Chapter 108 Rescued His Daughter [Final Chapter]
Chapter 108 Rescued His Daughter [Final Chapter]
Roman
I look at him, assessing him. “Who the hell are you?”
When he smiles, it’s a little unsettling.
“You’ll find out soon enough. I wasn’t kidding about the partnership. I’ll come find you. And when I do, we can discuss the terms. Until then, I have every right to claim the title.”
I stand there for a few moments, looking at him, not calling Tony and Michael away as he asked. Eventually, my curiosity gets the better of me. Because I really want to know who the hell he is. And what he plans to do.
“Step aside,” I mutter.
They both immediately lower their weapons. Jack nods at me.
“I’ll see you soon, Roman.”
He walks back into his house, closing the door. As he leaves, Michael inhales quickly.
“Weirdest interaction ever,” he declares.
“The dude’s a total psycho,” Tony agrees.
I still have my daughter clutched to my chest as we walk back to the car. Once we’re in, I can’t help but take one last look at the house. And the man inside.
Who’s Jack?
“Don’t worry, Roman,” Michael says from the passenger seat. “I’m already working on digging up everything there is to know about him.”
I lean back in my seat and look at Cassie. “Honestly, I really don’t care right now.”
Cassie reaches for my face, her little hands gently tapping it, and I grin. “Come on, princess.” It's time to meet Mom.
The relief I see on Elena's face when I put our baby back in her arms pierces me. She kisses Cassie's face so much that she starts crying. It's ironic as hell because my daughter was kidnapped and held for hours by strangers, and I'm pretty sure she never cried. But it's her mother's kisses, which I admit can be a little suffocating, that do it.
I let out a laugh, and Elena's head snaps up as her eyes meet mine.
"Why are you laughing?" she asks, hugging Cassie to her chest.
"I'm just happy, baby. I'm so happy."
She smiles.
"You did it. I believed in everything," she tells me.
"Thank you," I breathe.
We stand there for a few minutes until my mother comes downstairs, Salvador following behind. Her face is pale, but there's relief in her features as she looks at her granddaughter.
Cassie stops crying as soon as she’s in her mother’s arms. But then her mother starts crying, which upsets Cassie too. Elena comes over to me, and we watch as her grandparents try to comfort her.
“You’re moving in with me,” I say.
My tone is firm, but she doesn’t seem inclined to argue.
“Okay,” she says quietly, not looking at me.
The next few days fly by. All our efforts to find Ivan are fruitless. He’s disappeared off the face of the earth. If he’s smart, he’ll never show his face again. The Russell has also stopped broadcasting. It irritates me, especially since Michael’s attempts to find information about Jack are yielding nothing.
He’s not registered in any database that Michael has access to. As far as we know, he is a ghost. But that’s not true. He’s a real man. And when he’s ready, I’m sure he’ll show his face again.
The only difference is that this time, I’ll be ready, too.
Elena’s eyes widen in the middle of the night. She sighs softly before sitting next to me in our bed.
“You need to sleep, Roman. She's safe now. We're all safe.”
My jaw clenches. "We almost lost our daughter. I couldn't protect her."
"But you did," Elena insists. "You brought her back, Rom. Now, could you please stop blaming yourself?"
She leans her head against my chest, and I hold her close for a few breaths. When she pulls away, her eyes are shining with such excitement that it's a little hard to breathe. I run my fingers over her face and say the words that kept it inside for too long.
“I love you.”
Elena.
When I was younger, I dreamed of a love like my parents'. A love that transcends everything and everyone. A love that is pure, kind, and selfless. But that dream was shattered when my mother left, forever changing my view of love.
I love my daughter. I love my family. I love my friends. But when it comes to Roman, I'm not sure where he stands. I've never been in love. How can I recognize it if I don't know what it is? And that’s exactly what I told him after Roman dropped the bomb on me a few days ago.
He just kissed my forehead and told me with a patient smile that I knew. And when I did, he wanted to be the first to know.
Sometimes it really does feel like a dream. And I think that’s what holds me back. The fear that one day I’ll wake up and he’ll be gone.
Cassie giggles as I shake the rattle over her head, her eyes following it as I move it from one side to the other. She’s in her crib, and I’m standing over her. I haven't been away from her for more than a few minutes since she was kidnapped.
My heart can't take it. Every time I look away from her, my throat tightens with irrational fear.
She's safe. I know that. But I'm worried, too. I'm afraid that the next time something bad happens, I won't be able to get her back.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and look at Roman.
“Hey, how was your day?” I ask quietly.
“Boring. I spent most of my time doing paperwork.”
We look at Cassie for a few seconds.
“I wonder what her first word will be,” Roman says.
I look at him.
“It better be ‘mama,’” I say.
He grins. “We’ll see.”
The conversation ends when there’s a knock on the door. Roman and I turn to the open door where Maria and Rosa are standing. Rose smiles as she walks in and heads straight for the crib.
"Don't mind me, I just wanted to talk to my niece," she says.
Before I can utter a word of protest, she grabs Cassie from her crib.
"Bye, Mom and Dad," Rose says, imitating a baby voice.
She waves Cassie at us, and they leave. Roman and I exchange glances, and Maria sits down on our bed. Her eyes immediately meet mine.
"Elena, come here. Sit down," she says quietly, patting the bed.
Since that incident, Maria has become much kinder to me. I think the guilt over losing my baby has made her warmer to me. It's funny because she shouldn't feel any guilt. None of what happened was her fault, and I told her so.
But the DeLucas are notoriously stubborn.
“Tony!” Kiara snaps. “I swear, if you don’t give me that baby right now, I’m going to elbow you in the ribs.”
My brother rolls his eyes, but doesn’t loosen his grip on Cassie, who seems to enjoy being the cause of their fight.
“Nothing’s happening, Ki,” Tony says, ignoring the way Kiara’s eyes flash.
“You held her all night.”
“Because I’m her uncle,” he says.
“Well, I’m her godmother,” Kiara counters.
I sigh softly. Roman’s arm wraps around my waist as we watch them argue. We finished dinner an hour ago, and since then, Maria and my father have retreated to the living room to talk. Michael has disappeared, and like us, Rose is watching the scene unfold before us with pleasure.
“If you want a baby, Ki, just get pregnant. It’s literally not that hard,” Tony says dryly.
Kiara’s hand twitches as if she wants to hit him. I understand the feeling completely. Just as I'm about to break off the argument, Roman's hand squeezes my thigh.
"No, we're avoiding that," he mutters.
“But we’ll spend that time together,” Roman says.
His words are a promise, a vow.
“Always and forever,” I say, making a vow of my own.
As I turn to meet his lips, I’m overcome with confidence: our hearts beat in perfect harmony.
He is mine, and I am certainly his. This is how fate intended.
It is incredible to realize that the purest form of love arose after one forbidden night of passion with my brother's best friend, which resulted in a secret child for a ruthless don.