Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I T WAS THE LONGEST ten minutes of Skye's life. She stood by the car, with Leandro on one side of her and Max the other, Alec just behind, as they waited for the police to emerge from the warehouse.

She should have guessed he'd come here, only she'd never known the exact address, only that Jay shipped things through a place in the Bronx.

The police had told her to wait where she was. She knew why. She'd seen enough shows to understand they were worried about what they'd find inside.

She was so afraid she thought she might buckle. Her knees wouldn't stop knocking, and it was only Leandro's arm around her waist that held her steady. Her heart was in panic mode. Every part of her was.

"This is taking too long," she groaned, shaking her head. "Something's wrong. Something's wrong."

But then, the police detective who'd counselled Skye through the phone call stepped out of the warehouse and in her arms, she held a small bundle of arms and legs, a perfect little toddler, sleeping. She hoped sleeping? The detective smiled at Skye though, so finally, she breathed out, and she sobbed, and Leandro squeezed her side before setting her free to run across the car park to her daughter.

"Oh, thank God," she cried, reaching out for Harper, who remained asleep.

"She's sedated," the detective said gently.

"What? Why?"

"She was crying, apparently." The detective's lips flattened into a line.

"Oh, God. Is she okay?"

"She will be. The paramedics will check her out now, okay?"

Skye nodded, but anger was replacing fear. "Where is he?"

The detective carried Harper across the parking lot to one of the ambulances. Leandro was with her the whole way. They didn't talk, but she was so grateful to him for being there.

"Where's Jay?"

"He's being read his rights," she said. "He sedated your child, pointed his gun at police officers?—,"

"He has a gun?" She swore softly.

"He'll be in prison for a long time to come, Skye. You don't need to worry about him again."

But it was too soon to feel relieved. In that moment, she was still numb to the reality of what had taken place. All she could think about was Harper. She climbed into the back of the van, intending to ride to hospital with her, and barely noticed when Leandro joined her. Not because he wasn't welcome, but because she simply expected him to follow. It just felt right for him to go wherever she went. She needed him. She needed him always, but that was especially true tonight .

Three days later, Harper was given a clean bill of health, and they returned home to find that her parents' house had been converted into a suburban outpost of Fort Knox. A new security system, new doors, discreet cameras, better gates and a fence had changed the whole look of the house, but not for the worse. It was evident that this had been done quickly and well, and it had undoubtedly cost a fortune. She didn't have to think very hard to imagine who'd overseen the work.

"I need to know you're safe," Leandro said, when Skye pushed him on it the same afternoon as she returned home.

After getting Harper into the hospital, he'd sat with her long enough to make sure she was okay, long enough to make sure Skye had what she needed and then he'd left.

Had he thought she wanted him to?

Or had he simply grown bored?

No, that didn't make sense.

Now she could see how he'd been busying himself.

"I am safe. You heard the detective. He's going to prison."

Leandro didn't respond immediately. "Are you free tonight?"

It was such a strange question. She shook her head. She was free, but she couldn't leave Harper. Not again. Possibly not ever.

"I wondered if you and Harper would join me for dinner?"

Her eyes fluttered closed.

"Or I can come to you."

It was on the tip of her tongue to say ‘no'. Too complicated. Too much baggage. But he'd done so much for her. Surely she owed him at least a ‘thank you'. And wasn't that better done face to face?

"Okay," she said slowly. "We can come to you."

"I'll send Alec."

She didn't argue.

"Okay."

"Great." His relief was palpable. "I'll see you tonight."

She nodded, even when he couldn't see her. "See you then."

It was a little like stepping back in time. Alec collected them, drove them to the fancy apartment building, swiped them into the lift, and up they went, Harper's little hand clutched firmly in Skye's, Bunny in Harper's other. The doors pinged open, and Leandro was there, an easy smile on his face that she suspected was for Harper's benefit.

"Hello there," he crouched down to Harper's height. "It's good to see you, young lady."

Harper grinned. Skye's heart twisted.

"Are you hungry?"

"Actually, she's already eaten," Skye said. "She's still a little worn out. I was just going to read her a book then pop her in bed, if that's okay?"

He stood, his eyes flashing to Skye's. He moved closer, lifting a hand to her cheek, stroking it gently. "You never have to consult me when it comes to doing what is right by your daughter. She comes first, always."

Skye's throat thickened. She blinked away and nodded.

"Come," he gestured to the lounge. "Have a seat."

He poured some mineral water and a small mug of warm milk, handing it to Harper. She took a sip gratefully then placed it down on the glass table to the left, before snuggling into Skye. They read the same book twice, and Skye was aware of the way Leandro's gaze was on her, the way he watched her as though she was doing something so much more complex and amazing than simply reading a story. Afterwards, she stood up. Harper was drowsy.

