I'm not sure what the three troublemaking men were sitting at the table heavily discussing, other than overhearing Justin say he knows where my mother is. But how everyone quit talking when I entered the room, I know there's more to their discussion that'll most likely upset me once I get one of them to admit what they were talking about behind my back.

And it better be Gunner who tells me because as I stand behind Justin and see the guilty expression on his face as he looks at my brother, it tells me they were talking about something he and I discussed the other day—something I asked Gunner to forget about.

Knowing how Walter doesn't hold anything back and tells me everything, my narrowed eyes wandered away from Gunner and over to Walter. But when I saw the sparkle in his eyes as he innocently stared at me, waiting for my response about the date he wished to take me on, my angered eyes softened.

I'll respond to Walter's request, but first, I want to know why they were talking about my mother and what Justin was in the middle of saying before I interrupted him.

I lowered my hands to my hips and gripped them as I looked back at Gunner, staring intensely into his guilty eyes. "What are you all up to?"

"We're not up to anything," Gunner quickly replied. He looked away from me and over to Walter, extending his hand toward him. "Walter said he wanted to take you out on a date, and I mentioned I could have that arranged. Is there something wrong with that?" he asked, looking back at me.

"No," I hissed, "I have no problem going out with Walter. My problem right now is with you and Justin. You have a guilty look on your face." I paused and looked around Justin's head to see his face, and when I saw him looking at Gunner, I made him aware of what I noticed. "And you look just as guilty as Gunner." I stood. "So somebody at this table better open their mouth and tell me why you were discussing my mother without involving me in the discussion."

Walter looked at Gunner, then at me, pursing his lips.

Ugh... he doesn't want to tell me either.

"Gunner. I told you the other day I've decided not to visit her. She's made it quite clear she doesn't want to see him or me." I scowled, pointing at Justin. Then, I stepped to my brother's side and looked at him with a raised eyebrow while folding my arms against my chest. "Has mom contacted you or something?"

He shook his head. "No. I was just telling them that I would take you if you wanted to see her. I wouldn't mind seeing how she's doing, anyway."

"I'm not going."

"Aria, I think you and I should go see her. I spoke to her doctor a couple of weeks ago, and he mentioned that he placed her on a new medication, claiming it seems to be working better than what he had her on before."

My eyes lowered down to my feet.

It's been about twelve years since I last saw her and nearly twenty years since I last knew her. So if I do decide to give in and see her, I know Gunner would want to come with me, and I'd like for him to go with me to be by my side, but I think this is something Justin and I should do together. Without Nikki. And without Gunner.

I didn't know what to do. I also felt it was something I needed more time to think about. I shrugged my shoulders while looking up, then looked over at Nikki and Wyatt and sighed. I'd love for my mother to meet her grandson, but I don't think it would be good for him to see her just yet because of her state of mind. However, I also feel that she shouldn't see him either. Not until I know she's in a better state of mind.

All eyes were on me—curiously waiting to hear what I'd like to do.

But I couldn't think about anything because of how Justin, Gunner, and Walter put me on the spot.

"Nothing like having dead silence in the room," Walter exclaimed. "What are you thinking about, Aria?"

"I need time to think about what I want to do."

"The doctor thinks it would be good for us to see her. Even if she denies seeing us," Justin pushed, hoping to persuade my decision faster than I'd like.

My brows furrowed while studying the look on my brother's face. "What are you hiding from me? If you talked to her doctor a couple of weeks ago. Why did it take you this long for you to tell me? Don't you think I have every right to know what's going on with our mother?"

"I wasn't sure what I should do because I didn't think you'd want to try seeing her again. But after talking to Gunner and Walter. I think you and me going to see her might be a good idea for us all. Especially you."

"Me? Why only me? What about you?"

"Because I've come to terms with what happened to our parents. You haven't," he reminded bitterly.

Ouch.

"Yes, I have," I scowled.

Justin mockingly laughed and stood from the chair. "Whatever, Aria," he groaned. "I think you should see her. But then again, that's completely up to you." He looked at Gunner while extending his hand toward him. "Thanks for having me come over today and allowing me to use your workout room and show me some fighting moves, but I think it's time to get going. It's getting late, and Nikki and I have some things to do yet."

