Vengeful Secret (The Burkes Mafia #3)

15. Sutton

15

SUTTON

I’d planned on taking Ciara out of school for a couple of days to get settled, but she wakes up at six the next morning, bright-eyed.

“Will the bus pick me up from here?” She’s always had a strange fascination with riding the bus, even though she’s only done it once, for a field trip.

“No, mo stóirin . I’ll have to take you, but you don’t have to go to school today.” I yawn. It had been hard to sleep, especially after Gray came in to listen to my bedtime story.

She pouts. “But I’ll miss the new hamster. He’s coming today.”

Their class had lost their class hamster a few weeks ago, and Ciara was very upset.

“I guess we should get ready, then.”

I unpack some of her clothes, throwing a few outfits on the bed for her to choose from, and I wince when she looks at them with a discerning eye. I wonder if she’s going to have another breakdown about polka dots, but in the end, she picks out a Minnie Mouse dress and a pair of tights instead.

She dresses herself, and I only have to help her with the buttons on the top of the dress.

“Proud of you, honey.” I kiss her temple.

“Do you think Gray will take us to school?”

I open my mouth to say no just as Gray knocks on the door.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, surprised.

“I thought I’d ask the princess if she wants me to take her to school.”

I don’t have a change to say anything before Ciara is jumping up and down. “Yes, please!”

Gray looks at me with a bit of a smug smile.

I want to roll my eyes but at the same time, I can’t help being glad that he really wants to be a part of Ciara’s life. Now that he knows, it’s great knowing he wants her in his life, wants to be involved.

“It’s no hayride, but it’ll have to do.” Gray picks up Ciara who giggles in his arms.

We walk downstairs and get into one of Gray’s cars—a black SUV.

“There are seat warmers if you’re cold,” Gray points out, and Ciara giggles as I transfer her booster seat into the SUV.

“To warm your butt?” she asks, still giggling.

Gray laughs. “Exactly that, mo órlaith .”

She smiles at him. She seems to have taken to Gray so easily, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s their matching DNA.

Gray pulls off down the driveway and out onto the road, and we head to the school.

I look out the window, watching the trees whip by and feeling slightly nervous. I’ve never seen him in this arena before.

When we arrive, Gray parks as close as he can.

“We can just drop her off.”

Gray shakes his head. “No, I want to meet her teacher.”

I swallow hard and get out of the car, unbuckling Ciara. I plan on taking her hand, but she stands between us, taking both mine and Gray’s hands in her own small ones.

As we walk, she looks up at him with pure admiration.

My heart aches. Have I deprived her and myself of something really amazing? Maybe Gray’s right. Maybe I did make the wrong decision.

Gray stands near the entrance while I quietly address her teacher. “Ciara’s father is here.”

I look as Ciara goes to put her backpack in the cubby.

Mrs. Sampson’s eyes widen. “Her… father?”

“She doesn’t know,” I say quickly. “But he’d like to speak to you in the hall? Just for a few minutes.”

I’m terribly embarrassed, but I know Gray doesn’t back down when he wants something.

She nods. “I’ll be right in the hall, kids. Be good!”

They answer in unison. “Yes, Mrs. Sampson.”

“Hello,” Gray says with a charming smile, and I notice her eyes widen again, probably at how handsome he is.

I feel a slight stab of jealousy but push it down. This isn’t the time for those feelings. I’ll have to explore that at a later time.

Or maybe never.

“I’m Gray Burke, Ciara’s father,” he says when she introduces herself. “I wanted to know how she’s doing.”

“Ciara is a very bright little girl,” Mrs. Sampson says with a smile. “She might like to talk a little too much, but she always pays attention when I ask her to.”

He chuckles. “So, she’s a little outgoing?”

“Very,” Mrs. Sampson says, glancing at me and back at Gray.

“We should let Mrs. Sampson get back to her class.” I take Gray’s elbow, and he frowns but nods.

“It was lovely to meet you,” he says, and Mrs. Sampson is staring at him like he’s some kind of Greek god.

“You too,” she mutters, and I usher Gray out into the hall.

The security guard nods at me, smiling, but Gray goes right over to him.

“Excuse me. My daughter goes to this school, and I’d like to know about the security measures,” he demands.

I can understand his worry, but I wouldn’t let Ciara come here if security wasn’t tight.

“You don’t have to worry, sir. I’m here every second of my shift.”

