31. Talia

With a bittersweet sigh, Talia glanced around the flat she'd once called home. The last box was stationed by the front door, today's post haphazardly thrown on top. The letters were utilities confirming she'd changed her address, but there was a parcel of study materials for her upcoming doula course too. Those had sent a whisper of excitement curling in her chest, almost hidden beneath the emotions of the day.

It was strange to see her flat like this. Every step echoed. Every room looked twice as big. But with all the furniture stripped away, memories appeared. The chunk she'd taken out of the wall trying to put Felix's cot up by herself. The scratches on the skirting board where she'd parked the pushchair every day. The holes where the security cameras had been screwed in. The patch on the wall where she'd accidentally scrubbed off the paint trying to remove an oil stain.

The section of the floor her head had slammed into during Quinn's attack.

She'd had a life here, but it was time to move on.

Jensen opened the front door, faint concern etched across his brow. He hadn't said it, but she knew he'd been worried about her being here.

For the first couple of weeks after the attack, she avoided coming back. She'd needed to heal her physical injuries first, but now the only sign of what happened was the faint bruising on her inner thighs.

Crossing the room, Jensen slipped his arms around her waist from behind. "I'm ready when you are."

She leant back against his chest, letting him take some of the weight off her shoulders. With him there, it didn't take long to make her decision. "I'm ready."

From the moment she'd decided to move to Jensen's flat permanently, she hadn't had to lift a finger. The movers had done it all, packing, moving, and then unpacking with alarming efficiency. All while she had been sequestered away with Kate and Mia at Jensen's flat, under strict instructions to rest and avoid unnecessary stress.

Given those instructions, Talia had set up a subletting agreement with Mia for a peppercorn rent. Talia didn't want to sell the flat—it was an investment for Felix's future, and she'd paid in cash—but she didn't want to be responsible for it either. It hadn't taken long for Mia to find a tenant, and the extra cash would allow Mia to live more comfortably as a single parent to Reggie and Lily.

Today, though, the last box was Talia's to carry out—and, as she walked up to Jensen's Mayfair flat, hers to take in.

The distant sound of Felix laughing welcomed her home.

She set the box down on top of the shoe rack, populated with a charming array of her shoes and Jensen's—as well as a couple of pairs of Felix's tiny ones.

Jensen's flat was far bigger than her own, generously spread over three floors and within tripping distance of Hyde Park. That had been a novelty for her. She'd been used to trudging up and down Piccadilly to reach it, but now it was on her doorstep.

The biggest advantage, however, was the garden.

Alison turned as they entered it, her cheeks flushed crimson with merriment. Soap bubbles swirled around them, resting on everything from leaves to the windowsills to the sun lounger Alison reclined on. In the middle of the garden, Felix, Darcy, and Dad sat in the paddling pool, the latter holding up an enormous bubble blaster.

"Again?" Dad asked.

"Ba!" Felix clapped.

He pulled the trigger. An avalanche of bubbles poured out, a thousand iridescent spheres showcasing every colour of the rainbow. Clouds of bubbles filled the garden, coating everything in sight.

With a delighted shout, Felix shot his hands up in the air, grabbing indiscriminately.

As the two of them watched, Jensen's hands made their way round her waist again, settling over her stomach. He kissed the top of her head. "We made that."

Talia turned to face him, meeting his sapphire gaze head-on. There was heat there, but his happiness positively glittered. "Yes, we did."

Talia looked up as she unrolled the enormous new play mat Darcy had bought for Felix. Her old one had been dwarfed by Jensen's flat. "Left a bit."

"There?"

"Perfect." The framed photo was taking pride of place in their living room. The other photos from the photoshoot were dotted around the flat, but this one was easily hers and Jensen's favourite. Felix had broken away to walk towards the photographer, leaving her and Jensen to share a tender look behind him.

The photoshoot had been part of Dad and Alison's housewarming gift to them, and Talia had loved it.

Jensen picked up the drill, cleaning up the dust that had collected in a small pile beneath him.

Sitting on the floor, she gave him a sly glance as he went to leave. "Not getting Tarik to install another security system?"

His lips tightened with something that might have been guilt. "I already had him install one when I first moved in, but I'll connect it to your phone. Then we can both have access to it."

"Again," she said pointedly, leaning back on her hands, her legs stretched out in front of her.

Jensen's eyes locked with hers, giving her a searching glance. He dipped his head, the corner of his lips hitching up in a self-deprecating smile. "How long have you known?"

"Since it installed an update and started displaying how many people were viewing a particular camera feed," she revealed smugly.

He winced, his gaze overcome with sheepishness. "How long ago was that?"

Talia thought back. "Day after I went to Celestial, maybe? I had a phone holder stuck on the wall tiles so I could keep an eye on Felix whilst I was in the shower, but I noticed someone else used to watch that feed too."

