"Why did I leave this to the last minute?" I groan and catch Zack's attention, who's happily perched against my chest in the carry-on. He can't stop staring at everything around him, way too amused for just the drug store. Every beeping sound and whirring of shopping carts is overstimulation to him and he hasn't stopped kicking his legs in excitement.

"Mama's usually more responsible but these past few days have been way too busy." I continue as if he can understand me.

And then I blush when I recall last night with Nate and all the sex we've been having. Every time gets better than the last and yesterday at the hotel was a dream. Having Nate show me off on the red carpet as his date, the absolute pride in his eyes as he watched me, it was like a fairytale. And then the confessions we shared afterwards? Nate has never been so vulnerable with me and it felt like a big step in our relationship. We're stronger than ever emotionally and definitely sexually.

It's just...wow. Who knew sex could be so freaking amazing? It's like my body is constantly being electrocuted with desire and it's way more appealing than it sounds. I think I've officially become a sex-fanatic. I don't even think twice when I spot the several boxes of condoms lined up and grab two handfuls — extra large. Because Nate is definitely as big down there as the rest of him is. Everything about him screams wicked and sinful masculinity. I can't seem to get over how hot he is and the fact that he's the most incredible human being to walk this planet just makes him even hotter.

I'm too busy daydreaming about him and that's probably why I don't see the shopping cart in front of me, my cart bumping into him and startling Zack.

"Sorry, sweetness." I touch his cheek in reassurance before looking up to apologize to whoever I bumped into. "And I'm so sor—"

My words get caught in my throat when a pair of familiar green eyes meet mine. I feel my fists tighten around the bar of the shopping cart, a horrible and icky feeling crawling down my spine. I swallow down the bitterness in my throat, forcing the words out.

"Chris?"

"Hi, Delilah." His words sound just as forced.

When his gaze dips down to Zack, I feel a fierce rush of protectiveness and anger. I let go of the cart and wrap my arms around him, hugging him to me as Zack stares curiously at Chris. My heart rate picks up and I briefly wonder if Zack can somehow feel his biological father is standing in front of him. That's crazy right? There's just no way.

"Is that..." Chris trails off, still eyeing him.

"None of your business." I snap instead of giving him a name.

His gaze comes back to mine and if I'm not mistaken, flash with anger.

"So, who's his dad then?" He sneers. "That fucker, Nate?"

I'm so shocked at Nate's name coming up that all I can manage is a confused, "Huh?"

"I saw you two on the news yesterday from that event. Got curious and checked out your Instagram and there's pictures of the three of you everywhere." He's definitely angry. And why the hell is he keeping tabs on me? "Acting like you're some happy family. Fucking spare me."

"You don't know shit, Chris." I force my voice to remain calm. I can already tell Zack is becoming uncomfortable, feeling the change in atmosphere. "You chose to leave so you don't get to be mad about the fact that I've moved on. Go to hell."

He laughs and it's bitter. "You're a fake, Delilah. Always acted so goddamn innocent when the whole time you were with me, you were pining for some other guy's dick. Drop the good girl act already. You're a fucking slut."

His words slice through me and I feel like I'm bleeding open. I know they're not true but that doesn't mean they don't hurt. My throat tightens painfully and I have to swallow down the boulder that's lodged in there. I've never been good at confrontation and I hate being yelled at. I'm too sensitive for fights and I've never hated that about myself more than I do now, unable to stand up for my son the way I want to.

I tip my chin up and try to look eons more confident than I feel. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.

"Maybe I shouldn't have gotten into a relationship with you if I wasn't completely sure about my feelings. You have me there. But do not, for one damn second, imply that you were never in the wrong. You left. You walked away when I was willing to ignore how miserable our relationship made me. You don't get to be mad at me for not being able to take responsibility of your own actions. And for the record, yes — Nate is Zack's father. He was there for us during the entire pregnancy which, by the way, was a fucking nightmare because you left me by myself. Those nine months were the darkest months of my entire life but I pushed through. I didn't quit like you did. You can call me whatever you want but you can't call me a bad parent and that's all I need to be able to sleep at night. I bet you can't say the same for yourself, huh?"

