Damian needed her.
She was the mother of his kid.
Betty was the goodness in his life.
There was no way he could let her die.
Epilogue
Six months later
Oliver carried his wife over the threshold. With all of the drama that had been going on, he and Ruby had grown tired of all the crap. They had to wait for the wedding, and with Ruby struggling to fit in any clothes with her pregnancy, Oliver had finally had enough. He didn’t need his family to get married, nor did he need permission either.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Denton.”
“Oh, I like that.”
He carried her into the main sitting room, knowing he wouldn’t make it upstairs. Placing her on the sofa, he rushed back to close the door. They had made the Santos home theirs with redecoration, and putting their own stamp on it.
Entering the main sitting room, he watched as Ruby turned on their music. They only had one sitting room in the sofa, so there was enough room for them both to dance.
“Don’t you want to take this upstairs?” he asked, going to her.
She took his hands and swung her hips from side to side. “Babe, we already consummated our marriage, and I’ve got the round belly to prove it. I think with everything going on, you need to do this. You need to dance it out before you kill someone you love.”
Who could have thought that within six months, life could turn to shit? Gabriel Colton was now part of the Denton clan, which had put a strain between Jacob and Maddox. Not to mention the truth of their father’s plan to get Colton’s wife pregnant had hurt their mother, Charlotte.
Then there was Betty’s death.
She had committed suicide. Her final words of blame had fallen to the Denton family legacy. She didn’t want to go through life watching Damian be happy with another woman. Her fear was not being strong enough for Martha.
Not only had Betty’s death hurt Damian, it had hurt Harper and Lara. Betty, Harper, and Lara had been close. The death of one of them had hurt them.
Oliver had put his wedding off for long enough.
In the end he’d taken her to the registry office, and they had bound each other together.
“I love you,” he said.
“And I love you. I told you I didn’t need fancy stuff. I don’t even need this. If I have you, and our son, I’d happily live in a roach infested apartment.”
He shivered, and she laughed. “Life has changed so much. None of us could have seen Betty’s passing.”
“She killed herself, Oliver. She put on a good show, and it sucked.”
“Damian’s not the same. He was always dark, but she and Martha brought a lightness to his world.”
“You’re worried he’ll go off the rails?” she asked.
“Gabriel’s here now as well. That’s fucked up.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve never seen Jacob so angry.”
Gideon and Lewis brought a great deal to light with Lionel’s paperwork. Oliver knew that Lionel was covering up Maddox’s tracks, trying to keep his friend safe.
“No more thinking, Oliver.” She grabbed the remote and turned the music up until it was making the walls shake.
Wrapping his arms around his woman, he closed his eyes, letting the music pull away all of his worries.