Keep Her From Harm(5)

"So your mother is just a whore!" Damian growled the words, and Mia  gasped as Gabriel had Damian's head down on the table with a gun pointed  at it.

"I dare you to say something else about my mother!"

"I swear if you don't move that gun from our brother's head, I will  shoot you in the cock, Gabriel, and I've come to see how much you love  using it." Jacob turned to her. "Sorry. Family business."

"It's fine." She thought her life was crazy. There was no way her life  was as crazy as these two guys who seemed intent on killing each other.





Chapter Three



Damian stared down at the little boy in the car. He was fast asleep, and  Mia had her hand against his chest, every now and then shushing him.  Did she even realize she was doing it? Or that she was offering her son  comfort? He watched as she loved her little boy even with his two  brothers in the front.

Just the sight of Gabriel made him so fucking annoyed. He'd seen how sad  his mother had been when the truth had come out. Of course, Maddox  Denton had welcomed him with open arms. As if his family wasn't fucked  up enough, he now had half-siblings, and step-fucking-siblings. They all  made him sick to his stomach.

"Where are we going?" Mia asked.

"We're heading back to my family's place. We can stay there tonight, and  then you can move to my apartment. You'll meet Martha, and I'll show  you a few things. You can meet the family. Don't worry about anything  though. They're fucking crazy."

She smiled, but he saw that it was forced. Did he scare her? She didn't  seem fazed by the gun that had been pointed at his head. It wasn't the  first time he'd been threatened, and he doubted it would be his last.                       
       
           



       

Forcing a smile to his lips, he watched as she stared out of the window.

"So, Mia, is it?" Gabriel asked, sitting in the passenger seat at the front.

"It is."

"How did you meet this asshole?"

"It's a long story, and I don't think he'd like for me to tell it to you."

Gabriel shrugged, and Damian shook his head. He really didn't like him.  Once a Colton, always a damn Colton as far as he was concerned. There  was nothing Denton in his blood.

"Why don't you tell me?" Jacob asked. "I was the one that was called and asked to come and pick you guys up."

Mia looked at him, and this time he shrugged.

"I was talking to Ivan Smith when Damian crashed into his office. To cut  a long story short, Damian grabbed me and hauled me out of there, and  promised me a job, and a way to take care of Reese. It was a better deal  than what I was getting."

"What deal were you getting before?"

"Ivan made sure I had no choice but to go to him. He didn't want me working, and I didn't want to owe him anything."

"Ivan Smith is a piece of shit," Gabriel said.

"Takes one to know one."

"Fuck you, Denton. Ivan is bad news. You're lucky you didn't get mixed up with him," Gabriel said.

"I'm aware."

"Where's the father?" Gabriel asked.

Mia burst out laughing then, and she quickly covered her mouth. "I'm so  sorry. It's not really funny at all, and I really, really shouldn't  laugh." Laugh she did, and she tried to keep her voice down.

"Have I missed something here?" Jacob asked.

"Ivan," Mia said.

"What?" Jacob spoke again.

"The father of my son is Ivan."

Silence filled the car, and Damian looked toward his brother, who raised  a brow. He shook his head, letting him know that he would talk to him  about it later.

"Do I even want to ask?" Gabriel asked, turning to look at her.

"Nope. Believe me, you really don't want to know."

Damian took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, trying to offer her  comfort. She glanced down at their hands, and squeezed his hand back  before pulling away. It wasn't much, but it was something.

He couldn't stop looking at her. After all this time, he had finally  found her. If he'd been a few minutes later or even earlier, he'd have  never known, and would probably be dead right now. That was why he'd  gone into Smith territory. He wanted to hurt, and to die.

That had changed the moment he stared at her.

She kept looking out of the window as the scenery passed, and he heard  her sigh. Reese continued to sleep, and she still held him, almost as if  she was afraid he'd disappear.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. You?"

"You don't let him go."

"It's the first time we've traveled in a car, and I don't want him to be sick or scared."

"You have a car seat but never travel by car?"

"The car seat came with the pushchair. It was a bargain, and he loved  being in it. Sometimes it's easier to rock him to sleep in this."

She looked tired, worn out. He would take care of her now. She wouldn't  have to worry about Ivan again, and when he had learned everything he  needed to, he was going to pay Ivan a personal visit.

Within the hour they had pulled up outside of his parents' home, and the moment the car stopped, his mother was outside.

"You called and told her?" he asked.

"Yep," Jacob said. "She was worried about you."

He left the car, and immediately his mother held his face, turning it  this way and that. "Damian Denton, never do that to me again. I was  terrified." She pressed a kiss to each cheek, and he scrunched up his  face as she made a fuss of him.

"Hey, Mom."

"Now, tell me what the hell is going on."

Mia stepped out of the car, and held Reese in his car seat close to her.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet Mia. I'm going to be taking care of her, and she's going to be taking care of Martha."

"Hello, Mrs. Denton."

"Please, call me Charlotte." His mother looked toward Jacob and Gabriel.  "Hello, boys." Then she was herding Mia into the house, and he saw that  his father was standing in the doorway.

"Mom still not talking to Dad?" Damian asked.

"Last time I checked, no, she wasn't," Jacob said. "I'm going to head home. I'll see you all in the morning."

Jacob climbed back behind the wheel and headed out of the grounds.                       
       
           



       

Damian wasn't about to stay and linger. Ignoring Gabriel and his father,  he made his way upstairs to find his mother and Mia in the nursery  where Martha was sleeping. He watched from the doorway as Mia placed  Reese gently into the spare crib. His mother always kept the nursery  updated for her grandkids.

"Thank you so much," Mia said.

"I'll leave you two alone," Charlotte said.

Damian entered the room, and moved toward his little girl. The pain of  guilt struck him hard as he stared down into his beautiful daughter's  face.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He stroked Martha's cheek, seeing Betty in her  cute baby features. The curse was something he would have to live with  for the rest of his life. Knowing that because he couldn't love Betty  the way she wanted, she'd taken her own life. He didn't want to live  with that, but would do so.

"She's so beautiful."

"I know." He chuckled. "I'm her dad, so of course I'm going to think  she's the most precious thing in the world, and she is." I'm sorry, baby  girl. I'm sorry for being a fucking asshole, and for leaving you. I  won't do it again. "I'll get you settled into your room for the night,  and that way you can get some sleep."

She reached out, gripping his arm. "Thank you."

"What for?" he asked.

"For being nice. It has been a long time that someone has been this nice to me, and I appreciate it."

Damian wanted to tell her about his curse, about how they were destined  to be together, but he didn't. She didn't feel anything. From what he  had learned from his father and uncles, the women didn't have a clue  about how devoted their men were. Even his mother had fought his father  every step of the way.

"Sometimes we just need someone looking out for us." He took her across  the hall where her bedroom would be. "You should find everything you  need. Night wear, bathroom is through there. If you look in the cabinet  above the sink Mom always keeps spare toothbrushes." He moved toward the  side of the bed. "And there's also a little nursery radio thing for you  to hear Reese."

"Wow, you really do think of everything."

"We do. I've got to go and talk with my dad. I'll see you in the  morning." He stepped toward her, and she stayed still. All he wanted to  do was tug her into his arms, and hold her close. He stopped himself  from doing that. Instead, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, and left.

He made his way downstairs to find his mother in the kitchen. His father  and Gabriel was also stood there, and he saw Landon was as well. He  thought Landon had flown to England to spend some time with his own  girl, Sarah, but clearly, he hadn't.