"The same room as…before?" She hesitated a little because ‘before' now seemed like a whole lifetime ago.

"Actually, perhaps put her into the room Jane used for now."

Skye didn't question it, but simply carried the little girl through the apartment and placed her in bed, snuggling Bunny into her side. Harper smiled gratefully, yawned, then drifted off as Skye watched. Leandro was behind her, his eyes showing a softness that took Skye's breath away.

"She's so sweet," he said, as if in complete awe.

Skye's heart twisted. "Yes."

Now that they were through the drama of Harper's kidnapping, and days had elapsed between that awful night and this, Skye had begun to think a little more clearly, to examine all the circumstances before her. And she felt a strange stirring of emotions. Questions. Doubts. Uncertainties.

Hurt.

Because the night she'd called Leandro, he'd been here in New York, and he hadn't told her. Which is what she might have said she'd wanted, once upon a time—for them to live separate lives. But knowing he'd been in the city and that she hadn't known had felt like having acid poured over her skin. She hated it. She hated the reality she'd fought for, but what was the alternative?

They walked in silence back to the living room, and Leandro began to pull containers from the fridge. Only Skye wasn't remotely hungry.

"Do you mind if we wait a bit. Perhaps we could just…talk?"

He flicked a glance at her. Was he nervous? Leandro?

She half shook her head. "I mean, unless you're hungry."

"I can wait." He replaced the containers in the fridge. "Thank you for coming over tonight."

She nodded. "I wanted to thank you for everything you did the other night. You didn't have to help me. I probably had no right to ask. But I'm so glad you did. I'll never forget your role in bringing her home."

His eyes showed emotions she couldn't comprehend.

"The police are throwing the book at him," Leandro said slowly.

"I know."

He nodded once.

"I thought you could use the same law firm as a conduit for the trial. They will look after your interests, advise you on the matter of testimony. They'll also push for a quick trial, so you do not have this hanging over your head indefinitely."

"It's not over my head. There's no way he'll get away with this. He did too much. It's all on tape, everything. He'll go to jail. My nightmare is over."

"Yes."

"That night," she hesitated, cleared her throat. "You were in New York."

He was still, watchful. "There was a gala, a charity event being thrown by a very close family friend." He reached for his water and took a sip. "I thought about inviting you, but I suspected you wouldn't want to hear from me."

Her lips pulled to one side. She said nothing.

"Were you here long?"

"I flew in a few days earlier."

She gasped, the betrayal like a knife in the gut. Days. Nights. In the city and without her.

"You told me you didn't want to see me again," he reminded her.

"I know that." Her voice sounded so ambivalent. She cleared her throat. "This is just harder than I thought it would be."

"Skye, listen to me." He came around to her side of the bench. "When we met, I wasn't myself. I didn't know myself, I didn't know what I wanted, I didn't know anything. Except that I couldn't let you go. Except that I had to have you. Except that you were meaningful in a way I couldn't articulate nor even, honestly, understand."

She dipped her glance lower, finding it impossible to look into his face.

"I have never been more drawn to a person than I was to you that very first night. I have never wanted like I wanted you. And I have never felt like I felt when you ended things with me." He pressed a finger to her chin, tilting her face back to his. "I didn't understand what those feelings meant though, until you were talking to Jay, and you said you wanted to be a family with him. I know you were saying whatever you could just to keep Harper safe, but it was as though every word that came from your mouth was being drawn from my heart."

She blinked quickly, the world slowing down to almost a complete stop. "What does that mean?"

"That I want us to be a family. That I want you in my life. That I want Harper in my life. That I love you. Both of you. That I want to be the father she deserves and the husband you deserve. That I want to rebuild your faith in love and happily ever after endings day by day, night by night, until you accept that fairy tales do exist, and you've walked right into one."

She gasped softly.

"I have always known what I wanted in life. I have always known how I felt, what I needed, what I had to do. I have never known ambivalence or uncertainty. And then the adoption news came out and it was the worst possible timing to have met you, because in any other life, at any other time in my life, I would have grabbed you with both hands and never let go. I would never have left New York, not for one single night. Not for one single moment. But I was trying to wade through the discovery that my whole life was a lie, and I couldn't see what was right in front of me. I couldn't see how much you meant to me until I'd lost you. And when Harper was taken, all I could think was that it was my fault."

"Your fault?"

"I should have been here. I love you, and I love her, and your place is with me. Her place is with me. I should never have left you, I should never have put you in a position of danger. I let you down."

"No," she shook her head quickly. "Jay did that. This was all Jay."

