They say people come,

Ten years ago....

Third Person.

It was the dead of night with the winter moon being the only light around.

The frosty air nipped harshly at the little girl's skin. She was dressed in a pair of black jeans and a thin black t-shirt. The only warmth she could gather was from her fluffy stuffed dog which she held tightly under her armpit.

Her other arm, however, was held in a tight grip by her mother; who was dragging her down a driveway towards a large house. She was feeling exhausted. Her little legs flew behind, not being able to keep up with the quick pace of the older woman. The world around her was moving by too fast.

"Mommy, slow down." The four year old whined at the ache in her legs and the pain of her Mother's nails digging into her wrist.

"There's no time, Rowan. Come on, we're almost there." Maria tightened the grip on her daughter's arm; she didn't care how rough she was being, she was nervous and on edge and all she needed was to get Rowan into the safety of that house.

A little spark of relief ignited inside of Maria once she had managed to get herself and Rowan to the front door, but it was quickly replaced by anxiety. First step is done, the next step won't be as simple, she thought.

Maria released Rowan's arm, freeing her from the tight grip she had on her and she rapidly knocked on the door.

"Who lives here, mommy?" The cutest frown had settled upon Rowan's face but Maria had to look away; her heart broke just knowing that if this goes to plan, she'll never see that face again after tonight. She hated the fact that it had come to this, but she's doing this for Rowan; Keeping her protected.

Maria ignored her daughter's question and started ringing the bell multiple times; growing more and more impatient by the second. Time was running out.

"Come on, answer the fucking door." She muttered.

The swear word that fell from Maria's lips did not slip past Rowan. "What does fucking mean?"

Maria sighed in frustration. Her mind was all over the place and she didn't have the mental capacity to even scold her own child for swearing. She needed to get this over with, so this time she used both fists to bang on the thick wood.

"Damon!! You need to open this goddamn door right now!" Maria wasn't stopping until that door was opened from the inside. She knew the risks she was taking by being so demanding towards the man who lived in the house; but she was desperate.

Rowan had stepped away slightly; not liking the way her mother was acting or the angry tone that was present in her mother's voice; which was very rare.

Maria suddenly stopped once she heard movement from inside. Heavy footsteps running down a staircase, keys jangling and then multiple clicks rattled through the door.

"Come here baby." Maria took ahold of Rowan's wrist again and pulled her close, just as the door before them swung open.

She should've known.

"Just hear me out." Maria managed to say as her breath hitched in the back of her throat.

She's familiar of being in this position, but that didn't stop her heart from skipping a beat out of pure fear every time she was staring down the barrel of a gun.

"What do you want Maria? How did you find me?" Damon's gruff voice spoke out as he stood in his door way, holding a handgun up to Maria's face.

Maria was lost for words; Damon's face and voice instantly took her back to four years ago which was the last time she was in his presence. This was the man she had fallen hopelessly in love with, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. But she couldn't.

She was suddenly brought back down to reality at the pressure on her thigh where Rowan was hugging it tightly from behind; obviously scared by the man in front of them.

"You shouldn't be here." Damon growled. "Did your father find my location? Did he send you to try and trap me again?"

"It wasn't like that Damon and it isn't like that now, just let me explain."

"Everything that happened between us, four or five years ago, was a complete lie. I promised myself I wouldn't let my fucking guard down for someone else but I did and turns out you were using me." Damon scowled back at Maria, still hurt about the history between them. "So don't you think for one second I'm going to fall for it again. I'm done with that shit."

"Damon..I promise you, it's not like that. My father was using me too." Maria sighed.

"Your father is a malicious man, Maria, he tried to ruin my business and my family; but not this time. He won't know what's fucking hit him."

"My father didn't send me." Maria was suddenly feeling very helpless. "I'm on the run from him. Have been ever since I left you." She muttered the last part, but it didn't escape Damon's ears.

"What do you mean?" Damon lowered his gun but he still had it latched tightly in his hand; not wanting to take any chances of this being a set up.

"Before I met you, I was working alongside my father. The plan was for me to get close enough to you so he could take your business down. He had made out that you were the bad guy in all this, stealing from other gangs, setting up a sex ring, illegal fighting. All that shit-."

"I did none of that!" Damon spat back.

"I know!" Maria cried out. "I know that." Her voice turned soft. "Being with you was the best thing that happened to me. It opened my eyes to who my father and my family really was. I realised that he was manipulating and using me to get to you and then he was just going to leave me rotting on the side of the street once he was done with me. He doesn't care about family. He only cares about himself and money."

"Then why did you leave? Why didn't you explain all this shit to me four years ago? You could've stayed with us, we could've kept you protected!"

Maria sighed sadly but before she could explain further, she was interrupted.

"Dad?" A voice from behind Damon caught the attention of the two adults.

Damon's seventeen year old son, Aaron, was stood at the bottom of the staircase, eyeing up the scene before him. He was shirtless, showing off his toned abs. His black joggers sat comfortably just below his hips allowing the waistband of his Calvin kleins to peak out the top. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. You should go back to bed." Damon said to him.

