Page 24 of Ruthless Secrets (Alpha Mafia Daddies #6)

Chapter Nineteen

CLARA

I think I might throw up, which is not the best state of mind when you’re about to see your best friend for the first time in two weeks.

Then again, I am about to admit to her that I secretly moved in with my baby daddy, who I’ve only just formally met, who also happens to be part of one of the most notorious crime families in the city.

It’s times like this where I wish I wasn’t still breastfeeding so I could drink tequila. Then again the last time I drank tequila, Zoe happened, so I guess it’s sparkling water for me.

I’m wide awake, going over potential conversations with Sam when Marco slides into bed beside me. I immediately relax when his big strong arms wrap around my body. Before I can roll him onto his back and climb on top of him, he passes out, and I don’t have the heart to wake him up.

When Zoe starts to stir around seven, I quietly get her up and take her downstairs to give Marco a chance to sleep in.

Driving back and forth to the city seems to be taking its toll, but he refuses to make use of his apartment because he insists on seeing his girls before he goes to bed, and who am I to deny him ?

Once Zoe is fed, I decide to go and make a pot of coffee and bring one to Marco in bed. I’ve come to learn that even when he’s had a late night, he still doesn’t tend to sleep much past seven-thirty.

I find Lila in the kitchen giving Holly some breakfast. She’s already fully dressed, her hair styled in loose waves, and her makeup done, which is incredibly impressive.

I can’t help but smile. “Morning.”

Holly’s eyes light up when she sees Zoe, so I take her over to the breakfast table so they can say hello.

I look at Lila. “You’re up and ready early.”

Lila laughs. “Thanks to a certain child of mine.”

I smile to Holly who is trying to hand Zoe her piece of half-chewed banana. “Were you just excited to get your day started, hmm?”

I hand Zoe off to Lila for a cuddle so I can get to work making a fresh pot of coffee with two hands, which is a rare occurrence these days.

When I set two mugs on the countertop and pad over to the fridge to get some creamer, I catch Lila eyeing me.

“I’m bringing one up for Marco.”

Lila gives me a look, which is becoming a common occurrence whenever I bring up the father of my child.

I shrug. “He got in late last night.”

“I didn’t say anything…” She smiles as she takes a sip of her own coffee.

“Anyway, my friend Sam is coming over today. Do you and Holly want to join us? We’ll probably just hang out in the garden.”

“Oh, I would love to, but Andre and I are going to pick Rosa up from camp.”

“Right, I forgot that was today…”

That nervous feeling appears once more in my stomach. I don’t know why I’m so apprehensive about meeting Marco’s little sister. From what Lila has told me about her, she sounds lovely. But family means a lot to Marco, which means that Rosa’s acceptance of me will be important.

I just have to hope that I’m able to earn it.

Once the coffee is brewed, I extricate Zoe from Lila’s arms and somehow manage to carry her as well as two cups of coffee upstairs to my room.

Marco is still fast asleep on his back, the sheets barely covering his torso. He looks so gorgeous with his disheveled hair and slight stubble that I wish I had left Zoe downstairs with Lila so I could wake him up in my own way.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” I whisper as I set the coffee down on the side table.

When he starts to stir, Zoe lets out a squeal as her arms wave around, and I groan as Marco’s eyes fly open.

“Sorry, she hasn’t learned the concept of whispering yet.”

Marco smiles lazily as he reaches out and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me onto the bed.

“Morning, my beautiful girls.”

My stomach does a somersault whenever Marco refers to Zoe and me as his girls.

He’s taken to fatherhood like a natural, which is the opposite of what I thought would happen.

It seems Zoe is just as taken with him as she immediately tries to wiggle out of my arms as she reaches for him.

I hand her over to Marco, and he settles her on his chest as she yawns.

He gently strokes her back as she starts to close her eyes, even though it’s not even close to her naptime.

Normally, I would try to keep her awake, but I don’t have the heart to interrupt this moment.

I’m amazed at how quickly the two of them have bonded. In truth, I wasn’t worried about Zoe liking Marco but more the other way around .

I sit back against the pillows, my eyes stinging with tears as I watch the two of them together.

