Ivy’s POV
When we arrived at Xavier’s sprawling compound in the hills, the steel gates had already parted for our armored convoy. The other wives were waiting in the marble foyer, their designer heels clicking against the polished floors as they rushed over to take Max from Caleb’s protective embrace. My son had been unusually quiet during the drive, his small hands clutching the bulletproof vest that Caleb insisted he wear whenever they left Thorne territory.
"Easy there, ladies! This little prince is precious cargo," Caleb warned, his voice carrying that familiar edge that made even hardened soldiers step back. But his tone softened imdiately as Max giggled at the attention from my friends.
"I’ve been dying to et the future heir!" Jude declared, approaching with his characteristic warmth that sohow never quite masked the calculating intelligence in his eyes. As one of Caleb’s most trusted lieutenants, Jude had witnessed more bloodshed than most, yet he handled Max with surprising gentleness.
My son found himself surrounded by the wives and girlfriends of Thorne’s inner circle, their perfectly manicured fingers tickling his belly while expensive jewelry caught the afternoon sunlight. Max’s laughter echoed through the compound’s courtyard, a sound of pure innocence that seed almost foreign in this world of concrete barriers and ard guards.
Then Max’s bright ice-blue eyes found Caleb across the secured patio.
"Caleb, swim!" he declared with the authority of soone who had never been denied anything by the notorious Don.
"Sunscreen and floaties first, sweetheart," I reminded him, watching as Max already stretched his little arms toward the most feared man in the city.
"I’ve got our boy covered, Tesoro. Let handle everything today while you decompress," Caleb said, flashing that devastating smile that had probably sealed the fate of many rival families. "You’ve been through enough lately."
The late afternoon sun transford him into sothing almost godlike against the backdrop of Xavier’s fortress. His dark hair caught the light, designer sunglasses perched perfectly on his nose, the white linen shirt doing nothing to hide the intricate tattoos that marked his rank in our world. Even his casual stance radiated the kind of power that made grown n beg for their lives. He took Max’s designer bag from my hands with surprising tenderness, carefully applying military-grade sunscreen to my son’s pale skin before inflating the custom floaties that cost more than most people’s monthly salary.
With practiced precision, he carried Max into the temperature-controlled pool, and soon they were both splashing around with pure joy, the sound of my son’s delighted squeals mixing with Caleb’s rare, genuine laughter.
"Max is absolutely beautiful, Ivy!" Jude observed, settling into one of the leather pool chairs that probably cost more than a car.
"It’s uncanny how much he resembles Caleb. Even those distinctive eyes!" Dominic added, his puzzlent evident as he studied the two figures in the water.
"I’d say our girl definitely has a type," Xavier grinned at knowingly, gesturing toward the pool where Caleb was teaching Max to kick.
"Oh honey, like drop-dead gorgeous, dangerous n with enough firepower to level city blocks aren’t every woman’s weakness," Ruby teased, making the entire group burst into knowing laughter.
The n eventually joined Caleb and Max in the pool, transforming into a group of overgrown children despite the fact that between them, they controlled most of the city’s underground operations. The won seized this opportunity to interrogate about every detail of recent events, their questions sharper and more pointed than any FBI investigation.
"But tell what happened at poker night after I left. I heard there was quite a scene," I asked, genuinely curious about the aftermath of my dramatic exit.
"My brother disappeared right after you did. I felt terrible for him, but I warned him not to get his hopes up where you’re concerned," Ruby explained, her expression sympathetic but realistic.
"Ru, I never wanted to hurt your brother. He’s truly a good man, despite what he does for a living," I said sincerely, knowing that in our world, ’good’ was a relative term.
"Don’t stress about it, Ivy. He understands you’re completely devoted to Caleb. Besides, he’s survived worse disappointnts in this business. But I have to ask you sothing," Ruby’s eyes sparkled with dangerous curiosity.
"Go ahead. I’ll give you the truth."
"That move he pulled with the neck kiss was pretty bold. How did it affect you?" Ruby asked the question I’d been dreading since that night.
"Oh, Ru. Your brother is lethal, and he knows exactly how to use it. I won’t lie to you - it sent chills through , heated my blood, and definitely made nervous. The kiss was incredible, seductive, and dangerously skillful. If circumstances were different, it would have made want to respond," I admitted honestly, knowing that dishonesty in our circle could be fatal.
"So you did feel sothing," she stated matter-of-factly, and I nodded. "Next ti Caleb screws up, I’m definitely encouraging my brother to make his play." We all dissolved into knowing giggles.
"But what about you ladies?" I was practically vibrating with curiosity.