"Doesn't look like nothing to me. What the fuck is Maria doing here?" Aaron nodded his head towards the older woman, a frown settled on his forehead.

Damon turned back towards Maria with a raised eyebrow, shooting her one of his intimidating expressions.

"Look, I got in contact with a couple of people, which lead me to you, took me a while but I got there in the end. You've kept yourselves pretty low. But I swear, my father has nothing to do with this." Maria answered Damon's earlier question of how she found him. "The reason I'm here is because I need your help."

"Who's that?" Aaron interrupted once again. He was now stood next to his father with his arms crossed over his chest, eyeing up the little girl who was latched onto Maria's leg.

Damon frowned in confusion, not having noticed the four year old up until now. She was slightly hidden behind Maria, hating every part of this situation she was in.

"I need you to take her in." Maria pulled Rowan away from her leg, allowing Damon and Aaron to get a full view of her. She was tiny, fragile, she looked lost, confused and slightly terrified.

"What the fuck are you asking of me Maria? I'm not a dumping ground for kids. You know what my business is like, this is no place for a little girl."

"Please, my father is coming after me and I can't protect her if she's with me. I don't want him anywhere near her. Like you said, he's a malicious man, I am no part of that family any more Damon, you've got to believe me."

"You know we could just make this easier for all of us and.." Damon now pointed his gun at the young girl.

"No!" Maria pushed Rowan back behind her in a panic whilst Aaron had stepped in front of his father before he could do anything. "Dad, stop and just listen to her." He reasoned.

Damon rolled his eyes, he was joking of course; his idea of dark humour showing through. He could never do such a thing to a child and he instantly felt bad when a loud cry had caught all of their attention. Maria had pushed Rowan harder than she thought, causing her to bump her chin and scrape her elbow on the concrete below her.

"Oh god.." Maria managed to tend to her daughter quickly. "I'm so sorry baby." She picked Rowan up in her arms, rubbing her elbow soothingly and shushing her cries. "Damon, please hear me out." Maria was feeling flustered with all that was happening and just wanted to cut to the chase.

"Maria, I'm not doing this." Damon stuffed his gun into the back of his jeans. He was exhausted and he was finding it hard to process all of this information. "You're asking a lot of me right now for someone who I haven't seen for four years."

"I know but Damon, please. I wouldn't be asking you to do this if it wasn't important. You say this is no place for a child but I know damn well you have brought up five amazing young boys." Maria shot a small teary smile towards Aaron, in which he gave her a sad smile in return.

"Do you realise what other gangs are going to do if they find out I have a little girl to take care of? They're going to use it for their own benefit. Their own gain. It wouldn't be fair on her and it's a hell of a lot more work for me. I've already had threats against my boys, especially Asher." Damon referred to his youngest son, who was most likely tucked up in bed at this time of night.

"I understand some of the risks, but Damon please, I know you can protect her. She will be so well protected here with you and the boys."

Damon was silent for a moment and Aaron seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as he stared at the little girl in Maria's arms.

"Why her?" Damon spoke up, taking Maria by surprise. "And why here? She would be better off in the foster system somewhere. Not growing up with this gang life over her head. Why is it so important for me to have her?"

Maria felt her heartbeat pick up.

"Because shes your daughter."

A silence settled over them before Damon could even form any words.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Damon could almost feel his eyes popping out of their sockets. Did he hear her right?

Aaron was thinking the exact same as his father.

"She's yours. She's our daughter." Maria rocked the upset girl in her arms, lightly. "I didn't want to leave you, Damon, but my father had some horrific plans lying ahead for me, other ways to use me for his own benefit and I had to get out of there especially once I found out that I was pregnant with your child. I couldn't stay with you because you would've been the first place he'd track me down to. So I left and I lied to you to make it easier on myself. And I've been in hiding and on the run ever since."

"So why now? Isn't bringing her here now a risk too?"

"Not necessarily. Your rivalry with my father ended four years ago. Has he tracked you down since? Tried anything else on you?"

"No he hasn't." Aaron spoke for Damon.

"Well there you go then. He doesn't know I have a daughter, but he is close to tracking me down which is why I needed to get her some place safe; just incase anything were to happen. I know you can do this Damon. She's your daughter, you'll protect her with your whole life."

She was right. Family meant everything to Damon; Whether that be his sons or his gang, he vowed to do anything and everything in his power to protect them. They always came first. And all it took was those three words from Maria - she's your daughter - for him to look at that little blonde girl completely differently and immediately want to take her in.

"Does she have any bags?" Damon didn't want to show that he'd let his guard down once again, but he had, despite promising himself he wouldn't do so.

His words took Maria and even Aaron by surprise.

"Oh um.." Maria seemed lost for words, expecting Damon to keep making this harder for her . "No uh.. I had no time to pack anything of hers. All she has is this stuffed dog." She gestured to the black stuffed animal in Rowan's hand.

"Send me a list of everything she needs and everything I need to know about her." Damon said. "I'll give you Axel's number. You can message us through a burner phone. Can't risk your father turning up here."

Maria nodded. "I won't be in contact with you again after that." She swallowed, her mouth suddenly turning dry. "I'm not sure what's going to happen to me but I can't risk anything happening to Rowan."

