Page 24 of Twisted Trust (Mafia Lords of Sin #10)

MAEVE

I t’s like a huge weight lifts from my shoulders as soon as those words slip out of me, but it’s quickly replaced by a sick sensation in my gut.

Will Levi go ahead and do what I fear the most? Will he take my son and I’ll never see him again? Five years of pent-up hurt, upset, and anger have flooded through me during our argument, and now I feel so utterly deflated with only one last thing to cling to.

My son.

“He’s the most important thing in the world,” I say brokenly, unable to tear my gaze away from Levi’s shocked expression.

“You said earlier you wanted to kill me because you thought I was a traitor, and honestly, I don’t really know how to prove that I’m not.

I can tell you until I’m blue in the face but I can’t prove something like that.

All of this, your world? It’s not my world, so I don’t know how to make you believe me, but please believe everything I’ve done is to keep Scott safe.

He’s my heart. And if you still hate me, if you don’t want to listen and you still want to go ahead, then please, please don’t hurt my baby. Please!”

Levi’s hands suddenly warm my shoulders. “Maeve, stop.”

“Please don’t hurt him.” Fresh tears flood my eyes as a scratchiness creeps up the back of my throat. “He’s just a child. He’s innocent. Please don’t hurt him. Do whatever you want to me, I don’t have the energy anymore, but please don’t!”

My begging ends when Levi suddenly scoops me up in his arms and kisses me hard. My lips briefly continue to move against his as words try to force their way out but ultimately, I fall silent and melt into his arms.

This isn’t a kiss of hatred.

He’s not distracting me to sink a blade deep into my back. He’s kissing me hard like I mean something, and his grip is so tight that it feels like he’s holding together all the pieces of me that want to fall apart through weariness.

“Stop,” he murmurs against my lips. “Stop begging me. Please.” The kiss continues for a brief second, then Levi pulls back and gently cups my face with one warm hand. “I’m not going to hurt you and no one is going to hurt Scott, understand?”

I nod as his shimmering face bobs and blurs through my unshed tears.

“When I thought you betrayed me, I thought you’d broken my heart. I thought I’d fallen in love with a trick and a lie, but I see now that I was wrong. You’re not any of those things and I am so sorry, Maeve. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you and my… my son .”

It’s strange hearing that term come from Levi. He speaks as if it hurts him, as if there’s a deep wound opening up somewhere. I clutch at his clothes until his pin digs into my palm.

“Do you mean it? Because if this is some kind of trick then?—”

“No tricks.” He cuts me off and his eyes close briefly.

“The moment I saw you in the parking lot, I felt like someone had punched me directly in the heart. All these years and suddenly, you were right at my feet. I couldn’t believe it.

That was the moment I realized I didn’t want to kill you and this hatred I’d been clinging to was just weighing me down.

And I realized I still loved you. Pathetic, right? ”

I blink and two tears roll down my cheek while my vision clears. “You still… love me?”

“How can I not?” He laughs softly, but it lacks any humor. “You have no idea how deeply you sank into my heart, do you?”

A complicated swirl of emotions clashes in my chest. My old feelings for Levi mingle with my new feelings and this strange pain now that I know he viewed me as a traitor for so long.

It all jumbles into a mess along with relief and fear, and I can’t decipher any of it clearly enough, but one thing does come through clearly.

Having Levi’s arms around me is the safest I’ve felt in hours.

“What about Scott? You need to promise me you’re not going to take him away from me.”

Levi’s brow shoots up to his hairline and genuine confusion twists his lips. “What? Why… Maeve, what are you talking about?”

“You’re rich and powerful and you can provide an insane life for him, but he’s still my son, okay, and I know I took him away, and if you’re angry about that, then we can talk about it, but he’s mine, do you understand? You can’t take him away from me.”

“Maeve… my God.” Levi shakes his head and then guides me backward to the couch where he sits me down. His arm remains around my waist as he sits next to me and he clutches my hand in my lap. “I see things clearly now. Clearer than I have in years.”

“Just tell me,” I whisper. “Tell me you won’t take him away, please.”

Levi’s eyes move back and forth between mine.

“Maeve, I have absolutely no intention of separating you and Scott. Knowing he’s my son doesn’t change that.

If anything, it just makes me want to protect both of you more than I already have done.

I can guarantee that even with CPS sniffing around, Scott will never be taken away from you. He will never be without family.”

I can’t decide if I trust him or if it’s desperation that I’m clinging to. His words are calm and he looks honest, but my defenses refuse to come down.

“But I know words won’t soothe that, so I just ask that you trust me enough to show you I mean it. Time will prove to you that I’m telling the truth.”

“Time,” I whisper.