He walked over to Nikki, took Wyatt from her arms, and talked to him while walking Wyatt toward me. "Think about it, Aria," he demanded while handing Wyatt to me. "Think long and hard about going to see her. It might do you and our mother some good."

***

I looked at Justin, shocked by the woman claiming to be our father's girlfriend. And when I saw the fire flaming in my brother's eyes, I suddenly felt sick and asked, "What about mom?"

Justin angrily looked at my father, called him an asshole, and then stomped his feet over to me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me, yanking me with him as he headed to the front door. "Come on, Aria," he snapped. "We're leaving."

"Owe! You're ripping my arm off!" I yelled as he continued pulling me toward the door. "Let me go; you're hurting me!"

"Justin! Aria! Get back here!" My father yelled when Justin opened the door.

"Leave us alone!" Justin yelled before slamming the door. Then, with his hand clenched around mine, he started running, and before I hurt myself by falling on my face, I ran with him.

"Where are we going?"

He didn't say a word and ran towards the trees across the street.

"Aria! Justin! Stop!"

After hearing my father yelling our names, I looked behind me and stopped when he demanded that we do, causing me to fall to the ground from Justin yanking me.

Justin turned and offered me his hand."Get up, Aria," he demanded, his eyes on our father.

"Hurry! Dad's coming!"

I finally took my brother's hand, but as he helped me stand, my father's arm quickly wrapped around me, and he picked me up, scolding Justin at the same time. "Get back to the house right now," he demanded. "You're not bringing Aria any further into the woods. There's a damn river on the other side of this tree line. The last thing I need is for you both to fall into it and drown."

"I'm not going back to your house if she's there," Justin argued.

"You have no choice. Stacey's already there, and you need to learn to respect her. Not to mention it's my weekend to spend time with the two of you."

"If you're so worried about having your time with us, why is she there? You promised me you would wait!" Justin yelled, turning his back to us.

I looked at my dad and asked, "Wait, for what?"

Justin turned around with a saddened look in his eye. "Dad was supposed to wait to have her over until after you met Stacey."

"Are you having a sleepover, daddy?"

"I guess you can say that," my father said with a slight hint of amusement in his voice.

"Can mom spend the night too?"

My dad twisted his lips. He looked at Justin and then at me, saying, "I'm sorry, hun, but no. She can't."

"Why?"

"Because dad's an asshole and doesn't want to see mom anymore," Justin hissed, angering my dad more than he already was with us for running out of his home and not listening to him.

"That's enough, Justin!" my father harshly reprimanded. "I don't want to hear you talking like that anymore around your six-year-old sister or me. Got it? You're ten years old, not twenty!"

Justin's eyes turned to slits, and then he lambasted my father. "What's the difference? You're a thirty-four old man acting like a sixteen-year-old."

My brother's response didn't go too well with my father. First, his arm tightened around me, and then he stepped in front of Justin, grabbed a fist full of his shirt, swung him around, and began pushing him toward the house.

After walking inside, my father yelled at Justin. "Go to your room," he ordered. He set me on the floor next to the baby playing with her toys, then looked at the woman sitting on the couch. "Watch her for me, please. I need to have a word with Justin."

"Okay," she said as he walked away, and then she smiled at me. "Would you like to play a game?"

I shook my head, looking at the baby playing next to me.

"What would you like to do?" she asked, pressing me harder to talk to her, but I was too focused on watching the little girl drool all over the toy in her mouth, chewing on it like it was food.

"There must be something you'd like to do while waiting for your dad to come back." I was more interested in what the baby was doing, and after remembering my mom telling us that we're never to talk to strangers, I ignored her.

"Aria, you can talk to me," she begged. "I won't hurt you."

I looked at her, and then as I looked back at the little girl, I shook my head, saying, "You're a stranger. I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

She laughed like I was being cute. I'm not trying to be cute; I'm doing what my mother taught me to do. "It's good that you know not to talk to people you don't know, but I'm not a stranger, Aria. Not anymore. And since I'm your dad's girlfriend, I need you to know you'll see me every time you're here visiting your father," she enlightened as I listened to my father and brother scream at each other.

"You're still a stranger," I warned as the little girl crawled into my lap and handed me a toy.

"Her name is Felicia," the woman informed with a smile, still trying to get me to talk to her.

"Are you babysitting?" I finally asked her.

"No," she laughed. "She's my daughter."

