Page 15 of Ruthless Secrets (Alpha Mafia Daddies #6)

“Shh. I’m sorry, baby girl.”

Lila grimaces as Holly starts to cry too. “And we’re back to normal. Well, Holly and I will be in the playroom if you fancy hanging out with us later.”

“Definitely.” I follow Marco out of the kitchen.

We walk in silence as we head back upstairs to the guest room where I quickly change Zoe. When she’s all ready, I hand her over to Marco and go to sit on the bed so I can give them some space.

I’m not quite ready to leave him alone with her just yet. It’s been only the two of us from the start, and it’s going to take some time for me to get used to us being a three.

If that’s even what Marco wants.

From the way he’s gently singing to her in Italian, it seems he’s quite taken with the idea of fatherhood. His body language is completely relaxed, and Zoe doesn’t even whimper at the fact that I’m not the one holding her.

I should be offended, but all I can seem to focus on is how sexy he looks as he rocks our daughter to sleep.

What the… .

That is not the sort of thought I should be having right now. I must just be hormonal or something because there’s no other explanation.

After everything that Marco has put me and Zoe through in the past twenty-four hours, the last thing I should be feeling toward him is attraction.

Marco gently lies Zoe down in the crib and turns to face me, and I have to cover my mouth to try and stifle my giggles at the sight of him.

He frowns. “What?”

I point to his shirt which now has baby vomit on it and laugh quietly under my breath so I don’t disturb Zoe.

Marco rolls his eyes before grabbing his collar and pulling his shirt off in one swift motion.

The sight of his perfectly sculpted torso has my blood heating.

I can still remember what it was like to run my hands all over his chest like it was yesterday.

I look away before he can notice me staring.

Nothing can happen between us. It would only make things more complicated, and I have to think about Zoe.

If things didn’t work out…

I don’t know why I’m even entertaining the idea. Marco might be willing to be civil for Zoe’s sake, but I doubt he’s truly going to forgive me for not telling him about her. He missed out on so much of her life because of me.

“I’m sorry.” I fight back tears. “About everything. I didn’t want you to find out about Zoe that way.”

Marco stands frozen by the crib, his vomit-stained shirt crumpled in his fist. But then his shoulders relax, and he comes over to sit beside me on the bed.

“I understand why you didn’t find me. But if I hadn’t shown up last night, would you have ever told me about her?”

I keep my eyes on Zoe so that he can’t see me cry again .

“I wanted too, so badly. I hope you can believe me.”

When Marco doesn’t reply, I glance up at him, and my breath catches when I find him staring down at me. But there’s no anger in his eyes. Instead, there’s only warmth.

“I meant what I said last night, Clara. I want us to start over. For Zoe’s sake.”

“I’d like that.”

Both of us are quiet for a moment as we watch Zoe sleep.

I’m all too aware of how close Marco is sitting to me. His body radiates heat like a furnace, and he smells incredible. I’m trying not to breathe through my nose because every time I catch a whiff of his cologne, I fight the urge to lean in and bury my nose in his neck.

“Zoe has a pediatrician appointment tomorrow,” I say to break the silence. “Would you like to come with us?”

Marco turns to look at me, and my cheeks warm under the heat of his gaze.

“I’d love to. Is it just a checkup?”

“Oh, uh… Zoe was born with a low-grade heart murmur.”

Marco’s eyes widen, but I wave a hand.

“It’s nothing to be concerned about, but she does need to be monitored regularly.”

“It doesn’t sound like nothing. But I would appreciate the chance to speak to her pediatrician.” There’s a slight bite to Marco’s tone, but I can’t blame him for being annoyed.

If I were him and just found out my kid had a heart murmur, I’d be pretty pissed off too.

“Of course.”

Silence falls between us again but this time, it feels different. At some point, we’re going to have to talk about what happened last night, but I don’t have the energy. I know that it’s going to turn into a fight and right now I just want to sit and bask in the relief that Zoe is okay .

“Is it okay if I call my friend Sam? Just to let her know that I’m okay.”

Marco’s eyes darken.

“Is this the friend who cheated with your fiancé?”

I can’t help but snort. “Definitely not. That was Jess, and I haven’t spoken to her or Adam since…”

I find that I can’t finish that sentence. As much as I like to think that the memory of my failed wedding has been replaced by the incredible night I shared with Marco, it hasn’t.

I look at Marco. “I’m surprised you remember that.”

“I remember everything about that night.”

My heart is pounding in my chest as memories from that night flood my mind.

I might not remember everything thanks to all the tequila I drank, but I remember the important parts. Like what it was like to feel the weight of Marco’s body on top of me…

I sink my nails into the palm of my hand to give my brain something else to focus on. “So, can I tell Sam where I am?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Sam will call the cops if I just up and vanish, so if I can’t tell her where I am, I at least have to tell her something.”

“Fine. But you should text her, and I need to see the message.”

I think about arguing further, but the deep frown on Marco’s face makes me stop.

Last night was terrifying, and I know that he’s only trying to protect me and Zoe.

We’ve both decided to start fresh and that means building trust.

Marco shifts in his place. “And I’m going to need your phone once you’re done.”

“What? Why? ”

“I need to have Jax look it over, check for any bugs and tracking chips.”

I gasp. “You think someone bugged my phone?”

“We have to cover all bases here, Clara. I don’t want you to worry, but I also need you to be cautious. That’s why it’s important that you don’t tell your friend the truth. For your sake and hers.”

He’s right. The last thing I want is for Sam to get caught in this mess too.

I grab my phone off the bedside table and quickly type out a text to her, letting her know that I’ve gone out of town for a few days on a hospitality management course, and that Zoe has come with me. I figure it’s a solid reason that won’t have her asking too many questions.

Once I’m done and Marco has approved the message, I turn my phone off and hand it over.

“Good girl.”

A shiver runs down my spine at his words.

If I wasn’t so tired, I’m sure I would feel embarrassed by how much I liked being praised by Marco.

He gets to his feet. “I’ll leave you two girls to it. I’ll be in Andre’s office if you need anything.”

Once Marco shuts the door behind him, I decide to climb back into bed and take a nap too. Though this time, my sleep isn’t plagued by nightmares. It’s plagued by Marco.