Keep Her From Harm (The Denton Family Legacy 4)

He climbed behind the wheel, gave a wave, and then pulled away from the house.

“I like your mother. She’s nice,” Mia said.

“She’s had that effect on most people. You just can’t help but love her.”

“I can see that. She’s sweet, charming, and I’ve only met her for a few hours, but she was just so … loving. It must have been nice growing up with her as a mother. Of course, she also has that side of her that I do find scary.”

“What about your mother?”

“Both of my parents are dead, and I don’t miss them. Your life, it’s like something out of a movie.”

He smiled. “It’s not. Believe me.” There was a lot about his life that she didn’t know, and right now, she didn’t need to know about it either. “I’m taking you to my apartment. It’s large, and you’ll have your own room. There’s already a nursery there, but I’ve got to stop off and order some nursery items, and we can get them all set up in the room.”

“Okay. Is this the apartment you shared with your wife?” Mia asked.

“No. Martha’s mother and I lived in different places, and I would visit her from time to time. Also, she wasn’t my wife. Betty and I, we didn’t love each other. We were friends.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

He smiled. “You can say whatever you like, angel. I don’t have a problem with it.” He loved listening to her talk.

“Will you have guns pulled on your often?”

The change in conversation had him frowning. “Guns?”

“Yes. Your brother, the one from another mother, last night he had a gun at your face.”

“Oh, yeah, that is friendly banter.” He waved his hand as if it was no big deal having a gun in his face.

“You know that’s crazy, right?” she asked.

“It will probably happen a lot of the time. No need to worry about it.”

She laughed. “I’ll worry about it. You’re my boss now, and I have to make sure I get paid.”

“Very true.” For the rest of the journey Damian gave her the lowdown on payment, the health benefits, pension plan, and everything else. He pulled it straight out of his own ass, seeing as he intended to have her as his wife in no time, and being a Denton would give her access to a whole lot of shit. He wasn’t going to fuck up like his brothers had. The last thing he was going to tell Mia was about this damn legacy that the Denton men were given. Some of his uncles and brothers considered it a curse, others a gift.

He didn’t know what it meant. Only when he was with Mia, she calmed him. Last night before he’d gone to bed, he’d opened her door, and for a few minutes he had watched her sleep. He didn’t how it was possible, but being near her calmed him. It made him feel … better.

“You won’t have to worry about Ivan,” he said.

“Thank you. I mean that. Thank you.”

Damian had seen the fear in her eyes, and she had done everything she could to mask it. Some things couldn’t be hidden though.

The apartment block that he lived in had every luxury a person could think of, an indoor gym and pool, and there was even a small shopping mall on the ground floor and award-winning restaurant. He rarely used any of the extra facilities. The views from his apartment, along with the security, was why he picked it.

Parking in his bay, he climbed out of the car and took Martha in his arms. She snuggled in against his chest, and he watched as Mia held onto Reese. Together they walked toward the elevator. He pressed his key card into the controller, and that would take him to his floor. There wasn’t anyone else who lived on his floor, which again was another reason why he loved this luxury.

“This is really grand,” she said.

“It’s a step up from that place you were living.”

“Very true. I did the best with what I had.” She kissed Reese’s head. “I think that’s all we always do, you know? Just do the best we can. I wish I could give Reese a better life, a better start.”

“That’s going to happen now. You’ll be surprised what being employed by a Denton will do for you.”

The elevator doors opened, and he used his key card to open his door. Once inside, he made sure all the locks were in place. His mother would have made sure his apartment was in perfect shape for when he returned. It was just who his mother was. She loved her kids.