Chapter 14

Cronos

She's acting fucking weird!

She chose to seat Beth between us as we waited to be seen, she won't even look in my direction. When a woman calls her name she drags Beth to her feet and drags her along while I follow, I know she is using the old woman as a shield and I don't fucking know why. As we enter the room, the woman hands her a gown and tells her to change then hop on the table and the doctor will be in soon to us.

Beth and I claim the two seats beside the bed while Meelz disappears into the bathroom and changes. When she returns, she looks more nervous than a minute ago. Her sudden mood change is starting to piss me off. When I stand to help her onto the bed she flinches away, causing me to frown. Beth pats me on the arm and tells me to take a seat as she helps Amelia get situated on the bed. I'm too wound up to sit down now so I remain standing while Beth fusses over her and makes sure she is comfortable.

The tension in the room is thick—when the doctor enters, it doesn't lessen. She looks between the three of us and purses her lips but doesn't comment.

"Hi, my name is Jenny," she says as she comes to a stop at the side of the bed where the ultrasound machine is.

"Hi," Meelz squeaks out.

"So…" Jenny peaks down at the clipboard she carries before continuing. "Max, I see here you haven't had a scan before. Can I ask why?"

Amelia nibbles on her lips and drops her gaze, Beth being the saint she is, answers for her. "The pregnancy was a surprise and she only just learned she was with child." The lie rolls off her tongue easily and Jenny seems to buy it.

"Oh, well in that case congratulations to you both," she says as she looks from her to me. My face is stoic and gives nothing away. Amelia doesn't correct her either and I don't know why but a part of me is happy she didn't say I wasn't the father. "Let's get you set up so we can take a look at the wee one." Meelz nods and Beth shifts away and waves me over. I shake my head, trying to deny her but she hardens her features and narrows her eyes. This is the first time I have ever seen her look so angry so I do as she instructed and step forward. She grabs my hand and then places Amelia's tiny hand in mine as Jenny lifts her gown and squirts some gel shit on her bump.

Jenny presses a button on the remote and the TV at the end of the bed turns on. I start to feel… nervous and I have no idea why I am suddenly feeling… fuck, am I excited to see the baby?

"We are going to check bubs heartbeat, size and make sure everything is traveling along as it should. If you are as far along as you have guessed then we can even reveal the gender today if you like?"

At Jenny's question, Amelia darts her gaze to me and I answer for the both of us without hesitation. "Yeah," I croak out. Meelz seems to relax at my answer and it must have been the right thing to say because even Beth pats me on the shoulder. Jenny squirts some blue gel on her belly, then grabs a wand-looking thing and begins moving it over Meelz stomach. Out of nowhere the sound of a strong steady heartbeat fills the room a second before an image of a baby appears on the screen. My mouth drops open in awe and everything around me becomes white noise as I stare at the screen.

Kingsley.

Giving the baby a nickname without seeing it was one thing but now being gifted with such a treasured sight is something else. Amelia squeezes my hand drawing my attention back to her, tears fall from her eyes as she stares at the ultrasound of her baby on the screen.

"Well, from the size of this wee one I would say you are about twenty five weeks along." Amelia's mouth parts but no words come out. "Would you like to know the gender?"

"Yes," I answer before Meelz can. Jenny shoots me a smile before shifting her wand thing around some more. "Congratulations, dad, you're having a baby girl." Those are the last words I hear before everything around me silences.

Dad.

Baby girl.

Those three words play on a loop in my head as Jenny continues to do her checks while I stand here staring at the miracle growing inside of my girl. I feel so protective over this baby and it doesn't even have a single drop on my DNA inside her.

Amelia is still acting strange as we leave the doctor's office, I don't know if it's because she misses her old job or if she is just overwhelmed about seeing her daughter for the first time, but something is definitely up with her. I walk Beth to her car and thank her for coming. I'm ready to get Meelz home and celebrate or something but when I look at her, her gaze is on the ground and she's scuffing her foot along the pavement.

"Angel?"

My eyes narrow when she cringes at my pet name for her. "I'm gonna head home with Beth, I'll see you Monday," she rushes to say before beelining for the passenger side of the car and climbing in. I stare at her at a loss for words.

"Let me talk to her and I'll give you a call later. You go on home now." Beth tries to placate me but it does nothing, I stand here and watch them driveaway.

What the fuck just happened?

I climb in my truck battling internally as I try to understand what the fuck changed within her. She was fine this morning and happy to see me. Fuck, she couldn't get my clothes off fast enough after I dressed Pete. I get she was nervous to see her baby for the first time but to run from me…

Fuck!

She's doing it again, she's about to push me the fuck away and force me to leave her. I don't know if her abandonment issues stem from her bio mom dying and leaving her to be raised by her chosen mother but she has some fucking trauma she needs to deal with. I yank the steering wheel and pull over to the side. I fish my phone out of my pocket and dial his number.

