The doorknob turned and the door slowly opened. I dropped my hands to my sides as Della’s eyes locked with mine. Her hair was mussed from sleep and she still looked tired.

“You love me?”

Hearing her say it made my heart soar. She knew.

“Yes. More than life.”

Instead of throwing herself into my arms and telling me she loved me too she dropped her face into her hands and sobbed. I watched for a moment confused and completely mystified by her reaction. This wasn’t what I had expected.

“Della?” I asked as panic started to take its place in my chest this time.

“You can’t love me. You deserve better. Not me,” she cried looking up at me. Her eyes were full of tears as several trickled down her face.

“There is no one better than you, Della.”

She shook her head. “No, no, no. Don’t you see? I’m not stable. Long term… later… in life I could become like my mother. You can’t love me.”

Her mother? She wasn’t going to become her mother? Why would she even think that?

“You’re it for me, baby. Just you. You’re not going to be your mother. You’re special and unique and we’re going to get you help. But I will be right by your side the entire time. I’ll never leave you. I swear it.”

Della’s tear streaked face stared up at me. I reached over to wipe the tears from her cheeks and pulled her closer so I could kiss her.

“I don’t want to destroy you,” she whispered.

“Losing you would be the only thing that could destroy me.”

She closed her eyes tightly. “But what if I lose my mind?”

I had to get her to see that I wasn’t going to let that happen. She wasn’t her mother, dammit.

“You won’t. I won’t let you.”

Della sniffled and shook her head. “You can’t control it.”

Yes, I could. I would find a f**king way to control it.

“You are mine. Do you hear me? You are mine, Della Sloane. I will take care of you. Nothing is taking you away from me. Nothing.”

Della

I had spent the rest of yesterday curled up in Woods’ lap while we sat on the front porch and watched the ocean. We hadn’t talked much. We’d just held each other. I’d tried hard to let myself believe him and he’d reassured me with words every once and awhile.

Today I’d set my alarm because I was on the schedule to work the breakfast shift and I wasn’t missing another day because Woods thought he needed to coddle me. I was a big girl and I could deal with things. He had brought me to work and kissed me several times before leaving me so I could go get ready in the kitchen. He was behind on work in his office and he’d promised me he would work in there today and not hover over me.

It had taken a lot of begging but he’d agreed. I walked into the kitchen to see a gorgeous blonde with a very pregnant stomach talking to Jimmy. He was rubbing her stomach and cooing at the baby inside. She lifted her eyes to meet mine and a sincere smile touched her lips. I was instantly curious.

“Hello,” she said and her voice reminded me of warm honey. It was smooth but had a southern drawl to it. I wasn’t sure which part of the south it was though. My eye caught the large diamond on her hand. She had to be a member here. But why was she back here in the kitchen with Jimmy?

“Hello,” I replied.

Jimmy glanced back at me and grinned. “Glad you’re back, girl. Yesterday went to shit without you.”

I returned his smile but my interest was right back to the blonde.

“Della, this is Blaire. She’s my BFF who ran off and left me for another man. One I can’t blame her for because he is one hot piece of ass. Blaire this is Della. She may or may not be boinking the boss.”

“Jimmy!” we both said at the same time. I couldn’t believe he’d said that. I didn’t know who this Blaire was.

“Woods right? That boss?” Blaire asked with a mischievous grin.

I liked her.

“Of course, Woods. The girl has taste. She ain’t gonna boink the old man.”

“Would you stop saying ‘boink’?” I could feel my face heating up.

“Jimmy shouldn’t have told me that but since he did, can I say, Woods is a great guy. If you are in fact… um… boinking him, then you picked a good one.”

I couldn’t believe we were talking about this. I forced a smile. “Thanks.”

The blonde beamed at me like she was truly happy to hear I might be doing it with Woods. I wondered if they were friends. I almost felt jealous until I remembered her very large stomach and very large diamond. She was taken. Very taken.

“If I don’t have this baby this week maybe we can get together and have lunch.” I glanced down at her stomach and then back up at her face. It was very likely she was going to give birth any minute. She was tiny except for that basketball in her stomach.

“Okay. That sounds good,” I replied.

“Della Sloane,” a hard voice called my name and I spun around to see a police officer standing at the entrance of the kitchen.

“Yes, sir,” I replied. The last time a police officer had come looking for me had not ended well. The fear that went along with that memory kept me frozen in place. I didn’t like police officers.

“You need to come with me, Miss Sloane,” he said as he held the door open for me to exit. I could feel every eye in the kitchen on me. I wanted to hide from them but I couldn’t move. “Miss Sloane, if you don’t come willingly I will have to go against Mr. Kerrington’s wishes and arrest you right here on the club’s grounds.”