Page 103 of Thorns of Deceit

“The baby only needs milk for the first six months,” he said lightly. “No cooking involved.”

I smacked his arm with what little dignity I had left. “I know that much.”

“Good,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple. “And after that, I’ll cook for both of you.”

The smoke detector gave one last defiant chirp before falling mercifully silent, and I couldn’t help but laugh. The kitchen was a disaster—so was I—but somehow, with him there, it didn’t feel quite so bad.

He eased down beside me fully, his back sliding against the lower cabinets. His arms were draped around me while both of us sat on the kitchen floor with our legs stretched out, backs against the wood while the smell of burnt butter slowly faded from the air.

For a long moment, neither one of us spoke until he nudged my knee with his.

“You know,” he said in a casual, low voice, “I really like the pseudonymCuishleyou use for your art.”

I gasped. “How did you learn about that?”

He studied my face, his expression soft. “Now that I’ve found you, I’m intent on learning all I missed over the past five years.”

I swallowed. “Some things you might not like.”

He shrugged.

“Maybe, but it won’t change how I feel about you.” I hesitated, then leaned into his shoulder lightly and his arm tightened around me. “I hope you won’t change your pseudonym now that you’re no longer hiding.”

“I won’t.”

He smiled. “Why did you pick that one?”

I flashed him a shy smile. “It made me think of you. Or maybe it was my way to repay for that substantial withdrawal I took from your account before disappearing.”

“My money is yours. It’s been yours from the moment we got married.”

I chuckled. “The words every woman loves to hear.”

“Don’t care about other women or what they think,” he deadpanned. “Only you.”

I turned my head so I could see his face and expression better. “Aiden?”

“Hmmm.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you back then,” I murmured. “I should have trusted you to keep my mom and me safe instead of disappearing and letting you believe I was dead. It was cruel, and you deserve better.”

He shook his head, his voice rough when he spoke his next words.

“I won’t lie and say it didn’t upset me, but I’m not angry. Not anymore. I understand why you did it.” My shoulders sagged with relief. “What I don’t understand is how you managed to remain invisible while still living normally?”

I took a deep breath and released it slowly.

“Well, you know my mom was the reason Duncan ended up behind bars for a decade.” He nodded, his eyes steady on me.

“Incredibly, she had our whole lives lined up in case things went bad,” I continued. “Turns out she negotiated some kind of contingency deal with the DEA’s protection program. If Duncan ever came after us, they’d trigger a protocol to wipe our data, our digital footprint, everything. Like we never existed.”

“What?” He seemed to be shocked, or possibly impressed. “Did they use Nico Morrelli’s software?”

I shrugged.

“I really don’t know the details,” I admitted. “My mom left me a set of instructions. I followed them. I called a number, and after that, they handled the rest.”

“Wow, I’m impressed.”