"Oh." I looked back at the little girl and laughed when she stuck her fingers into my mouth. "How old is she?"

"Felicia will be a year old in a couple of weeks."

I was fascinated by the little girl trying to play with me, so I reached for a toy and handed it to her. Then I set her on the ground between my legs and pulled all the girls's toys toward us. Playing with the baby got me more excited about what would be coming to our home in a few months.

I looked at the woman, grinning and excitedly saying, "My mommy has a baby in her tummy. So I'll finally get to be a big sister instead of a baby sister."

"Really..." the woman said, surprised, her smile turning into a frown.

"Uh-huh! I can't wait!"

~~~

"Wake up, hun. We're getting ready to land."

I opened my eyes, lifted my head off Gunner's shoulder, and slowly turned towards the window, yawning while adjusting my eyes to the light. "Wow, I can't believe I slept the entire flight."

"You needed it. That's why I didn't even bother waking you to have some fun time," Gunner grinned, wiggling his brows up and down.

I lowered my head back on his shoulder and closed my eyes. "I'm sure I needed it after not getting the sleep I've needed lately, but I don't feel very well-rested for as long as I slept."

"You were twitching and mumbling the entire time you were sleeping," he chuckled. "You must have been having some wild dreams."

"No, not really," I muttered.

Just old memories that I wish would quit recurring in my thoughts and dreams.

Gunner's head lowered, and he curled his finger underneath my chin, raising it for my eyes to meet his. "Can I ask what were you dreaming about?"

Seeing how his eyes searched my face for the answer, I knew he wouldn't stop asking until I admitted what the dream was about. And knowing if I were to lie by saying it was nothing or that I can't remember, he'd know I'm lying, and I'd be disciplined later for it—something I'm in no mood for.

"Her," I finally admitted, sighing.

"Who's her?"

"Stacey. The woman, my father, left my mother for."

Gunner then shocked me; instead of asking more about Stacey, his warm, loving lips fell on mine, passionately kissing me and leaving me breathless and gasping for air when he broke the kiss. Then he sat back in his seat and held me tightly against him until we landed without saying another word.

It felt weird to be away from Wyatt and Walter. So because I have a few days to enjoy a break from taking care of two kids, I plan to enjoy every minute of it. I never thought having Walter living with us would be so much work, but it has.

I love him; I love him a lot. It's just that he's more of a handful than Wyatt, and with him not as young as he thinks he is, my stress level increases because I worry about him every day.

After checking into the hotel and settling into our room, I felt like relaxing. So as I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, unsure of what to do with myself since I had nobody to take care of, I used that time to enjoy the peace and quietness in the room. Then I felt the bed dip beside me when Gunner sat on the bed.

His arm crossed over my body, and then he hovered over me and locked his eyes with mine, smiling that sexy fucking smile that always dampens my panties. "Since we have nowhere to be tonight and nobody to take up the rest of our night. What would you like to do? Or what are you in the mood for?"

I reached to either side of his face and slid my fingers through his hair, smiling, "You know New York more than I do."

His eyes turned to sincerity, and using the back of his hand, he caressed the side of my face, causing my insides to tingle and my pussy to pulsate. "That's not the response I wanted to hear. What I want to know is, what are you in the mood for?"

I didn't know what I wanted to do. But there was one thing I did know. I was hungry. But I also enjoyed how peaceful and quiet the room was—something I never get to experience unless we're in bed.

"Well?"

Curious to see what he'd do or say, I devilishly grinned. "I think you should take me to get drunk." His mouth fell, his eyes widened, and it made me laugh. "I was only kidding. However, that doesn't sound like a bad idea, either," I added because it didn't. My body and mind told me I needed a stiff alcoholic drink to relax, but I knew the closest thing I'd get to that was dreaming it—something that'll never happen either since my dreams seemed to be heavily consumed with bringing up my past.

"You know Neron would have your ass if he saw me fireman carrying you back into the hotel," he chuckled. "He'd work your body so fucking hard tomorrow; you'd miss my fight."

"Maybe that's what I want him to see," I giggled, pulling him tighter against me. "But I don't want to miss your fight, either."

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving."

"I'm starving too," he smiled, showing me his tongue and flicking it up and down.

His version of starving is much different from mine. I giggled, shoved him onto his back, and rolled on top, pinning him to the bed. "As much as I wouldn't mind you putting on your bib and eating the pie. But that's not what I meant when I said I was starving. I really am hungry... for food."