Marco’s eyes are closed, but he has a smile on his lips as he rests one hand on Zoe’s back and the other on my thigh.

This is what I pictured life would be like when I had kids. Lazy mornings in bed, cuddled up as a family. It makes me wonder if perhaps we could work together after all. Giving Zoe a complete family, something that I never had myself, would mean the world to me.

“I was wondering if I could take her today?” Marco continues to rub Zoe’s back.

She’s officially asleep, but I don’t have the heart to wake her up.

“Oh, yeah?”

“You know, to give you and Sam some proper time together.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. I want nothing more than to have a daddy and daughter day with my little princess.”

Is he trying to make my heart explode? Because it sure as hell is working.

Sam is due to arrive any minute, and I am practically bouncing off the walls. I haven’t gone this long without seeing her in years, and there’s so much to catch her up on.

After getting Zoe fed and ready for her day with Marco, I get myself showered and dressed in a pair of linen shorts and a blouse. The weather is perfect, and I cannot wait to spend the next few hours out by the pool with my best friend.

When a car heads down the drive, I rush down the stairs and throw open the door just as it’s pulling up.

“Sam!” I cry out when she gets out of the car .

She looks a little shocked as she takes in the enormous house.

I didn’t tell her much on the phone last night as I prefer to have conversations in person. All she knows is that I’ve been staying at Marco’s brother's house. What I failed to mention was that the house is the size of Manhattan.

“Hey!” She shoulders her bag, flicking her long ponytail over her shoulder.

It’s rare to see Sam out of corporate clothes, but she looks amazing in a coral summer dress that brings out the golden tones in her skin.

I rush down the front steps and throw my arms around my friend.

She’s been there for me through everything, and I think I missed her more than I’ve realized.

“I had a frickin’ driver pick me up,” she says once I let her go.

I laugh as I wave to Jax, who dips his chin at me before getting back into the car.

“Were you nice to Jax?” I lead Sam inside, but it’s clear she’s not listening to me by the way her eyes practically bug out of her head.

“This place is huge . Are you kidding me?”

“I thought we could have a drink by the pool.”

“Of course, there’s a pool. Seriously, Clara, where do I find a man with a mansion and a driver?”

“Unfortunately, this house belongs to Marco’s brother, and he is happily married.”

“Are you sure?”

I chuckle. “Yes. Lila is great, you’d really like her.”

“You’ve gone and got yourself a readymade family, Clara.”

I’m unsure whether she’s saying it like that’s a good thing, so I just let it go .

I take Sam into the kitchen to get us both some drinks to take outside.

“Are you okay with a mimosa?” I grab the carton of orange juice from the fridge.

Sam laughs. “I’m always happy with a mimosa.”

I make Sam a drink and pour orange juice for myself before taking her out onto the patio.

“Oh, I could get used to this.” She settles on one of the loungers that overlooks the pool. “So, are you going to spill the tea or what? Are you and Marco a thing now?”

I roll my eyes as I sit down on the lounger next to hers and curl my feet under myself.

Trust Sam to go straight for the heavy questions.

“We’re just seeing how things go.”

“But you’re living together.”

“Well, yes. But it’s going well.”

I purposefully leave out the part where some enemy of Marco’s kidnapped my daughter and now I’m under house arrest. If Sam knew the truth, there’s no way she would let me get within a thousand miles of Marco.

“The universe does seem to work in mysterious ways—” Sam gasps so loudly that I jump, spilling some of my orange juice down my front.

“What?”

“Oh, my god, I just remembered!” Sam settles her drink down on the table between us before turning to face me. “Adam was in the hospital.”

“What? Are you serious? Is he okay?”

Sam shakes her head. “He was beaten up pretty badly. But it looks like he’s going to make a full recovery.

“Beaten up?” My throat feels like it’s going to close up. I can barely breathe, and my hands are shaking as I set my drink down on the table. “W-when was this?”

“Maybe a week ago. ”

Images of Marco’s bruised knuckles and bloodstained hands flash through my memory.

“Oh, my god.”

Did Marco do this to Adam?

