not bad, hey?’

‘How much are you paying for this spread?’

Deacon chuckled.

‘Enough, I can afford it.’

He could.

Despite his elegant rockstar-slash-gangster lean, Deacon was a savvy, astute businessman and deal-maker.

He’d even set up a few of my investments that were still yielding gold to this day.

With Six Sinners’ success and his solid, pragmatic approach to finance, he’d done well over the years.

I was proud of him.

We pulled up to the portico, and Deacon killed the engine.

He slid open the sliding doors and stalked around to my side, lifting me out of the seat with care.

He kept me close, his broad chest and hold hemming me in, sending an unexpected, intoxicating rush of heat through me.

My breath hitched as he loped through the massive front door into a stunning living area and set me on a plush velvet sofa facing the terrace.

A wet, chaotic blur scrambled out of the swimming pool.

‘Mom!? For real? Mother!!!’

Raff sprinted through the glass doors, dripping, and flung himself into my arms.

I laughed through tears, burying my nose in the crease of his neck.

He sobbed into my shoulder before I pulled back so he’d give me the three-kisses ritual on my brow, a well-worn tradition between us.

‘You’re here, mama. I missed you.’

‘I missed you more, sweetie,’ I murmured, holding his shivering frame tight.

God, I loved this boy.

‘Am I a good surprise?’ I asked Raff.

He pulled away and shot his father a still-shocked look.