His fist curls and he narrows his eyes on me. "Whatever. Your words don't mean shit because you can't change the fact that Zack is biologically mine. I'd like to see how well you sleep at night knowing that."

His words shake my core. I don't even want to consider what he's implying. "Fuck off, Chris. If you come near me or my son again, I'll get the law involved. That's a fight you won't ever win, do you understand me?"

His smirk is cruel. "Whatever you say, Angel. You can expect to hear from my lawyer."

"Don't do this." I demand, thankful that my voice doesn't shake and reveal the ice cold fear spreading through my veins. "You're just acting out of jealousy. What do you know about being a father? Are you honestly ready for the diaper changes, the staying up all night, the constant looking after someone else? It's not easy and there's a reason you walked away. This isn't what you want. You're overreacting because of your anger."

"If that's all this is, why are you trying to fight me? You said I won't win, right? Why are you scared, then? And maybe I've changed my mind and I'm ready to be a father now. I have more of a right than your wannabe step-in. I have biological right so this isn't over."

He walks away without sparing us another glance, leaving me in the middle of the aisle and gritting my teeth so painfully that they hurt. Zack has gone noticeably quiet and he cranes his head back to stare up at me. He places his cheek on my chest, arms resting beside his cheeks, and I know he's hugging me. I wrap my arms around him and hold him as tight as I can as I fail to keep my tears in my eyes.

"I'll keep you safe, Sweetness." I tell him brokenly. "Mama promises."

And then I wipe my tears away and ignore the worried stares I get as I continue to shop quietly. I keep my chin held high even though I'm crumbling on the inside because my son needs me to be strong right now and there's isn't a damn thing I won't do for him.

***

"I'm going to fucking kill him!" Nate snarls, punching the bag that hangs in front of him with so much force that it spins out of control. He punches it again and I flinch when he roars, "Fuck!"

"Nate. Please." I beg and hold his shoulders, trying to pull him away from the punching bag. "You need to stay calm or I'm going to lose it too. I can't do this without you."

He curses under his breath and embraces me tightly, stroking my hair with a gentleness he only shows me. I can't stop myself from bursting out into tears again. I've been a mess this entire day.

"Don't cry, Angel." He pleads with a whisper. "I promise I won't let anything happen to either of you, okay? I fight for a living, baby. I'm going to fight this fight too and win, you hear me?"

I nod against his shoulders but his words do little to calm me. I can feel myself shaking like a leaf and Nate's arms tighten around me. "I'm so scared. He can't take away my baby, Nate. He can't."

"And he won't." He kisses my cheeks and keeps his lips there as I continue to sob, my cries wracking through my body.

"Should've kicked his ass when we had the chance." Greg growls and this time he punches the bag. "The next time I see his punk ass, I'm breaking every limb on his body."

"Greg, don't." I pull away from Nate to face him. "We can't retaliate violently or he'll use that against us if he takes this to court. We need to play it smart."

"I know, darlin'. I'd never do something to jeopardize your situation. I just can't stand that miserable piece of shit." A muscle pulses in his jaw.

"Thank you." I whisper and go over to hug him because his support means more to me than he'll ever know. How protective he is of both Zack and I is something I've never had before from someone I've come to think of as a father figure.

"We're gonna get him. I promise." His arms engulf me tightly and make me feel so much smaller in comparison, so protected.

I'm so overwhelmed with gratefulness that I can't help but say, "I love you, Greg."

I feel him tense for a brief moment and wonder if I said the wrong thing, already attempting to pull away, but he holds me tighter. He sighs against the top of my head and almost sounds choked up when he responds with, "Love you too, darlin'."

When I reluctantly pull away from his hold, I wipe my tears and try to put on a brave face. My boy needs me right now and I have to be confident in my ability to protect him. I meant it when I said there isn't a damn thing I wouldn't do for him.

"The guys should be here any minute. It's all of us against him, Angel. Have a little faith." Nate cups my face and bends his head to kiss me softly. I kiss him back and take all the strength he's offering me, knowing I'll need it.