He chuffed, clipping his drill away in its case before coming to kneel in front of her. "Not the feed of you in the shower? What a missed opportunity."

"Mmm," she hummed back. "When you stayed over that night and tried to be all honourable in not touching me, I had hoped you'd take the opportunity presented to you."

"What opportunity?"

"When I was touching myself in my bedroom, and you could have switched on the feed at any time."

Jensen's eyes blew wide with outrage. "You maddening little tease," he fastened his hands around her ankles and yanked her down.

Talia let out something between a giggle and a squeal. "Careful, I'll get carpet burn on my arse."

He climbed over her, his elbows caging her in on either side. "Good," he lowered his head, his lips parting over hers in a leisurely, luxurious kiss. "You tortured me that night."

"I think tortured is a strong word." Talia gasped as he rolled his hips against hers, feeling that telltale hardness. "I knew what I wanted. And I knew what you wanted too."

"I'm surprised you didn't call the police when you realised I had access to it."

Talia wound her arms around his neck, delving into his thick hair. "What would I have said? Help, officer, my son's father is watching him on the security feed whenever I have a shower. It's too adorable. You must arrest him immediately."

"You know what I mean," Jensen rumbled.

"If you'd been perving on me when I was naked, it would have been different. But you wanted to see your son, Jay."

He sobered. "I wanted to see you too. I wanted to know you were safe."

The reminder of her attack made Talia glad she was in Jensen's arms. "Because you didn't trust Quinn?"

His jaw flexed. "Because I wanted you to stay safe."

Talia knew what he had the tact not to say. I told you so. "Thank you for saving me. For protecting me."

The tip of his nose brushed against hers. "I'll always protect you, Talia."

"Is it true he was charged with attempted murder?" She gave Jensen a hard look, determined not to cower.

"Among other things." He nodded. "And I'm pulling every string I can to get him convicted. My solicitor said he's looking at a potential sentence of life imprisonment."

Nerves made her say it. "What if he gets away with it?"

Jensen's voice was lethally soft. "He won't."

"What does that mean?"

"I made my choice back at your flat that day." His hand was warm as it palmed her cheek. "I won't do anything to risk our future, but I have a friend who holds no such compunction."

"A friend?"

"Roman. You met him at Felix's birthday party—and I met him in prison."

Talia's lips parted in shock. "He looks as dangerous as a church mouse."

Jensen huffed out a laugh. "That's what I thought… at first. Either the justice system will get Quinn, or Roman will."

"You told him to do that?" She didn't quite know how to feel. It was hard to reconcile the man she thought was her friend and the monster who tried to strangle her. But they were one and the same.

He shook his head. "I told him nothing. What Roman does is his own business, but he made it clear what would happen if Quinn isn't convicted by the courts." Jensen shrugged. "Think of it as his version of a housewarming present."

A familiar noise from upstairs made both of their heads turn: Felix was awake.

Jensen climbed off her, dropping a kiss on her forehead before he left. "I'll get him."

Whilst he was upstairs, Talia scanned their living room. It was a strange mix of old and new; her sofas, Jensen's TV, the new play mat, her bookcase, Jensen's drinks cabinet, their framed photographs.

Half listening to the footsteps upstairs, Talia settled on the sofa and scrolled through the messages on her phone. Darcy, Kate, and Mia had all messaged her since she'd last checked, and by the time she'd finished replying Jensen had arrived downstairs with Felix.

"Do you want to fly to Mummy?" Jensen asked, holding Felix aloft like a plane and zooming him through the air. He kicked his legs madly, giving them a toothy grin.

"Come in to land, Felix!" Talia held her arms out, engulfing him in a hug.

Jensen joined them on the sofa, slinging an arm across its back. She turned towards him, a devilish smirk on her lips.

"Would Dadda like to come in to land as well?" she asked, her brow arching.

His voice was a low purr. "Dadda can come into land later, can't he?"

"Dadda!"

Talia and Jensen turned as one. Felix sat in her lap, wearing a proud smile.

A vice squeezed around her chest at the smile that curved Jensen's mouth, shock and joy rounding his eyes. "Dadda?" he whispered.

Felix's voice was firm. "Dadda."

Jensen hugged them both to his chest, curled up on the sofa. Talia couldn't hold back her smile, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Do you love Dadda, Felix?" Talia brushed the hair out of her son's sparkling sapphire eyes. Time for yet another haircut. "Because I love Dadda."

Felix didn't answer, but Jensen did, lifting her chin to look him in the eye. "I love you both. More than anything. More than everything. My perfect little family."

Talia lifted her lips to his, brushing a soft kiss against them. "Your perfect little family loves you back every bit as much."