When we woke in the early afternoon, Dani was in a good mood. She said she was feeling fine, so we continued with the plans to go shopping for baby things. Elena drove, opting to take the van in case we decided to get larger items. The bonus of the van was that it had blacked-out windows to block out the sun. Vampires weren't sun-phobic; we just preferred to hunt without the world seeing us.

Roman was adamant that we were having a boy. He'd already thrown a whole stack of blue clothes into the cart, which earned him a frown from his mother. Dani and I didn't care, and she agreed with me when I said I'd put a girl in blue. I think Alexia's problem was that he was being stubborn about it.

Roman was at the other end of the shop with his mother and grandmother, looking at bedding. I was engrossed in the toys while wondering how we'd fit everything into the van. They'd have to deliver the furniture. There was no way a crib and a bassinet were going to fit in it.

"Jasper?"

Dread filled me as I turned to see Tatum smiling at me.

"Oh my god, it is you," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Hey, Tatum," I said uneasily. "What are you doing in Italy?"

Tatum frowned at me as she pulled back.

"Come on, you cannot be serious. I spent a year talking about this trip. You know, I'm saving up to go to Italy, maybe even France."

"Right, the Louvre," I murmured.

Where else would an art-loving museum worker want to holiday?

"How come you're here?"

She frowned, looking at the rattle in my hand.

"And buying baby stuff. What's the deal, Jas?"

"Just looking. Why are you here?"

She held up a stuffed rabbit, and I pursed my lips, remembering how she collected one particular brand of plush toy rabbits.

"I saw the hot pink one in the window. What are the odds I'd find it while I was walking past a baby store?"

"Yeah," I said as the hesitant laugh escaped.

"Hey, Jas," Dani said as she turned the corner. "Did you find,"

My heart went kaput. Dani stopped in her tracks and stared at Tatum, who was staring back.

"Dani?" she whispered.

Even with the wig, she still recognised Dani. I guess she knew her well enough to see through it and the makeup.

Tears welled in Tatum's eyes as she looked at me, then at the obvious change in Dani.

"What's going on? Did you know where she was all that time we were,"

"Tatum," I said, stepping forward.

She stepped back, frowning.

"You lied to me, you knew she was alive. What? Were you having an affair?"

"No, it's not like that. We can explain everything, just not here."

"Why not?"

"Because it's too dangerous for Dani," Roman said.

Tatum gasped as she turned, her gaze rising to Roman. Even when he was in a good mood, Roman could appear menacing. He was tall, built with firm muscles that no shirt could ever hide, and looked like he would be more than happy to cause problems.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

Taking the rabbit from her hands, Roman glared at me. He turned Tatum and pushed her closer.

"We're leaving right now. I'll pay for the stupid toy. Get her in the car without causing a scene."

Turning, Roman stalked off. I looked at Dani, who had a stack of things in her hands. I handed her the rattle and gave her a nod. She gave a grim smile and chased after Roman. Well, waddled off after him, I suppose.

"Is the baby yours?"

"Maybe," I said.

"You don't know. Is it Noah's?"

"No."

"So, that other guy?"

"Yeah, maybe. Tatum, we need to talk, and for Dani's safety, it can't be here, so I am going to ask you to come with us. You can talk to Dani, you can hang out for a while, maybe even hang around for long enough to meet the baby. While you're there, we'll take you back to the beginning. We will tell you everything."

"And I'll be safe?"

"I would never hurt you," I said.

Her lips twitched as she looked at me and then at Dani, who was at the counter with Roman. Elena and Alexia had handfuls of bags with several boxes at their feet.

"Okay, but you'd better have a really good explanation for lying to me."

I nodded and walked over to the counter, picking up several bags. Tatum helped carry out things, curious about the other women who were with us. She got into the back of the van, though I could see the frown. I think the only reason she got in without saying something was that Dani climbed in first. She was huffing and puffing while complaining about sore feet.

"How far along are you?"

"Probably just a couple of days left." Dani offered.

She took Tatum's hand and pressed it to her belly where the baby was kicking.

"Are you okay?" Tatum whispered.

"I am now. I know you're hurt, but it was safer that you didn't know."

Alexia didn't waste time getting the van on the road. She was determined to get away and probably ensure that Tatum didn't make a scene.

Tatum looked at me, and I didn't know what to make of it. She was clearly angry that I'd kept Dani's whereabouts from her, lied to the police, and pretended she was missing, presumed dead, even though I knew exactly where she was.

"Who are these people?" Tatum asked softly.

"This is Roman," Dani said.

Tatum looked at Roman, who tipped his head, saying nothing.

"And the woman driving is his mother, Alexia, and her mother, Elena."

And this is where Tatum's mind was blown. Elena looked like she was barely in her thirties.

Tatum frowned as she looked at them and then at Roman. She glanced at me, but it wasn't for long because clearly my name was still mud.

"Seriously?"

Dani nodded.

"Okay, I don't believe you, but whatever. Why are you in Italy? Why are you alive? What the hell happened?"

"Noah hired a hitman to knock me out and dump me in the Thames."

Tatum was silent as she looked at me.

"Roman and Jas saved me."

"By what, having scuba gear or something?"

Dani smiled. "No, they were worried and followed the attacker after he knocked me out. Pulled me from the river."

"Right," she drawled, eyeing me suspiciously. "So, you just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

Roman was grinning like a loon. "Look, we all know that Jasper was madly in love with her, but I can assure you he was very well behaved and honoured her marriage vows even though Noah didn't."

Tatum rolled her eyes.

"Well, that's not surprising. Always said you were the other woman."

"That ain't half of it," Dani said. "He's cheated on me with multiple women, pretty much our entire marriage. Even the night of my birthday, while I was being attacked, he was screwing someone. We know who the attacker was, and I killed him."

Tatum's head slowly turned to look at Dani, who was smiling. I stared, shaking my head at her because I could see her fangs.

"What the hell?" Tatum whispered.

Tatum gasped when I reached for her shoulder. She looked at me with fear.

"What's going on?"

Shadows encased the car as Alexia pulled into the underground car park. With the exterior door lowered, we were safe once more.

"Give us a few minutes to explain it more, okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, we've got baby stuff to deal with," Roman said eagerly.

Tatum was silent, turning when the door slid open. She looked at Elena, who gave an uneasy smile but said nothing. Dani grumbled as she climbed out of the van, moving around to the back to grab bags. Loren and Rus were here, and Tatum stood next to the van and watched in silence.

Tatum took the bags when they were offered to her, then she followed us along the breezeway to the guest apartments. Her gaze lingered everywhere, looking out at the courtyard, peering through open doors and windows. She gasped when the twins appeared, screeching and demanding their mother's attention.

"Why don't you take Tatum into the living room and go right back to the beginning?" Roman said.

I nodded, opening the doors to the living room.

"So, I guess I'll start and keep going, so maybe try not to interrupt."

"Good way to start, ass."

"This is not easy, Tatum. Give me a break."

"Fine," she said, lumping herself onto the lounge. "Get on with it."

"Way back when Dani first started at the museum, I knew she was, well, not the one but you know, something more than just a friend. It was already complicated because I was with Roman, but not really," I sighed. "Anyway, I quickly figured out Dani was married, so I just backed off. Then I found out who she was married to, which, for those who inhabit my world, is not a good thing."

Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me.

"What do you mean by that?"

"We're vampires."

And to prove it, I opened my mouth and lowered my fangs.