"He fell asleep while I was changing him." Mom walks in the main area of the gym from the hallway that leads to the bathroom and locker rooms. She doesn't look any better than me with red-rimmed eyes and a tired smile that she's half-heartedly offering. Zack is fast asleep against her shoulder and my chest constricts painfully at the underlying fear that I might lose him. I reach my hands out for him, desperate to hold him and keep him in my arms forever if I could.

I hold him tightly against my chest and he sighs a little content sigh the way he usually does when he's near his Mama. I want to thank my mom for looking after him while I tried to get myself together but another boulder lodges itself in my throat and I can't seem to speak past it. Instead I nod with a tight-lipped smile, a fresh round of tears spilling over my cheeks.

"No, sunshine." She shakes her head, voice cracking. She sets her cheek on my shoulder comfortingly and my tears fall faster. "It's going to be okay."

"He's my baby." I whisper brokenly. A hiccup gets caught in my breath, another quiet cry leaving my mouth. "I almost lost him twice. It's happening all over again, Mama. Why does this keep happening to me? What am I doing wrong? Do I not deserve to be a mother?"

"You are an incredible mother, Delilah." She says sternly and grips my face so I can't look away from her. "Your son is the happiest and most loved child there could be and it's all because of you. You have been fighting for him since day one, even when all the odds were stacked against you, and you will fight for him now."

"I will." I nod. "But I'm getting tired, Mama. I deserve to spend my life with my son without worrying about him being taken away from me. It's destroying me to constantly be on edge. It's not fair, damn it."

"It isn't." She agrees. She can't deny my words because they're true. It just isn't fair.

"We're in this with you, baby." Nate reassures me gently, winding an arm around me from behind and bending his head to kiss Zack's hair. "You two are not alone. We're going to keep you both safe."

"I know. Thank you." I turn my head to give him a small peck, knowing I wouldn't be able to do this without him.

"Where the fuck is he?" I startle when I hear Asher's booming voice. He walks inside the gym looking as lethal as the boys behind him. Jaxon, Cameron, and Wolfe look just as murderous and Emily and Avery have similar expression of anger and worry. Asher shakes his head, his jaw clenching when he sees my tear-stricken face. "We're murdering that son of a bitch. He's not getting away with this, Blondie."

I give a half-hearted laugh at how serious he looks about his claim. "Thank you, Ash."

"He's not joking." Jaxon shakes his head. "Tell me where the fuck he is and I'll rip both his arms off his body. Who the fuck does he think he's messing with?"

"Fucking Peabody." Cameron mutters. "I never liked that fucker. He must have half a brain if he thinks he stands a chance again five professional boxers that could beat his ass so hard he'll forget his own name."

Their vehement support makes me heart thud with warmth. I've never had such a caring family before and it makes me feel less alone. Less afraid.

"Say the word and I'll cut his dick off, chica." Avery promises. "What little of it exists, anyways."

"Burn." Asher whistles in approval and Jax snickers.

"I love you so much." Cameron tells her seriously and she smirks.

"How can he even expect to win?" Emily rolls her eyes, bouncing now one-year-old Lucas on her hip. Even he's frowning like he's angry. "He has nothing to back up his case. A stranger off the street has a better chance of getting custody of Zack because that's what he is — a stranger. Except he willingly abandoned both of you so he's not getting any sympathy."

"Don't count on the justice system to be fair." Avery says sadly. "A little emotional manipulation can go a long way and we don't know what Chris has up his sleeve. We can't rely on our law to help us and that's the reality. Kids are being snatched away from their parents, being imprisoned at the border of our country with no soap or blankets, and families who legally migrated here are being deported. This country is a hot mess. I'm not trying to burst your bubble but as a Latina woman living in America I live everyday in fear wondering if the government will find a way to get rid of me. That's why we need to be smart about this and depend on ourselves to get the job done. The way I see it, we should avoid taking this to the law and scare him off ourselves. Add in a restraining order, some healthy threats from our big bad boys, and having a lawyer in the family, I bet we can send his ass running."

"Well said, baby." Cameron cups her face and leans down to kiss her.