"Oh girl, things got absolutely wild after you left," Zoe said with a wicked smile. "I won and followed Nora’s lead - I kissed both Finn and Brenda simultaneously." I stared at my friend in complete shock. "My man is delicious, but Brenda is pure fire! What a specin!"
"Zo, was Finn really okay with sharing?" I asked, stunned.
"Finn gets off on watching explore, honey, you know that. We went ho and had the most explosive night!" Zoe spoke like she was reliving every mont. All I could do was laugh.
"And you, Gemma?" I turned to the blonde.
"Dominic nearly had a stroke. Hunter won with high points and kissed my ear. Dominic shot up, grabbed my hand, and practically dragged ho, warning Hunter to keep his distance," Gemma said with a devilish grin.
"And you, Ru?" I asked, my curiosity reaching dangerous levels.
"Won again with the highest score and pulled both Nora and Beckett into a scorching hot kiss! Xavier went absolutely crazy!" Ruby laughed uncontrollably.
"And you’re such an amazing kisser, gorgeous," Nora said to Ruby, making us all crack up. "But after that, Jude and Silas dragged out of there."
"Both of them?" I asked incredulously, and she nodded.
"And this beast kicked Beckett out. Then things got really intense. This man is absolutely incredible!" Ruby said, looking at Xavier with obvious appreciation.
"Oh my God, you girls are complete degenerates!" I concluded, and we all burst into hysterical laughter. Our n glanced over at us curiously but quickly returned to entertaining Max.
"So, girl, did you reconcile with the bastard?" Zoe asked directly.
"I honestly don’t know, Zo. We were in the middle of talking when Xavier called about security concerns. He explained his side, and now I’m completely confused about what to do," I replied honestly.
"The n filled us in on what went down too. Maybe, Ivy, you need so distance to see the situation clearly," Gemma suggested thoughtfully.
"That’s actually not a bad idea. I’ve been wanting to visit my parents - I miss them desperately. Maybe a weekend away from all this could help gain so perspective," I agreed, already warming to the idea.
"Then it’s decided. Soon, Max, you, and I are heading to Greenleaf," Zoe declared. "But we’re not telling them, not even Finn. They might follow us with a full security detail."
I agreed, thinking it was exactly what I needed.
After lunch, Caleb put Max down for his nap in one of the compound’s secure guest rooms and settled beside on the reinforced terrace, pulling into his powerful embrace.
"My angel, being here with you and our boy feels so right! I love that kid more than my own life, Ivy," Caleb said, pressing a tender kiss to my cheek and holding tightly against his chest.
"The bond between you two still amazes . My son absolutely worships you! He asks about you constantly," I said, still stunned by how quickly they’d connected.
"So connections can’t be explained, it’s just natural chemistry, I suppose," Caleb gave that crooked smile that made my heart skip. "He reminds of the relationship I had with my father - we were inseparable until the end."
"You miss him terribly, don’t you," I said, thinking about how much I missed my own father, and I could still see him whenever I wanted.
"Every single day," he confird quietly. "My angel, now that we’ve cleared the air between us, when are you coming back to the organization? Gemma starts her new position soon."
"Caleb, I listened to what you had to say, but I haven’t decided whether I’m going to forgive you yet," I spoke honestly and heard him let out a frustrated breath. "I despise Rossi, and you were intimate with her in our space," I said, feeling the familiar stab of pain. "I won’t co back to the compound and look at that room imagining you with her."
"I’ll burn that damn furniture, Ivy! But please forgive , I was an idiot, arrogant, and completely blind. I screwed up monuntally, but I love you with everything I have. Co back to ," Caleb pleaded, his voice raw with emotion.
"I need ti to think."
"Why is this so complicated? You love , I know you do. And I love you desperately. Co back to , Ivy, we can make this work. End this hell of being separated," Caleb’s voice was thick with desperation.
"Give so ti to think, just so ti. I don’t want to co back to you consud by bitterness and resentnt."
"Fine, but I’m not staying away from you, and I’m not giving that persistent bastard Parker any opportunity to get close," he said, tightening his arms around possessively.
The day was absolutely perfect. Being surrounded by these incredible people I’d found in this dark world was wonderful. Max had the ti of his life, and Caleb went above and beyond to shower my son with attention and affection, treating him like the precious heir he might one day beco.
When Caleb drove us ho in the armored vehicle, Max was already fast asleep in his custom car seat, and Caleb insisted on carrying him upstairs and tucking him into bed. Before leaving, he captured my lips with a kiss that left breathless, thanking for the perfect day we’d shared in our dangerous paradise.
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