\[Rosco's POV\]
I watch William’s retreating form for a moment longer before turning and heading back into the room where Denali is watching my mother cradle Serenity. When both ladies’ eyes come to rest on me, I place a smile on my face.
“What do you think?” I ask, making my way over to my mother. “I think she looks like me.”
Of course I’m joking, but it is easy to see the sadness in her gaze as she watches me. I’m sure she is thinking about how good it would be if my father were here for this, but with his stubbornness, there was no fucking way he would show his face.
“I think she looks like Denali,” my mother counters, keeping her voice light. “But she does have your eyes.”
Nodding, I look down into the tiny, bottomless pits that rest on my daughter’s face. She’s right; she’s definitely inherited the Torres’ eyes.
“Too bad,” I sigh, running a hand through her soft tufts of hair. “I would prefer her to have Denali’s eyes.”
At my words, I look over at the woman in question to find her face flushed a beautiful pink and immediately feel desire well.
Shit, I need to keep it together. There was no way I could touch her, not now, especially when she just gave birth.
Frowning, I find myself trying to remember exactly when it was that the doctor said we would have to wait to be intimate.
Six weeks.
As I remember this, I feel an annoyance flare, but I quickly push it away as Denali shoots me a look.
‘Sorry, mi reina,’ I murmur through mindlink. ‘You’re just so fucking enticing.’
‘It’s because you’re like that that I’m here now,’ she points out, but I don’t miss the disappointment that she too is feeling. ‘Is Elise being summoned?’
For a moment, anger rushes through me over how insistent she is that Elise be here, but then I immediately remember that it is most likely because she is the only family that Denali has left.
Giving her a look, I feel my heart breaking for my mate over the fact that she had absolutely no one in this world she could call family aside from me and a criminal who was attempting to reform. It wasn’t fair that she was born into such a world, but in the end, all of that brought her to me, so I would simply have to continue to make up for all the anguish she went through.
‘William is getting her,’ I assure Denali, taking a seat on the bed beside her and taking her hand.
‘That’s good,’ Denali sighs.
Instantly, I can feel her beginning to relax while my mother begins to hum softly to Serenity. The whole scene is perfect and peaceful, but I can’t help but feel a sudden sense of foreboding. I don’t know if it is because I still can’t fully accept that the danger is gone or if it is something else. However, before I can dwell too long, the door to the room opens, and William enters with a bright red face while Elise follows behind, giggling. It’s almost like the two are in their own little world and don’t even notice the rest of us, but when a gurgle escapes Serenity, both their gazes come to rest on her.
The room around us grows quiet while the two take in my daughter, and for a moment I see something flash in Elise’s eyes, but just as quickly as it is there, it is gone, and her bored expression is returned.
“I believe congratulations are in order,” she announces, coming forward and reaching out a finger to poke Serenity’s cheek. “You’re a chubby one, aren’t you?”
As she speaks, her look from earlier returns, and I’m almost certain it is jealousy over the scene unfolding around us. Since she was given away as a baby, I was sure that seeing something like this made her feel some sort of way. I could only hope she wouldn’t dare ruin the moment for Denali, and when a slow smile begins to form on her lips, I know she won’t.
“She’s beautiful,” she murmurs, letting Serenity’s tiny fingers wrap around her own. “It’s good you came out looking like your mother and not your dad.”
“What?” I growl, taking immediate offense. “Are you trying to say that I’m ugly?”
“Something like that,” Elise chuckles. “Sorry, mister, but you’re just low-grade handsome.”
“Low grade?” I repeat, finding myself getting sucked right in. “And who exactly are you comparing me to?”
“Uh, guys,” William says, drawing our attention to himself. “Do you really think that right now is the time for that?”
Confusion flares as I take in a look of unease on his features until I turn and find Denali watching us with an unreadable expression.
Shit. Was this what Elise was trying to do? Causing trouble between Denali and me.
Gritting my teeth, I look at her once more but find that she is watching Serenity intently. Her eyes are roaming all over her body, and I’m almost certain that she is looking for something.
“What?” I demand moving forward and taking my daughter from my mother. “You aren’t planning anything, are you?”
“Rosco!” My mother gasps. “How can you say such a thing? She’s…”
“Still a criminal,” I finish for her.
My mother had a general idea of how we came to find Elise and bring her back here, but with her caring nature, she was more than willing to believe that Elise truly meant to change her ways. Of course, that was one way Denali and my mother were similar, but I wasn’t ready to let my guard down yet, especially when it came to my daughter.
“I think it may be time that I left,” Elise sighs, ignoring me entirely and meeting Denali’s gaze. “Congratulations again, sis. I’ll see you at the trial.”
“Elise,” Denali says softly. “Thank you.”
“Mhm.”
Giving a nod, Elise turns and begins to move, but stops when she reaches William, who has remained silent this whole time.
“Want to walk me back, handsome?”
At her words, William flushes a bright red, and I can’t help but wonder again what exactly may be going on between them. I could only hope that it wasn’t anything serious, especially given the fact that he would soon be taking over Crystal Fang. As a leader, there was no room for having a criminal beside him.
“I’ll do it,” I announce, before William can speak.
Immediately, three pairs of eyes come to rest on me, and I immediately regret my outburst since I’m sure that they’re all thinking the wrong thing. However, I stand my ground as my feeling of unease continues to grow. If Elise thought I missed the slight worry that was on her face, she was wrong, and I was going to figure out what the hell was going through her head. Whether it was her wanting to do something to my daughter because she had what she didn’t or something more, I would get the answer out of Elise.
“What a gentleman!” Elise giggles, waggling her brows. “But I’d rather be escorted by someone who is actually fun.”
Opening my mouth, I prepare to argue, but stop as I once again realize she is intentionally trying to sow discord. It looked like a tiger couldn’t shed its stripes that quickly.
“Come on,” I growl, moving forward and grabbing her arm. “You’ve wasted enough time.”