"She's right." Nate nods. "I'm not taking any chances. This is my son we're talking about here and I'm going to break this fucker's confidence down until there's nothing left. I'm going to get Aria on the phone now and see if she can fly out to help us."

"I'm coming with." Asher says and follows Nate out of the gym, the two of them heading toward the locker rooms for some privacy.

"Thank you guys." I tell them sincerely. Already I feel a million times better even if there's still fear at the back of my mind. Who could blame me? This is my child we're talking about. I'll always be scared when it comes to him.

"Not that I'm trying to focus on the wrong thing here," Jaxon starts and points to the direction the boys headed in. "But did I just hear Nate call Zack his son?"

I blush as everyone else blinks in realization, only now catching on. Nate and I never openly claimed the label we put because the paperwork has yet to be filed so I can't blame them for being surprised. "Yeah. We both decided on it collectively a few weeks ago. I mean, it's no surprise. Nate has been there for us every step of the way and he really is Zack's father. Now it's just about making it legal."

"Oh, honey." Emily rushes over to hug me. She sniffles in my ear and I know this is a touching moment for her because she went through the same thing. "Congratulations. I promise it's going to be the best thing the two of you will ever do."

"Thanks, Em." I whisper.

"I'd like to see Peabody beat that." Cameron puffs his chest out in satisfaction.

Avery rolls her eyes. "This isn't your doing, babe. Why are you acting like you came up with all these ideas?"

"Stop breaking my heart, sweet cheeks."

That gets a laugh out of all of us and I smile gratefully at the man himself. Leave it to Cameron to cheer everyone up no matter how dire the situation.

"I still can't believe him." Jaxon shakes his head. "Who the hell raised this guy?"

"His mom is actually really sweet." I tell them, recalling the few times I met her. "I even bumped into her once during my pregnancy and to say she was shocked was an understatement. Chris never told her and she spent at least ten minutes apologizing to me."

"I say we get her involved." Avery snorts. "Something tells me he's a mama's boy."

"Tell us where she lives, Del. I think it's a good idea to make her aware of what's going on if what you say is true." Cameron adds.

"I don't know anymore." I say regretfully. "Chris lives with his parents and they all moved shortly after my pregnancy. I think he didn't want to risk his parents bumping into me and tried to get far away but that didn't work out."

"Wolfe is a computer genius." Jaxon looks over at him. "Can you figure it out, big guy?"

Wolfe immediately nods and I smile my gratitude. Without a word he gestures to Coach and the two head off to his office, getting to it right away.

They pass both Nate and Asher just as they step back into the main floor. Nate is holding his phone up, smiling in amusement and a second later I understand why.

"...that motherfucking shit fuck! I swear I'll rip his balls off and make him eat them! Who the fuck does he think he is messing with my nephew and thinking he can get away with it? I'm going to wreck his shit so hard his head will spin off! He has no idea what the fuck I'm going to do to him and I'm going to laugh like the bitch I am when I send him running! I'm booking my ticket right the fuck now, you hear me? That dick-face can eat shit!"

Asher bursts out laughing at everyone's shell-shocked expression and he has to stop walking when he keels overs, his hand gripping the wall for support. He barely manages to get his words out when he tells Aria, "I think you just scarred our friends for life, Princess. You know they can hear you right?"

There's a pause. And then a sheepish, "Oops."

She clears her throat and her voice is sugar-sweet when she says, "Hi, everyone. I'm, ah, really excited to meet you. I swear I'm actually a nice person when you don't cross me."

"I officially love you." Avery says solemnly. "Drinks are on me when you get here."

"I know that's you, Aves!" She laughs. "I love you, too!"

"Holy shit." Cameron laughs behind his fist. "Your sister is fucking awesome, Neuter."

"You must be Cameron." I can hear the smile in her voice. "You are my hero for calling him Neuter."

"Okay, okay, how about we not gang up on me?" Nate scowls but it's obvious he's not serious. "Here, talk to Del. Tell her what you told me before you started cursing like a sailor."

"I would make a sailor piss his pants." She corrects.

Nate rolls his eyes and hands me the phone. I take it with a grateful smile. "Hey, Ria."