He sighed. “You already are. I’ve decided wrapping you in bubble wrap and keeping you pregnant is the only safe thing to do.”

Azelie tried to make a face, but she was on the verge of laughter. Maestro wasn’t that certain he was joking. Lana knew him well enough to know he was half-serious.

“He’s obsessed with babies,” Azelie said. “Even though he’s admitted kids would probably eat him alive.”

“That’s because he’s a pushover with them. Not so much with women, but kids run all over him,” Lana said.

“He’s kind of a pushover…”

“Don’t say it. Don’t even think it. The alarm was triggered, which means your friends have arrived. Be prepared to be mobbed. And I’m going to be interrogated and lectured.” He was resigned to his fate.

Azelie giggled and pressed her hand to her mouth again, sobering.

“That’s my cue to leave.” Lana bent forward to brush a kiss on top of Azelie’s head. “I’m so happy for you and Maestro. Thank you for being so perfectly wonderful. Someone had to tame him.”

“Not tamed,” Maestro muttered as he walked her to the front door.

“How is she really?”

“Nightmares. A lot of pain. She doesn’t talk about it. She hasn’t once condemned me or considered any of it my fault, including the fact that I didn’t protect her.”

“That’s because you found one of the good ones. Like Blythe and Seychelle and Soleil. They have this light in them and manage to find a way to make our lives so much better.”

Maestro hadn’t been wrong when he said he would be interrogated and lectured. He showed them through his house, noting that all three of the widows observed he had very little furniture.

“A beautiful home,” Blanc commented.

“But a bit sparse on décor,” Penny pointed out.

The speculation in her voice and the way the three women exchanged suddenly bright looks had him sweating. Little kids ate him alive, and it seemed that older women did as well. They looked as if they might rush right out and buy every piece of furniture they could find.

Doug saved him. “Clearly, he wants Azelie to find the things she likes when she moves in with him.” He pinned Maestro with a stern eye. “She apparently has a ring. We know this because all of a sudden three women started shrieking at the top of their lungs. We almost wrecked.”

Blanc rolled her eyes. “You’re always so dramatic.”

“I didn’t believe it because no one asked Carlton or me for her hand. That’s mandatory.”

“I have no problem with formally asking you,” Maestro said, “but only if you’re going to give me the green light. Azelie would love it, but I’m not giving her up. She’s rare and wonderful.”

“We know,” Carlton agreed. “And she deserves the best.”

“You’re aware lookin’ at me I’m not the best man in the world, but I’m going to make her happy. No one will love her the way I do. Or need her as much. Azelie must be needed to be happy. It’s essential she has a buffer between her and the world. She may have experienced trauma, but she still doesn’t protect herself the way she should. She sees the good in people. It takes a lot for her to see the bad.”

Maestro wasn’t a man to explain himself, but these five people were Azelie’s only family. They obviously loved her. He felt they deserved the respect he gave to the women his brothers had married. They were family.

“Good you see that,” Carlton said gruffly.

“I love that woman and want to spend my life with her. I can swear to you I’ll do everything in my power to make her happy.”

The merry widows squealed so loud he winced. All three put their hands to their hearts. “Well said,” China approved.

Doug and Carlton simultaneously rolled their eyes. “You don’t quite get the seriousness of this moment. The three of you are utterly impossible.”

“He means yes,” Blanc interpreted.

“Ask again so I can record it on my phone,” Penny said. “I wasn’t ready.”

“He isn’t asking again,” Carlton declared. “Yes, you can marry her. But you’d better take care of her and make her happy.”

Maestro led the way to the master bedroom without further comment. He might need to take up smoking. Or try drinking again.

Everything changed the moment the widows stepped into the master bedroom. They forgot all about him. Joyfully and tearfully, they surrounded the bed with both squeals of happiness at seeing Azelie and tears over her appearance. China dared to sit on the edge of the bed to put her arms around Azelie.

“Tell me if my hugs hurt,” she said through a sob.

“Hugs never hurt,” Azelie lied.

Maestro cleared his throat. “She has multiple wounds in both thighs, and her ribs were cracked. Movement can be painful.”

“Honey,” Blanc said, her voice gentle and sympathetic. “What can we do?”

“You’re here,” Azelie said. “You drove all the way to see me. I love that you came.” She looked up at Doug and Carlton. “Thank you. It makes me so happy to see you.”

Doug reached down to cup the side of her face. The gesture was fatherly. Loving. It made Maestro’s heart lurch. These people loved his woman. They really did think of her as their daughter. He realized none of them had children. They had given their love and loyalty to Azelie.

“We had to see that you were healing, honey. All of us were worried,” Doug said.

“Andrii kept us informed on your progress every day,” Carlton added.

Azelie lifted her gaze to Maestro. There it was, that look he craved so much. He could fall into her eyes and drown in her love, and he’d be perfectly happy. He loved her so much. More than he’d ever thought possible and growing every day.

“Show us the ring,” Blanc said. “It looks so beautiful in the photograph.”

“Andrii designed it,” Azelie said proudly, lifting her hand so they could admire the ring. “It’s absolutely perfect. He chose the stones as well. He has a friend who is a jeweler who made it for him.” She smiled up at Maestro, her heart in her eyes.

The women exclaimed over the ring with oohs and aahs, giving their approval.

“We have the security tapes from the outside of the club,” Maestro said, to cover the unexpected burn in his chest. “Azelie wanted to see how you handled the guards at the club, distracting them so her rescuers could get inside without detection.”

China, Penny and Blanc clapped their hands in delight while Doug and Carlton made a show of groaning.

“We’ve already seen their outlandish behavior,” Carlton declared. “China and Blanc showed off their dancing skills to the guards. China tried to get Doug, who played her husband, to jitterbug with her.”

“That wasn’t even the worst of their behavior,” Doug said. “Penny chased one of those poor guards around a tree because he gave her a compliment.”

The three women erupted into laughter. Penny sobered, managing to look demure and innocent. “It’s called acting, Carlton. The three of us regularly star in plays at the theater. I managed to distract not only him but three others as well. They fell over themselves laughing at the darling boy. He was very young to be a security guard. I targeted him on purpose.”

“You targeted him because he was considered hot. How do I know this?” Carlton demanded. “Because the three of you went on and on ad nauseam about how truly hot he was.”