Page 31 of Scarred Sunrise

“Listen to me, Mateo.” She gripped her son’s hand as she looked at him with her emotions bare, her anger for her ex buried for now, her boy the only thing that mattered to her at that moment. “No matter what happens with Smithy and me, whether we have one date or we end up getting married one day, I’ll always put you first. I’ll always want you with me and make sure that whatever I do is discussed with you first. You’re the most important person in the world to me. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever change that, do you hear me?” Lizzie cupped her son’s cheeks and felt the relief wash through him before he shrugged.

“Okay, Mum. I told Dad he was wrong.”

Laughter bubbled up in her at his easy acceptance of her words and his belief in her.

“Good because he has his wires crossed somewhere.” She didn’t add that they were probably crossed because he was jealous and spiteful. He was still Mateo’s father and she wouldn’t bad mouth him as much as she wanted too. No, that conversation would be saved for when it was just the two of them. “We good?” Her hands slipped from his face as she watched him give her question real thought.

“Yup, we’re good.”

Lizzie nodded as she checked her hair one more time, the long waves left down and shining in the light. She’d gone for classy with a dash of sexy tonight. Her belly was alive with butterflies as she looked in the mirror one last time, admiring the way the burgundy off-the-shoulder, belted bodycon dress hugged the curves she loved and hid most of the ones she didn’t.

She heard her brother thundering up the stairs. He always seeming to revert to a teenage elephant when he was home, rather than the silent, spec ops operator he was.

“Wow, sis, don’t you need a cardigan to go over that dress?”

Lizzie rolled her eyes and slapped her brother with her clutch purse, which just made Dane laugh all the more.

He looked at Mateo who’d jumped off the bed when he heard his adored uncle come up the stairs. “Ready to go bud?”

“Yup.”

Mateo gave her a hug and an extra squeeze before he grabbed his backpack and ran down the stairs.

“Seriously, you look great, Liz.”

“Make sure you keep an eye on Mateo. We just had a worrying conversation.”

Dane’s face went hard as she told him what Marco had said. “That prick. Need me to have a word?”

That he was asking instead of demanding showed how far he’d come. “No, just make sure Mateo doesn’t fret.”

“He’ll be fine, but yeah, we’ll make sure he’s okay, and the twins will keep him busy.”

She waved out of her bedroom window as Dane drove away and then sat on the bed, to put her shoes on. She wished she could wear heels, but these sexy kitten heels were all she could manage now. With a spritz of perfume, she went downstairs to wait. Her father was in the living room, watching some show about how things were made, so she chatted with him until the doorbell rang.

Lizzie put a hand to her belly to calm her nerves as her dad answered it, and she heard deep voices in the hallway. Taking a breath to calm the excitement, she grabbed her black coat and bag and stepped through the door.

Ty’s eyes moved to her, heat flashing through his eyes as his gaze swept over her before he smiled. “You look absolutely breathtaking.”

He handed her the purple and white roses he had in his hands, and she grinned, feeling the blush creep over her cheeks. “Thank you.”

She handed the flowers to her dad. “Can you put these in water for me please, Dad?”

“Sure thing, honey.” He kissed her cheek and gave Ty a look only an overprotective father could seem to pull off and left.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked, taking her hand.

“Yes.”

He held her hand as they walked to the car, opening the door for her before he got in himself and turned the heater up to make sure she stayed warm.

He placed his hand on the back of her seat in a ridiculously hot move as he reversed the car before pulling out onto the road.

Ty broke the silence as he cast her a smile that made her belly flip. “So, your dad is kind of scary.”

Lizzie laughed and let her nerves go. “He can be. I think it’s something only dads can channel though, and he certainly had practice with daughters.”

“He’s a good guy. How’s Mateo?”