Page 62 of Tame Me

“Four ways, though?”

“Are you trying to talk him out of it?” Giovanni laughs.

“Declan,” Thane says.

“Yep?” he answers, emotions making his voice break.

“Do you love her, man?”

“More than life, Thane,” Declan says.

“No more gambling. No more bullshit. Got it? If you are going to be in her life, you get your head out of your ass. Like it or not, you are going to be a daddy to this baby, too, so shape up. Okay?”

“Okay,” Declan says. “What will Mom and Dad say?”

“It’s none of their concern,” Thane says. “But as long as we treat Ayla right and everyone is happy, they won’t care.”

“What about me slaughtering a mafia dude?” I ask.

“Dad is going to meet us at the house,” Thane says. “He will handle it, but you should know… My family is the mafia.”

“I know. I picked up on that. Did you just not want to be part of it?” I ask.

“Not really,” he says. “But I want to be closer to my family. That might mean we take on more risk, but I swear to you, this will never ever happen again. You and our baby will be taken care of and safe,” Thane promises.

“I know,” I say with a smile. “Wanna know the name I chose?”

“Yes,” Giovanni says happily.

“Please don’t be a dumb name,” Reid prays to himself, making me laugh.

“Grace,” I say with a smile. They all gasp, realizing it’s a little girl, and all hug me tightly.

“Wait, is sex safe during pregnancy?” Giovanni asks.

“Yes,” I laugh. “Just please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t go smashing against my cervix. That shit hurts in not a good way.”

“What about your ass?” he asks, grinning.

“Oh, all the way to pound town,” I say.

“Yes!” he celebrates, making me laugh again.

“I think… I think I’m okay,” I say. “I think having Declan saved me from losing my goddamn mind.”

“That is honestly the best situation we could have hoped for,” Reid says. “I’m so sorry all of this happened, though.”

“I… so I did cut a few times,” I admit. “It was early on, but the last time I just imagined like… What if Grace was four years old and asked why Mommy has cuts? What the fuck am I supposed to say? I just didn’t think it was right to do, knowing I needed to set an example for my child.”

“We are proud of you, Ayla,” Thane says.

I smile and lay my head on Giovanni’s chest. I listen to his heartbeat, reminding me that he is alive, and it eventually lulls me to sleep.

“Jesus. How did she kill him?” a man laughs quietly.

“She slit his throat mid-orgasm. It was kinda awesome,” Declan says. “It was like a subtle way of taking back her power.”

“Subtle? I think that’s a pretty obvious way,” Reid laughs.