Page 8 of Possessed (Darker Steamy Shorts #2)

DANTE

One Year Later

I slow the car down in front of the iron gates, reaching out to type the PIN into the keypad and watching as they swing open. The papers are signed, the deed handed over, and we are finally home.

All three of us.

Our daughter Mia gurgles in the back seat, and I watch as Isla reaches back to soothe her.

My wife is a bundle of nerves about the new house, but it's everything I wanted in a home.

It's sprawling and just isolated enough that I never have to see a neighbor.

I have space, privacy, and control. Everything I need.

I park the car, and Isla unbuckles Mia's seat. She goes to lift the carrier out, but I stop her. "You're not lifting a finger. You're still healing."

She huffs a laugh, but lets me take our daughter as we climb the steps to the house. Inside, it smells of fresh paint, and all of the personal touches Isla asked for have been placed. Sun beams through the high windows, but nothing is brighter than the smile my wife gives me.

"How do you like it?"

"It's perfect,” she gushes, fingers trailing along the walls as she explores. She's glowing, and a surge of pride hits me.

The penthouse was unrealistic now that we have Mia, but it was still hard for Isla to leave behind the place where we first fell in love.

Our wedding was understated on the beaches of Hawaii, and we knew she was pregnant almost as soon as we got home.

It took some time to find the right house, and we've been living in the penthouse until it was ready, but now all the work has paid off.

I lower the carrier to the ground, Mia snoozing comfortably inside, before sliding an arm around my wife's waist. She leans into me, and I breathe in her scent, like honeysuckle and springtime.

"I'm glad you like it," I say, pressing my lip against her temple. "Because you're not going anywhere. This place is for us, for you, and for Mia. Forever."

She sucks in a surprised breath, the same way she always does when I remind her that she belongs to me. Isla loves it, even if she won't say so. The way her body reacts gives her away every time.

Mia makes a small sound, breaking the spell between us, and I kneel to unbuckle her.

She's so small, with her mother's bright eyes and my dark hair.

I didn't think I could ever feel more protective of anyone than I do Isla, but Mia proved me wrong from the moment she was born. No one will ever touch either of them.

I kiss Mia's forehead and then lean over to kiss my wife soundly on the lips. "Welcome home, girls."