"It will never happen again," he promised. "If you will just let me back into your life, I promise, I will care for you both, I will live for you both, I will worship you both. You are each my everything, Skye. I wish I'd been able to say that sooner, but believe me, I have felt it for as long as I've known you. I just didn't understand. "

"I didn't understand either," she rushed to reassure him. "I kept pushing you away because how much I felt for you scared the heck out of me. It never once occurred to me that it was okay to feel that. That it was okay to love you."

"You had a lot to weigh up, between Jay and Harper and everything you'd been through."

"But I am through it," she said, eyes widening, because in her heart of hearts, she knew that was true. The shadow of Jay's possessive control had gone; she was free. "And I think that's largely because of you. I thought I needed to hear you say all those things, that I needed to hear you promise me your heart and tell me you loved me, but I realise now that you've been showing me how you feel this whole time. You've shown me how different you are from Jay, you've shown me that you'll always be there for me. You've shown me in a thousand different and several big ways that you will do anything and everything for me. We were both just too blind to understand sooner."

"But we see it now, don't we?" he asked, urgently. "We see that we're meant to be together?"

She laughed, nodding. "I definitely do."

"Oh, thank Cristo. "

She tilted her head back and laughed, the happiness she felt unlike anything she'd ever known, unlike anything she'd ever thought she would experience. It was euphoric and it was perfect, because it was real.

" Ti amo, cara, bella, Perfetto Skye."

"I love you, too," she said against his mouth. And never had truer words been spoken.

When they'd finally broken apart, hours later, and remembered to eat dinner, Leandro brought Skye, both now dressed in fluffy robes, towards the bedroom Harper had used when she'd stayed with him last time.

"I want to show you something."

"Okay," Skye murmured, blissfully content.

He pushed the bedroom door inwards and flicked on the light.

Skye gasped, lifting one hand to her mouth. Far from being a generic children's room, the space was now kitted out with a perfect princess bed, shelves of books and toys, and a wardrobe bursting at the seams with princess clothes.

"I was hopeful," he said with a shrug. "And if you said yes, I wanted our new life to begin immediately. No more waiting. You will move in with me?"

A laugh bubbled up inside Skye. "Of course."

He looked relieved though.

"Any more surprises, or can we go back to bed now?"

He looked a little sheepish. "Just a couple of surprises."

"Oh." Her eyes widened. "What now?"

He gave her a tour of the penthouse then, showing her the wardrobe he'd had stocked with designer clothes and shoes for her, as well a large bedroom with stunning park views that he'd had converted into a study. "For you. For whatever you want to use it for. A gym, an office, a library—somewhere to study if you decide to do your architecture degree. Anything you would like."

Her eyes were huge. "Leandro. You've turned my parents' house into a fortress, and yet you've done all this too?"

"They should be safe too."

"They will be. He's in prison."

"But he has family, and he has money. I will not fail to take precautions again."

Only Skye knew Jay was out of their lives now. He had gradually lost the plot, to the point of becoming unrecognizable to her. This was not a well thought out plan, he had simply become desperate and lashed out.

"And just one last surprise," he said with a lift of his shoulders.

"You can't be serious?"

"Okay, two."

She laughed. "That's not what I meant."

He grinned, reaching into the kitchen drawer and removing an envelope, as well as a small velvet cube.

She looked from one to the other.

"Which one first?" Her voice was hoarse.

"This one." He gestured to the envelope. "I want you to have that before I give you this."

Her fingers were unsteady as she reached for the card though, because there was no mistaking what she would find in the velvet cube. She opened the envelope and unfolded two pieces of A4 paper. At first, it made no sense. She had to read and re-read the words multiple times.

"What is this?"

"The deeds to this apartment."

She dropped the paper to the ground. "What?"

He slid the velvet cube back towards himself and came to kneel in front of her. "Darling Skye, it is my greatest wish that you agree to marry me, when you are ready. But first, I want you to know this: you will never again have to worry about money. You will never again have to work so hard to pay off a debt you should never have had to carry on your own. This is yours. Marry me or don't. But whatever happens, nothing will change the fact that you and Harper have this—real security in life, the ability to make your own choices, to live however you want." He gestured around the room .

But Skye was crying too hard to answer. "I don't need that," she groaned.

"You deserve it. I want you to have everything, starting with this."

"All I need is you."

"That then is easy," he grinned, sliding the ring onto her wedding finger. "You've had me all along, my darling, and you'll have me for all time."

"Promise?"

"'Til death do us part." And he stood and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her high into the sky, every cell in his body reverberating with pleasure and hope. It was only a matter of weeks ago that he'd felt as though he was an island in life, totally alone, and now he understood it all so much better.

He had family. Two families. There were people who loved him, just as Skye had said, and he would always belong with his loved ones. Just as they would always belong with him…

THE END

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