"Rowan?" Damon questioned the name that Maria had said.

She nodded. "I've always wanted to name my daughter Rowan."

"I remember." Damon kept his face free from emotion despite the slight nostalgia aching his heart.

Maria nodded once again and held Damon's eye contact before suddenly realising she was on a time schedule. "Anyway I'm running late, I need to get going."

Maria placed Rowan back down on her feet. Goosebumps covered the little girl's arms from the freezing weather that settled over them; Maria didn't even have time to get a coat on her before they left.

"Aaron, go and write Axel's number down." Damon ordered his son, in which Aaron walked away, ripping his gaze away from his little sister.

"Mommy's got to go now, Ro." Tears filled Maria's eyes as she crouched down next to her four year old. "You're going to be staying here, okay?" She used her thumb to lightly wipe away the fresh blood on the four year olds chin.

Rowan was still sniffling at the hurt that was caused by her fall but now she wanted to cry again, because her mother was leaving her with the scary man.

"B-but I don't want you to go."

Maria could sense a meltdown coming on and needed to do her goodbyes quickly. "I know baby, but this is for the best, okay?"

Rowan eyed up the tall, scary man in the doorway and then looked back at her mother with fresh tears in her eyes.

"This is your daddy, baby. He's going to be looking after you now."

Damon smiled sadly at his now youngest child, his daughter; hoping to God she would warm up to him, despite making a bad first impression.

Rowan latched on to her mother's arm and buried her face in her shoulder.

"I love you and I'm going to miss you so so much." Maria kissed the top of Rowan's head before picking her up in her arms once again.

"I don't want you to leave me mommy." Rowan cried, hugging tightly around her mother's neck; with the stuffed dog being pressed up against Maria's face.

Aaron returned to Damon's side with a slip of paper in hand.

"She's a runner." Maria joked half-heartedly. "So you better hold her tight." She tried passing Rowan over to Damon, but Rowan wasn't having any of it. Her legs kicking and arms flailing in all directions.

She was unsuccessful in her attempts and the scary man now had her in his hold. There was nothing worse for Rowan than being ripped away from her mother. They'd been latched at the hip since the day she was born, it's all she's ever known for the four years she's been alive and suddenly it was all disappearing before her eyes. She struggled to get out of her newfound father's arms, but failed to escape.

Rowan's cries were breaking Maria's heart but she had to keep telling herself that this had to be done, it's for the best. Rowan will be safer here.

"Aaron, you mind taking her for a moment?" Damon passed Rowan to her eldest brother, as she continued to cry her heart out for her mother.

Aaron passed Damon the slip of paper with Axel's number on it before sitting Rowan comfortably on his hip, finally getting a closer look at his baby sister. He felt sorry for her, that she was having to go through such a tough situation.

"Why don't we go and clean you up, Hm?" Aaron softly stroked his finger under Rowan's chin; a graze had shown up where she had bumped it during her fall.

Just that small gesture, seeing Aaron interact with Rowan, put Maria's anxiety and sadness at ease, confirming that she made the right decision to leave Rowan in the hands of Damon and his boys.

"Wait." Maria stopped him from walking away. "Just one last goodbye?"

Damon could see the pain in Maria's eyes and how hard this was for her, so he nodded at his son to allow her to give one last goodbye to Rowan.

She held her daughter's face between both of her cold hands and used her thumbs to dry the young girl's tears. "Goodbye baby." She gently kissed the tip of Rowan's nose before stepping away and nodding at Aaron to leave. It was best to take Rowan out the room whilst Maria made her departure, sparing the mother and daughter duo from further heartache.

"Mommy!" Rowan cried and reached for her mother once more over Aaron's shoulder before they disappeared from Maria's sights.

"I uh.. I can't thank you enough for this Damon." Maria's voice wobbled with sadness, a large lump formed at the back of her throat.

"I'd do anything for family." Damon stated.

Maria nodded. "She's uh.. she's quite the character you know. And I know damn well you're going to raise her into one hell of a woman."

Damon silently agreed with another sad smile appearing across his face.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Maria sniffed away any tears she was holding back and quickly composed herself.

"Here." Damon passed the slip of paper to Maria.

"Thankyou. I'll message Axel as soon as I can. Bye Damon."

"Bye Maria."

Damon stood in the doorway and watched as Maria's figure vanished into the dark, frosty night.

Everything suddenly hit Damon full force, the reality of this situation settled in and he took a moment to allow the cold air to clear his head a little. He looked down to find the fake fluffy dog on the floor by his feet, which had been thrown during Rowan's tantrum.

He picked the soft toy up in his hands and stared down at it. A daughter, Damon thought. He'd made a vow to himself to always put his family first. But more so now than ever.

He was going to protect his little girl like no other.

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There it is guys!

I thought it would be good to give a bit of back story which I hope is not too confusing, but things will be further explained in upcoming chapters ☺️

Only the prologue is written in third person. The rest of the book will be told through character POV's. Sorry if the writing is a bit crappy, I'm not the best at writing in third person so hopefully it'll get better as I get into each character. I will correct any mistakes tomorrow as I'm