Gray hums. “What about a metal detector?”

The guard’s eyes widen. “For an elementary school?”

“You never know.”

“I’ll make mention of it to the higher-ups,” the security guard says.

Gray doesn’t seem placated, but I take him by the arm and out to the SUV.

“Sorry,” he says quietly. “I just want to make sure she is safe and learn more about her.”

I can’t help but soften. “I know.”

“What about the security measures? I was able to just walk in there?—”

“Only because I spoke to her first,” I assure him.

He nods. “Good. And how long will she be in school?”

“Until two-thirty. We can come back and pick her up then.”

“You’re sure it’s safe? She’s safe?”

“It’s the safest school district in town, Gray, I promise.” I smile a little at his overprotective streak.

“It's just with everything going on…” He pauses before speaking again. “I think I’ll station someone here to watch out for her, just in case.”

“Whatever makes you feel better.” And honestly, it makes me feel better too, even if I know she is safe here.

Gray and I get back into the car, and he looks at me from the corner of his eye.

“Thank you for letting me speak with the teacher.”

“Of course, Gray. I know you want to get to know Ciara better.”

“I have a million questions.”

“I’ll do my best to answer them.”

“Now that you say that, it’s like I can’t even think of one.” He chuckles, letting out a breath. “What was she like as a baby?”

I chuckle. “Just as she is now, but angrier. She breastfed constantly, and even when I put her on formula it was hard to wean her. She just loved to eat. She still does.”

“Does she? What are her favorite foods?”

“Chicken nuggets. Pizza, the normal kid stuff. Everything bad for her. Oh, and spicy chips.”

“Spicy chips?”

“ Really spicy chips.” I laugh. “Like so spicy I can’t even eat them.”

“I love spicy foods,” he murmurs, and I nod, smiling.

“Yeah, I always wondered if that was where she got it from.”

“You could have asked me.”

“Gray, please?—”

“I can’t help it!”

The tension in the air seems to cut deeper than it did before.

“I can’t help thinking about what might have happened if you’d just told me, if you hadn’t just dumped me."

“It wasn't like that, Gray. I just didn’t want to?—”

“Didn’t want to what?”

“Didn’t want to get wrapped up in your lifestyle. It was you I liked, but nothing about the lifestyle appealed to me. On the contrary, it scared me. Even before I was pregnant with Ciara.”

“You never said that to me.”

“What was I supposed to say? I know you’re an Irish mobster, but I don’t want to be a target?”

He stares at me. “Yes. That’s exactly what you should have said. Then I could have told you that I’ll always protect you. I could have convinced you.”

“Gray, you couldn’t have?—”

Gray’s phone starts to buzz incessantly in his pocket.

He picks it up quickly, turning into the estate. “Gray.”

He listens for a long moment, his face going pale.

“All right. I’ll take care of it.”

We pull into the gate when he inputs the code, and he exits the car quickly.

“We’ll finish this later,” he says in a low tone, and I just nod, knowing it must be something work-related.

Anxiety rises in my throat. I hope it isn’t something dangerous, but the past tells me it probably is.

He hurries into the house, and I slowly get out of the car, shutting the door and looking around the grounds.

There are roses planted all around the front of the house, and it smells beautiful.

I walk around to the terrace, looking out at the huge fields behind the house. They extend to a greenhouse and the pool and pool house.

“It’s really beautiful here,” I murmur to myself,

“It really is.”

I nearly jump out of my skin, jumping and putting a hand to my chest.

I turn to see Lara.

“You scared me!”

“Sorry.” Lara chuckles. “I saw you guys pull up and thought I’d come out to talk to you.”

“I was just admiring the garden.”

“My mother planted the roses and took care of the greenhouse,” Lara muses, something bittersweet in her tone. “Da hires someone to do it, but you should have seen it when she was alive. It was glorious.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

Lara smiles. “Thank you. Where’s your little one?”

“Off to school. Gray wanted to come and check out the security.”

She laughs. “He’s protective. Especially to those he loves.”

I look at her. “You think Gray loves me?”

She shrugs. “Gray loves hard. I don’t think he ever falls out of love once he’s in it.”

I think about that, my heart aching, wondering if Gray really feels the same way about me now, especially now that he knows I’ve kept Ciara from him.

I think about him now, how he must be in his office, dealing with something for work. Probably something dangerous.

Am I making the right decision entrusting Ciara’s life to him?