Keep Her From Harm (The Denton Family Legacy 4)

“I’ve got to go.”

With that, he made his way toward the door.

“You don’t have to go,” Tamsin said.

He turned to see his new little sister sitting on the stairs. She wore a plain nightie, and her hair was mussed.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

She shrugged. “I heard Damian coming home, and how happy Mom was.”

He’d had every intention at one point to kidnap this girl and use her as leverage in a tale of revenge that had seemed so important, whereas now, he couldn’t do it. This family was his home.

“You should be asleep.”

“And you should stop pretending that being who you are isn’t upsetting you.”

He paused with his hand on the door, and turned to look at the kid. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“All of your life you’ve been a Denton enemy, and now you are one. That must take some serious adjustment. Stop pretending to be happy about everything. No one will blame you for being royally pissed.”

He chuckled. “I think your father would take offense to that.”

Again, she shrugged. “Mom told me that he’s too used to getting his own way, and it needed to stop. You don’t have to follow along if you don’t want. No one will blame you. I won’t anyway.”

“You don’t have a problem with having a big brother.”

“I have six of them anyway. One more isn’t going to hurt, nor is having an extra two. Your family is now our family.”

“This coming from a nearly fourteen-year-old kid.”

“I’m very mature for my age.” She stood. “Good night, Gabriel.”

She was going to cause some

trouble as she got older, and he was really fucking pleased that he wasn’t going to be the one to have to deal with her.

Chapter Four

“I got it, Mom,” Damian said, taking the spoon from his mother, and pressing it against Martha’s mouth. His little girl opened up, and he smiled, relieved that he could at least get something right. She was in diapers, and he was so out of practice that morning. Martha had been screaming her little lungs off, so Mia had placed Reese in his arms, and taken over cleaning up the disgusting diaper.

He glanced to his right where Mia was feeding Reese right now, and it was somewhat surreal. After the longest time, he’d found his woman. Twenty-six years old, and he’d finally found her. There were no words to describe what he was feeling. There was still that smidge of guilt, and that would always be there.

“You have got the hang of it,” Charlotte said. “Martha’s a really good eater. You won’t have any problems.”

“He had some problems this morning with her diaper,” Mia said. “I think he needs practice in changing them.”

“I was once more than fine with changing diapers. I’m just a little out of practice,” he said.

He’d not changed a diaper since Betty had killed herself. There had been no reason to do it, and he’d not even tried to be part of his daughter’s life. That was all going to change. He needed to take care of Martha, to be a dad to her.

“So what’s the plan for today?” Charlotte asked just as Tamsin entered the kitchen.

“I’ve not got school. I’m going to read a book. May as well, nothing else to do around here.”

Charlotte groaned. “Not that again.”

“What? Telling you how bored I am. I can’t even go around to friends’ houses or anything. I’m going to grow up a lonely old spinster, and I’ll have dozens of cats, and have no life.”