“Shit, sorry. I wasn’t sure whether to tell you or not, and now you look like you’re going to be sick.”

“No, I’m fine.” I wave a hand. “I’m glad you told me.”

The truth is, I’m not sure how I feel.

Marco put a man in the hospital using his bare hands. But it was a man who hurt me almost to the point of no repair. If he had been caught, he would have been thrown in jail, but still he risked his life in order to defend me.

“Why don’t we talk about something else… How’s that beautiful baby of yours?”

Sam and I spend several hours talking and catching up, which proves to be a great distraction from the Adam situation.

Delilah, Andre’s housekeeper, brings us out some lunch, and we eat it by the side of the pool with our feet dangling in the water.

“I’m sorry I have to head off, but I can’t get out of this work event,” Sam says as I walk her down the front steps of the house toward Jax’s waiting car a few hours later.

“Honestly, don't worry about it. But next time, you’re staying for dinner.”

“Next time, I’m staying forever.” She laughs, though her eyes are focused on something over my right shoulder.

I turn around and smile when I notice Marco heading toward us with Zoe in the stroller.

“Hey.” He approaches us, flashing me that smile that has all the air leaving my lungs.

Before I have a chance to fling my arms around his neck and kiss him, he holds out his hand.

“I’m Marco, Zoe’s father. ”

I glance nervously at Sam and see her slyly giving Marco the once over despite the polite smile on her face.

She takes his hand. “Lovely to meet you. How is my ZoZo?”

Sam turns her attention to Zoe.

Marco catches my eye and winks, and my cheeks instantly burn.

I swear this man makes me feel like a teenager with a crush every time he looks at me.

Sam steps back from Zoe. “Anyway, I shouldn’t leave my driver waiting. It was nice to meet you, Marco.”

“You too.”

As Marco busies himself with getting Zoe out of the stroller, Sam looks back at me and grins.

“He’s hot,” she mouths, and I have to cover my mouth to stop myself from laughing.

After I feed Zoe and put her down for her afternoon nap, I go in search of Marco. I find him in the lounge, bent over his laptop with a stack of paperwork on the couch beside him.

When he notices me in the door, he grins and immediately shuts his laptop without a second thought.

“Sorry to bother you.” I’m suddenly feeling self-conscious.

I know he’s the boss and can likely do what he wants, but I don’t want to pull him away from work even more than I already am.

“Never apologize for bothering me.” He moves his laptop aside and taps his lap. “Come and sit.”

I roll my eyes.

“I am capable of sitting on the couch.” I cross over to him .

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I want you sitting on it.” He wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me into his lap.

“Thank you for letting me see Sam. It was just what I needed.”

“You’re welcome.” He kisses me deeply.

I melt into his body, savoring the strength of it as I wrap my arms around his neck and press myself against him.

It doesn’t take long for me to feel the evidence of Marco’s arousal against my ass, and I can’t help but rub against him. But as much as I want to take this further, this was not the reason for my coming and interrupting him.

There’s something that’s been on my mind ever since my conversation with Sam earlier, and I need to get it off my chest before it causes me to have yet another sleepless night.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Sam told me that my ex-fiancé was in the hospital. Apparently, he got beaten up pretty badly.” I search Marco’s face for any hint of guilt, but his expression remains completely blank. “You wouldn’t have any idea what happened to him, would you?”

Marco shrugs. “A guy who treats women so poorly is bound to have made a few enemies along the way.”

Is that his way of saying that he did do it?

“What are your plans for dinner?” he asks before I have a chance to quiz him further about Adam.

“You seriously don’t need to keep checking that I’m eating dinner.” I run my hand over his chest.

“That’s not why I was asking.” His fingers trail lazily up and down my bare thigh, causing my skin to pebble beneath his touch.

We can’t seem to keep our hands off each other, not that I’m complaining. I love touching Marco, and I love it even more when he touches me .

“Why, then?”

“I want you to go upstairs and get dressed so I can take you to dinner.”

I blink. “But I thought it was too dangerous for me to leave?”

Marco smirks as his fingers trail a little higher up my inner thigh, making my breath catch in my throat.

“I never said we were going out.”