“Yes, time. It’s the only way I can truly prove to you that I mean what I say.

I don’t expect you to trust me right off the bat, but please trust that I will do everything and anything for my son.

I never…” Levi pauses and his gaze falls away.

“I never imagined that all this time, I was a father. I’ve missed so much. ”

He sounds so genuine that my stomach twists and I clutch at his hand. “He’s only four. There’s still plenty of time.”

Levi looks back at me and his eyes roam my face. “I will get to the bottom of what really happened, I promise you. And that…” He casts a dark look toward the crumpled letter. “We’ll deal with that the best we can.”

“So you’re not mad anymore?”

“Given how you yelled at me, I think I should be asking you that.” Levi chuckles, then he puffs out his cheeks. “Holy shit. I came here thinking I was about to unravel the truth. And I did, to an extent, but it was so far from this story I’ve been living for the past five years.”

Nodding slowly, I wipe my eyes and deflate into him. “What does this mean?”

“It means…” Levi’s jaw tightens. “It means someone’s been playing me like a puppet for five years and they took away the only good thing I had in my life. And when I find them—” He cuts himself off and meets my eyes with a small smile. “It means I have a lot to make up for.”

“If you didn’t know then, you don’t have to,” I say softly. “How can I blame you for believing those lies when I also fell for them?”

“Because it was my job to protect you. I swore it to you the first night I kissed you on that boat. And I failed.”

“I don’t see how things could have been different if you were in a coma.”

“I shouldn’t have kept you a secret,” Levi replies, and his hands tighten around mine.

“I did it because I selfishly wanted to keep you and what you meant to me all to myself and in the end, I created the perfect thing to be used against me. I was stupid and you’ve suffered because of that. I’m sorry, Maeve, I truly am.”

I believe him.

I don’t know if it’s exhaustion or wishful thinking, but everything he’s saying sounds like it’s coming from the heart. Tears well up before I can stop them, and I murmur an apology as he pulls me into his arms and holds me closer.

In the safety of his arms, I don’t hold back anymore. I’m not even sure what’s causing the tears, but they pour freely as he holds me tightly and murmurs soft sounds into my hair.

It’s partly a relief that I might finally be getting the help I’ve ached for all these years.

It’s partly exhaustion from always being on edge and fearing that one wrong step will cause this fragile life to crumple.

And it’s partly from pain that I spent years thinking the man I loved had turned on me when it was all a lie orchestrated by someone who knew our secret.

Someone who is still out there.

I cry until my throat burns and my hands ache from how tightly I’m gripping onto Levi’s arms. He soothes me through it all and remains close by my side when I finally lift my head.

“What happens now?” I croak.

A small, soft smile crosses Levi’s lips. “Do you feel better?”

My shoulders roll.

“Next, we get you home to Scott.”

“What about…” Sniffling, I rub my eye. “What about the dress? And your mother? And Cameron… There’s so much I don’t understand.”

“Cameron is something I’m looking into, but I don’t want you to worry about that. As for my mother… I’m afraid you will just have to be satisfied with the dress she’s picked out for you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Sighing deeply, I untangle myself from Levi’s arms and stand. “I can put up with a shoddy dress that isn’t to my tastes. It’s hardly the worst thing I’ve ever done.”

Despite wanting space to breathe, being away from Levi creates an immediate ache in my arms as if I should sink back into his hold. Meeting his gaze, I finally smile. “So… you don’t want to kill me now?”

“No.” Levi rubs his hands down his thighs and stands. “I want to do several things to you, Maeve, but killing is not one of them.”

“Oh, really?” I arch one tired brow. “If I weren’t feeling so emotionally run over right now, I think I’d let you.”

“Tease,” Levi replies without much real heat in his voice. “Let me take you home. You can rest. I need to discuss everything I’ve learned with Chip, and we’ll go from there.” He holds out his hand to me, and instinct makes me take it, but I don’t move when he takes a step.

“Levi.”

“Yes?” He turns to me and follows my gaze down to our joined hands.

“What does this mean?”

“I don’t know.”

I lift my gaze to his. “We’re fake engaged with five years of pain between us and you said you still loved me.”

“I did.”

“I don’t know how I feel.”

“That’s okay.” Surprisingly, the usual stiff frown on Levi’s face is absent.

“If you’re feeling half as confused as I am, then I don’t blame you.

I don’t have answers, and like I said, only time can help with that.

The only thing I know for sure is that I want you to come home with me so I can take care of you. The rest we can work out together.”

Maybe it’s the warmth of his fingers interlocking with mine or the soft way he looks at me as if no time at all has passed, but something inside me finally feels safe. Safe enough to smile strongly.

“Okay. But if I find out the dress your mother has picked has a box collar, the wedding’s off.”