Page 112 of Ruthless Commander

“He’s dying.” Edon spoke for him. “Prostate cancer. Dad has six months left.”

Mateo flinched as though he’d been slapped.

My heart broke for him. I could see it all in his eyes. He didn’t want to care, didn’t want to open himself up only to be ripped apart again.

“Francois.” I turned to him. “If you have nowhere else to go, it would be an absolute pleasure to have you at our home for as long as you would like to be.”

Those shoulders curled even harder, trembling, until a brutal sob tore from him.

I flinched at the sound. From the corner of my eye, Mateo turned to me.

“Xael…the babies.” He shook his head.

“Are perfectly fine where they are,” I answered, lowering my hand to my stomach. “Besides, we will employ a team of nurses to take care of your father around the clock. I’ll just be there.”

“No,” he disagreed.“We’llbe there.”

My heart fluttered as I grasped his hand. “Yes. We will.”

Silence grew around the table. I reached out, taking Mateo’s father’s hand as he wept silently, and my other grasped his son. If this was as close as they could get, then this was what I’d do.

I’d be the tether between them.

If that’s what it took.

I’d be anything Mateo needed me to be.

I turned to him. Because that’s what you did for love.

“I love you,” he whispered.

I smiled. “I love you too.”

We finished our breakfast, then left, heading back to the motel where we had booked a room. Edon couldn’t leave, not now. This place was his base, and he was following a lead for Dominic Salvatore.

Some Assistant District Attorney had a hard-on to nail the Salvatores to the wall.

It didn’t matter. He would come when he could, to spend days and weeks with Mateo and his father.

Until the end.

Then we would survive…together.

Because that’s what family did.

And above all…that’s what we were.