It rings for so long I don't think he will answer until he does. "If you're ringing me because you can't get a hold of my girl, I'll shoot you with your own fucking gun!"

A smirk tugs at the corners of my lips, this fucker has been salty ever since Lon and I got close. "You gotta let that shit go, brother."

"Yeah, easier said than done when she runs to you every time I fuck up or she reminds me that she should have gone for the other twin first." I can't stop the laughter from bubbling out of me, he and I both know she doesn't mean what she says. She just knows it works his last nerve when she says that shit. Truth is, London is just as madly in love with my brother as he is with her, those two are a match made in hell.

"Artemis?"

"What's wrong, Nos?" The edge to his voice tells me he knows something is wrong.

"I don't know what to do."

"What happened? Say the word and I'm on the first flight out." Hearing that shit has me feeling some type of way but I shut that feeling down, now isn't the time to get all caught up in that shit.

"Nah, stay where you are. I just need…" I put my pride to the side and seek advice from the person I never thought I would ask. "Amelia is here." The sound of him whistling through the phone has me pulling mine away from my ear.

"So, is this where you finally admit that there is something going on between the two of you?" I scrub a hand down my face and exhale loudly.

"Yeah. There has been something going on since I left and traveled with her. When I came back, I didn't go touring or anything, I was in Chicago with her."

"Fuck. That whole time you were with her? "

"Yes," I grit out.

"Does her dad know you were with her?"

"No."

"Wait. Is she the reason you left me and wanted to be alone?" There is a slight hint of anger to his tone and that shit has my hackles rising. I get to be pissed at her, not him.

"Careful, brother," I warn.

"Holy fuck!" He breathes out. "You went and fell for the heiress that repaired the Murdoch family." I scrunch my face in confusion.

"What?"

"Nos, what I'm about to tell you stays between us." He doesn't give me a chance to answer. "When King found out about Amelia, it was a rough time for her family. They had enemies coming at them from all sides. That woman is the reason why her family fought harder to secure a safe future for her . She healed her family without even knowing. All those brothers were pulling away from each other but because of her, they worked shit out because no one wanted to leave her side. They all have children of their own now but that girl will always hold a special place in each of their lives because every single one of them loved Amelia like she was their own child."

"Fuck," I mutter.

"Bishop let her go and freed her of the burden of being a Murdoch because he loves her like he loves Royal."

"That just makes this shit so much more fucked up," I force out.

"What do you mean?"

"She sought me out, Artemis. After she ended shit with us in Chicago, I had to get away and clear my head. She got under my skin, brother. I hadn't seen her since she kicked me out until the night with Taylan and Destiny at Bishop's. Seeing her again fucked me up. It felt like my heart beat again just at the sight of her but what blew me the fuck away was her strength. She didn't give up on her dream of freedom, she fought her family."

"Is that what you want?"

"Huh?"

He sighs and I can picture him closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair. "Do you want your freedom from being in this life?"

I mull over his words for a minute. Is that what I want, to be done with this mafia life and live life as I am now? Have I not been content this past year to live in this small town and earn an honest living?

"I don't know," I answer honestly.

"Then let me help you. Cronos Argyros, as Don of the Godfathers Of The Night, I hereby release you from your vow and grant you your freedom from this lifestyle." I suck in a sharp intake of air.

"Artemis—"

"This life has taken everything from you, Cronos. I won't let you lose someone else you care about because of the choices our father made. If you feel for her even half of what you felt for… Aida." I slam my eyes closed at the mention of her name, pain still ripples through me at the thought of her. "Then you go after her and fight for what you deserve, brother, because you do deserve happiness. You and I both know Aida would not want you to punish yourself. Be free of the burdens of your past, brother, and build the life you have always wanted."

"I can't just leave you?—"

"You can and you will. It's not every day that you get a second chance at life or love, brother, so you get the fuck off this phone and go after your girl."

"Artemis…" I let my sentence trail off, unable to say the words I need to.

"I once overheard a conversation between you and my girl. She once told you Aida wasn't your greatest love. She said all the greatest loves are designed to be painful, love isn't easy or comfortable. You need a love that is painful, soul destroying and consumes you whilst driving you insane. Aida will always be your first love, brother, and she will never be replaced, but I believe London was right."

"How so?" I croak out.

"Aida wasn't your final love. London is my greatest victory and always will be. If anything happened to her, Cronos, I would die. Every time I look at her, I see my own heart beating inside her chest. Loving London hurts so bad but fuck it also feels so good. You survived losing Aida. Amelia has forced you out of the shadows you have hidden in since you lost Aida. Let her break down those fucking walls you hide behind and give her your heart. Hold nothing back, because if it doesn't hurt, brother, then she isn't worth it."