With All That I Am: Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Mama

Winter rocked her four month old daughter as she nursed and ran her hands through Giselle's full head of jet-black hair she inherited from Karina. Giselle's eyelashes fluttered, revealing hazel brown eyes identical to Karina's. Her daughter was perfect from her head to her tiny little toes. Winter couldn't imagine life without her, yet she had come so close to never experiencing this. She held a miracle in the crook of her arm.

What sounded like a pig snort interrupted Winter's thoughts. She glanced down at Rocky, a gray Pit bull, who was fast asleep at her feet. It had been a long recovery for Rocky, but he was alive and that's all she cared about. He spent most of her time in Giselle's nursery, keeping guard.

Winter switched Giselle to the other breast so she wouldn't have to pump. There weren't many things she was proud of, but creating a human being was a pretty big deal. Having a baby with Karina Yu, the woman she loved, was a blessing. She wanted to offer Giselle the world, but first her mama had a few things to take care of. Karina's first priority was killing the person who bribed her guards to gun her down while she was seven months pregnant and who brutally murdered her parents, Yunho and Boa, two years ago.

Giselle fell asleep with her mouth open. Winter dabbed Giselle's mouth with a bib, smoothed her top down and rested Giselle on her shoulder, rubbing her back lightly. She closed her eyes as she rocked, taking comfort in the quiet. The nursery had become her sanctuary in the past four months, a peaceful room untouched by the horrors of the outside world. Here, they were safe.

Rocky's head rose suddenly, which caused her dog tags to clink together. A woman stood in the doorway. Even as her heart jumped into her throat, she recognized her wife. She'd seen her only a handful of times over the past four months. It seemed like her wife got darker and more dangerous than she already did on a regular basis. The air around Karina simmered with a coiled tension that made people get out of her way.

Rocky trotted over and sat in front of Karina. She looked down at the dog for a moment before she patted him on the head and then scratched him under the chin. Sometime during Rocky's recovery, Karina had finally accepted him as part of the family.

Karina strode forward, brown hazel eyes glinting in the dim light. She set her hands on the arms of the rocking chair and stared at Winter. Her heart stuttered in her chest.

"Jimin?" She whispered.

Karina's eyes moved to Giselle. She reached for her, gently lifting the baby from her shoulder. She cradled Giselle's head in one hand and her body with the other. Hazel brown eyes scanned her daughter, taking in every detail she missed in the three weeks she hadn't seen her. Giselle frowned, hands reaching out for an anchor. Karina kissed her forehead and then placed her on her chest, Giselle's little face tucked against her neck. Giselle relaxed instantly and let out a shuddering breath as she drifted back to sleep.

"Everything okay?" Winter asked.

It was hard to determine Karina's mood. When Karina came home, she was capable of anything. The aggression and brutality she exerted in the underworld clung to her. The most communication Winter had with Karina was over the phone and that was infrequent. Karina spent ninety percent of her time in the underworld and the rest in the business world where she was CEO of The Yu Businesses. When she could carve out time, she spent only a handful of hours at home before she was gone again. It had been hard on both of them. Winter reassured herself that this was temporary.

Karina stared at her intently. "Did you have a good day?"

Winter rose from the chair. "What are you talking about? What's going on?"

Karina walked towards her, cupped the back of her neck, and hauled her against her side.

"Jimin-,"

Karina kissed her, a deep and carnal kiss that made her body go up in flames. Winter clutched her arm and dug her nails into her skin, very aware of Giselle's weight against her arm. Apparently, Karina was capable of kissing her mindless and holding Giselle without a problem because she did so until Winter forgot her own name.