He tightened his arm around me, and then he trailed his other hand up my back, through my hair, cupped the back of my head, and pulled me down to his lips, kissing me long, hard, and possessively that tingling sensations shot through me and my veins. The next thing I felt was the sensitive bud between my thighs swelling to the maximum size allowed.

I don't think we're going out for dinner.

"I take it we're ordering room service?" I moaned.

Gunner's hands shifted down to the bottom hem of my shirt. He gripped it and then quickly pulled it up over my head.

Well, that answered my question.

Room service it is.

***

The tiny hairs on my arms stood high, and my nipples erected when the crowd goers chanting Gunner's name echoed through my ears when Gunner entered the cage. It had been a while since Gunner's last fight, and the man he was challenging hadn't lost a battle in nearly two years. Nevertheless, Gunner knew who he was up against and claimed that he wasn't too worried about fighting The Ripper for weeks.

I sat at the edge of my seat, watching the two battle against one another. Then I quickly stood when The Ripper picked up Gunner and body-slammed him to the mat. And my hand instantly slapped over my mouth when The Ripper dropped to the mat and placed Gunner into a chokehold—holding him tight against him, making it hard for Gunner to breathe, but then Gunner finally escaped the chokehold, and they both jumped to their feet.

Next, Gunner jabbed his left fist into his opponent's mouth, then straight right-handed punched. And then he surprised The Ripper with a right crescent kick, followed by a quick right spinning crescent kick, knocking him to the mat. Gunner quickly fell to the mat and maneuvered his body around The Ripper, wrapping an arm around him and head, locking him into place until the referee came in, letting them know the round was over.

I wanted to rush over to Gunner and hug him but knew Neron would have my ass. Neron had set both Gunner and me down numerous times, with the last time instructing us he would not allow either of us to interfere with his coaching. Neron also warned that if we were to interfere, Gunner nor I would be allowed to be at one another's matches ever again.

After watching Gunner take The Ripper for the first couple of rounds, I became confident Gunner would win this fight. And when I saw Gunner play possum to wear his challenger out, doing what he enjoys doing when the last round starts, I knew he'd be tonight's winner.

Gunner's leg extended out, and he instantly knocked The Ripper to the ground. Gunner fell on top of him, and then he pinned him to the mat by pressing his knees onto The Ripper's chest. Finally, Gunner swung his arm back, then forward, knocking The Ripper out with one punch.

I immediately jumped out of my seat, then ran over to Neron when the referee announced Gunner as the winner.

Gunner exited the cage and headed over to me, grinning widely. "I told you, I wasn't too worried about him," he admitted enthusiastically, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulders as he does with Wyatt.

I looked down and smiled proudly. "You may have claimed you weren't worried, but your eyes told me a different story. You were concerned about winning tonight. Don't lie to me," I teased.

Instead of responding, he began walking us back to his lair. Then he surprised me by doing something he never does. He stopped for the fans reaching over the bar, begging him to sign their souvenirs, shirts, and flyers. He also took pictures with them, with us.

It felt good to be back inside the arena to watch Gunner fight and win. And it was another good feeling to witness his fans' reactions after the win, chanting his name, begging for autographs, and wanting their picture taken with him. It excited me for him. But it also helped fuel me to want to make his reality mine.

I wanted to reward him for winning. I also wanted to reward Gunner for being thoughtful with his fans for the first time since I have known him. I know he did something similar for his fans when we were in Malaysia, but he's done nothing for them like he did tonight here in the states.

So after stepping into our hotel room and the door closed behind us, I immediately pushed Gunner up against the wall, grabbed hold of his sweat, and with force, I crushed my mouth to his.

"What do you think you're doing?" he moaned, smiling while I possessively dominated his mouth.

I broke the kiss, devilishly smirked, and then I dropped to my knees while pulling his bottoms down with me. I looked up at him, and when his eyes locked on mine, I warned, "I don't want to hear another word coming out of that mouth unless you're yelling my name."

He cocked both brows high toward the ceiling, shocked by my demand. "Oh, really. Why's that?"

I wrapped my hand around the hardened beast, and as my mouth neared my favorite toy, I grinned. "Because it's my turn to compliment and congratulate the master."

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!🤞🤞