Addicted

Chapter 3

Tears flow freely down my cheeks when I first see her. She is tiny and so beautiful. Most importantly, she is mine. I finally have a family. I never imagined having a child yet here I am, staring down at my little girl with a head full of dark hair.

They take her away and Owen holds me tightly, kissing my temple. "I am so proud of you, Madison. She's perfect."

I don't have the strength to push him away and at this moment I'm not entirely sure I want to. I'll never admit this to anyone, but I miss him. I miss the way he used to be. But the man I fell in love with disappeared a long time ago. He morphed into a monster, destroying all good in his life. Rolling my head to the opposite side, I take a deep breath. I just want to hold my daughter.

**************************

When I woke up, Owen was holding her and I have been holding her since. She begins crying so I push the side of my gown down and expose one of my breasts, positioning her near it. She immediately latches on, suckling softly while closing her bright blue eyes. After a short while, there's a soft knock on the door before Dominic peeks in. I smile and he enters the room with Michael following behind. "What the f**k?" Owen snaps, jumping up. "Get out, she's feeding her."

The men both roll their eyes. "If she wants us out, she'll tell us," Dominic says.

He walks over to me, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead before looking down at her. "Congratulations, she's beautiful."

"Thank you."

Next, Michael kisses my temple. "Congratulations. What's her name?"

I glance at Owen who is watching all of us carefully. "We haven't decided."

They nod. "Sorry I didn't answer," Michael says. "My phone died and he was handling some business. If we knew what was going on we would have been here earlier."

"It's okay. I called a cab and he met me here."

"You called a cab?" Dominic asks in disbelief.

"I know, but you didn't answer so I figured it was for the best."

Owen sighs. "I would have picked you up."

Both men turn to look at him. "I didn't want you to," I say.

"I don't blame you," Dominic mumbles.

"Do us all a favor and get the f**k out," Owen growls, standing up.

"If he goes, then you all go," I say sternly.

Owen drops down into his chair in defeat. Noticing that she has stopped suckling, I move her away slightly and fix my gown. "Can I hold her?" Dominic asks softly.

I nod, moving to the edge of the bed so he can sit beside me. Michael excuses himself from the room. Once he is sitting, I carefully pass her to him. She looks so tiny in his arms. His thumb gently caresses her soft pudgy cheek. "Isn't she adorable?" I ask quietly, leaning my chin against his shoulder to see her.

He nods. "She looks a lot like you."

"I know," I smile in content.

"Do you not like the names we talked about?"

I shake my head. "They don't suit her well."

"Can you stop pretending like I'm not here?" Owen asks. "You guys can play house when I'm not around."

"You don't have the right to be jealous," I say, shaking my head. "You may be a part of her but you are nothing to me."

He winces. "You promised me you wouldn't be with him."

"Yeah, well you promised me a lot of things but look where we are."

"And you," he stares at Dominic accusingly. "How could you betray me like that? She was mine."

Dominic shakes his head. "She stopped being yours the moment you walked away from her. And if I remember correctly, you kicked me out. So how exactly did I betray you?"

"By f*****g with her," he says, glaring at Dominic.

Dominic chuckles softly. "I had plenty of opportunities to f**k her but I didn't. I have more respect for you and her than that."

Owen grits his teeth in anger. "Owen, I allowed you to be here but don't make me regret it," I say. "I've been nicer to you than I should've been."

He sighs heavily, sinking in his chair. "Fine."

Leaning back, I take a deep breath. "I was thinking... Anastasia, Ana for short - it was my grandmother's name. Or Aliyah so we could call her Ali for short. I've always loved those names."

Owen tenses slightly and I stare at him questioningly. He scratches the back of his neck, obviously nervous. "I like Anastasia."

"What's wrong with Aliyah?" I ask. "It's a pretty name."

"That's the name of the girl that I've sort of been seeing. I don't want to be reminded of her every time I say my daughter's name," he says, avoiding my gaze.

I purse my lips, glancing at my daughter. I knew he'd move on but hearing it makes it real. Why wasn't I enough? That must've been the girl from the casino that sort of resembled me. Leaning my head against Dominic's shoulder, I stare down at my baby. "Anastasia it is," I say softly. "Anastasia Sierra Carter."

At the sound of the name, Owen's eyes meet mine and they widen. "Really?"

I nod. "I think it fits her well."

His gaze softens. My mind plays tricks on me. The man I see in front of me isn't the same man that was here moments ago, it's the man I fell in love with months ago. "You amaze me, Madison. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of her life and giving her such a beautiful, meaningful name. It means so much to me."

Dominic glances at me but I can't seem to read his facial expression. Finally, he takes a deep breath. "You should rest while she's asleep. I need to get a few hours of sleep then shower and I'll be back," he says.

I nod. "Okay. I'll see you then."

Leaning over, he presses a kiss to my cheek. Standing, he places Anastasia in her crib beside my bed before leaving the room without even glancing in Owen's direction. Deciding sleep is the best option at this point, I lower my bed and pull the blankets over me. Owen switches the lights off before sitting in the recliner by the baby. The night light in the bathroom dimly lights his face. At first I think he's watching the baby but after a moment I realize he's watching me... but I'm too exhausted to care.