*Morrison POV:*
The sound of the waves had almost lulled me to sleep. I reached out and grabbed the cold virgin daiquiri the waiter had just brought me moments before. Condensation dripped from the glass onto my rounded belly.
I closed my eyes and took a sip. A smile spread across my face as something darkened the sun. I knew before I looked who was eclipsing the light. I’d recognize his scent anywhere.
“It took you long enough,” I said.
“Six months. That’s how long I’ve been on the run looking for you. Six months of searching while constantly looking over my shoulder for men who want to kill me,” Stefano said. “I’m tired.” He sounded spent.
“Sit down. We’ll get you a margarita. The bartender here is amazing,” I said. “You want to try it?” I offered him my drink, but Stefano just glared at me. “There’s no booze in it of course. I can’t drink in my condition.”
“No, I don’t want your drink. I came for my half of the money.” He must have been tired. He hadn’t even put together the fact that I was pregnant yet.
“That’s not why you’re here,” I said casually. “But you’re in my light.” “Morrison, you left me with nothing. I could have died,” he said.
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. I didn’t leave you with nothing. You had the gold, and I sent you another transfer a few hours later.”
“What the fuck, Morrison? Is this a game?” He finally sat down on the beach chair next to me. “You did send me a little more money that night, but it and the gold have barely been enough to get me here.”
“But it did get you here,” I said and smiled.
“That’s what you wanted,” he said flatly. “This has been a game for you the whole time.” I watched as the realization hit him. He was there because he’d played right into my hand. “You wanted me to come after you.”
Stefano stood back up. He reached down, wrapped his hand around my arm, and gently pulled me to my feet. I had to stifle a moan. I’d been longing to feel his touch for months. He must have finally noticed my condition.
“You fucked me, Morrison,” he growled as his eyes went from my face to my belly and back again.
“You liked it,” I said and pressed my body against his. “If you want what’s yours, take it,” I taunted.
“This isn’t a game,” Stefano said, but he didn’t push me away. “And what is this?” He let me go enough to wave his hand in front of my belly.
“Not anymore. You’re at the end. And this is your prize.”
“I want my money, Morrison. I need for this to all be over. Give me my half of the ransom so I can go,” he said.
“You still want to leave?” If I’d believed him, I’d have been disappointed. “I have a better idea, Stefano.”
“What’s that?”
By that time, he had both hands wrapped around my arms. Stefano held me tight there. His eyes burned with fury.
“Stay with me. We’re safe here, and it’s beautiful. But if you don’t like this country, we’ll pick another.”
“You have to be joking, Morrison. You’re a monster. I’m a monster. We can’t just pretend like everything is okay and raise a… raise a family. The baby is mine?”
“Yes, we were monsters, but I love that about you.” I watched his face soften a bit at my words. I struck a chord in him. “You’re not boring.”
“I can’t argue with that, but it’s you that brings out the worst in me. If I stay with you, we’ll just end up ruining each other and the baby,” he said as his hand slid down my body and his arms encircled my waist.
“No, Stefano. We won’t. For the first time in our lives, we have something worth living for. We can bring some light into this world instead of darkness. Having your baby growing inside of me has changed me.”
“Not enough for you to just call me and tell me where the hell you were hiding.” “I’m sorry, Stefano. I had to know.”
“You had to know what?”
“That if I let you into this baby’s life you were the kind of man that would fight for us.” “What are you talking about, Morrison?”
“Tell me you came here for the money and I’ll transfer it to you. For real this time. You can go on your
merry way and I’ll take care of our baby with no strings attached for you. Tell me you didn’t come here for me. Tell me you don’t want this baby.”
Stefano's grip on my waist tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might crush me with the weight of his emotions. His eyes darted around the beach as if searching for an escape route, but there was none. The waves crashed in the background, a rhythm that felt both soothing and ominous.
“I didn’t come here for the money,” he finally said, his voice low and rough. “I came here for you. I’ve been thinking about you every single day since you left.”
I blinked, caught off guard by his admission. “Then why are you acting like this? Why are you so afraid?”
“Because I’m afraid of what we are. Of what we could become,” he said, his voice rising slightly. “I don’t want to drag you back into that world, Morrison. I don’t want to be the reason our child suffers.”
I shook my head, frustration bubbling up inside me. “You think I want to live in the shadows forever? That I want to keep running? You think I’m afraid of the darkness? I’m not. I’m done with that life. I’m ready for something real, something… different.”
He searched my eyes, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of doubt in his own. “But what if we can’t change? What if the darkness finds us again? What if I bring it to your doorstep?”
I took a step closer, closing the distance between us. “Then we fight it together. We have a chance to create something beautiful, Stefano. This baby is our chance to break the cycle. We can be better. I believe that.”
His expression softened as he looked down at my belly, and I could see the internal battle raging within him. Finally, he sighed, visibly deflating. “You really think we can do this?”
“I know we can. But it starts with you staying. It starts with you choosing us.” I placed my hand over his, feeling the warmth radiating from his skin. “Don’t walk away from this. Don’t walk away from me.”
He looked at me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine for any sign of insincerity. But I held my ground, refusing to look away. I needed him to see that I was serious. That I wanted this—us.
“I’m not the man you think I am,” he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.
“No, you’re more. You’re a survivor. You’ve fought to get here, haven’t you?” I replied, my voice steady. “So fight for this. Fight for us.”
There was a long pause. The world around us faded into the background as he wrestled with my words. Finally, he nodded slowly, his resolve beginning to strengthen.
“Okay,” he said, the weight of the word heavy in the air. “Okay. I’ll stay.”
My heart raced, a mix of relief and excitement flooding through me. I reached up and cupped his face in my hands, searching his eyes. “We’ll figure this out together. I promise.”
He leaned into my touch, and for a moment, everything felt right. The sun peeked through the clouds, bathing us in warm light, a sign of the new beginning we were about to embark on.
“But if we’re doing this,” he said, his tone shifting to something more serious, “you need to let me in completely. No more secrets, no more games. I need to know everything.”
I nodded, willing to share the burden of my past if it meant building a future together. “Okay. No more secrets.”
“And if anyone comes for you or the baby...”
I pressed my finger against his lips, silencing him. “We’ll deal with it. Together.”
He held my gaze for a moment, and then he leaned down, capturing my lips with his in a kiss that spoke of longing, desperation, and hope. It was a promise—a promise that we would fight for each other, for our child, and for the life we could create together.
As we pulled away, I could see the determination in his eyes, and I knew we were ready to face whatever came our way. Together.