Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 30094 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30094 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
The boys move to the edge of the roof, and I notice the exact moment Sebastian notices them there, his little back straightening as a wide grin stretches across his face. Then being the idiots they are, they launch themselves off the roof and straight down to the ground. A sharp gasp tears from the back of my throat, but they land like a bunch of fucking Avengers, and goddamn, it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.
Knowing just how much time they have, they don’t hesitate racing across the property, skipping over the fallen guards like hurdles, and storming right into the cover of the woods and into my arms.
Marcus comes right for me, scooping me into the safety of his warm arms, holding both me and our daughter as Roman scoops Sebastian off Dill’s back and crushes the poor kid against his wide chest. “Fuck, Sebastian. You scared me.”
“It wasn’t my fault,” he argues. “Those guys came and took me from school. They shot Mrs. Hutchins.”
“I know,” Roman murmurs as Levi shuffles closer to my side, gripping the back of my neck and turning my head, tilting it up so he can kiss me deeply. “Let’s get you home.”
With that, Roman settles Sebastian back on his feet and we start making the trek through the woods, my heart fuller than it’s ever been.
9
My gaze sails over our sweet baby, fast asleep in her bassinet, and I shake my head, still unable to believe that we came out of today with not only our family, but a new addition. “Are you sure we did the right thing?” I ask Marcus as his arms curl around my waist and he steps into my back, his warm lips pressing against the curve of my neck.
“We didn’t leave a single person alive in that place,” he reminds me, his gaze locked on our child, his eyes filled with unconditional love. “Should I have killed a pregnant woman? Probably not, but I did, and had we left the baby behind, she would have died. There wouldn’t have been anyone there to care for her, and had the SWAT team somehow made it to her in time, she would have been dumped into foster care. We can give her an amazing life filled with love and family. We’re exactly what she needs, and I don’t know how it happened, but the second I saw her, I just knew that she was exactly what we needed too. She completes our family, Shayne. You, me, and her. The three of us.”
Levi clears his throat across the nursery and waves his hand as if he’s invisible. “Yeah, sure. Let’s just pretend Roman, Sebastian, and I don’t exist,” he says, leaning against the wall, his strong arms crossed over his chest, his eyes dancing with mirth.
Marcus rolls his eyes. “You knew what the fuck I meant,” he says to his brother, sparing him a hard glare, which only earns him a cocky smirk from Levi.
“She got a name?” he asks, nodding toward our daughter.
I worry my bottom lip as Marcus goes blank, clearly not having thought as far as giving his little girl a name. “I, umm . . . nah. Don’t worry. It’s silly,” I tell him, glancing away.
Marc turns me in his arms to see my face and grips my chin, forcing my gaze up to his. “You just faced down Surgei Dragoni and went into battle, but you’re gonna be a chicken shit about this?”
Letting out a heavy sigh, I glance back down at my sleeping baby, glad that we kept all of Sebastian’s baby things. We’re still going to need to buy a bunch of girly stuff, but something tells me that Marcus will have us all ready and out the door first thing in the morning before the sun has even risen for the biggest baby shopping spree in existence. “I . . . I thought Snow was a nice name.”
“Snow?” Marcus prompts, clearly needing an explanation.
Glancing up at him, I meet those dark, deadly eyes and fall in love even more. “You know when it’s just coming into winter and it snows for the first time of the season and you’re filled with absolute bliss? That’s how I feel when I look at her,” I tell him. “Nothing is more pure and beautiful than snow. It’s like tiny flakes of heaven falling from the sky to come and give us the sweetest kind of joy.”
“Snow,” he says, his tone softer as if really trying out the name. “I love it. Snow DeAngelis.”
A smile pulls at the corner of my lips, and as Marcus smiles right back, I know the question of our daughter’s name has been settled. She’s our little Snowflake, pure and beautiful, come to offer nothing but blissful joy.
Marc pulls me in tighter against his chest, and as our daughter sleeps, we stride out of the room, taking the baby monitor with us. Levi falls in behind us, and as we make our way back into the living room, we find Roman dropping onto the couch.