He let go of Roland’s hand, sat forward, his voice low but firm, the kind that brooked no argument.
“Little miss, you listen to me right now.” His tone sharpened, a warning in it. “If you ever talk about yourself like that again, Iwillput you over my knee and remind you just who you belong to and how precious you are. Do you understand me?”
Sydney’s eyes went wide, her breath hitching, but she didn’t look scared. Just… stunned. Like no one had ever dared scold her for hurting herself like this before.
Roland leaned in too, his voice gentler but no less certain. “Sydney, sweetheart, you aren’t your father’s sins. You never were. You’reyou. Brave. Strong. Sweet as can be. And no matter what your dad did, nothing could change that. Not ever.”
Levi nodded, his heart aching with how much he wanted to ease her pain. “We don’t give a damn what your dad did. Wecare aboutyou. And what we see? Is an amazing, kind, smart woman who’s fought like hell to get where she is. Who’s worth everything, and then some.”
Her lip trembled, and for a second, he thought she might finally let the tears fall. But instead she whispered, so small he almost didn’t catch it, “Maybe that’s why Greg… why he wanted me. Maybe he could tell. Maybe he could see how dirty I am underneath.”
Well, fuck a fucking duck.
That broke him.
Levi shook his head, fierce now, reaching out at last to take her hand, because he couldn’tnot. His big palm engulfed hers, warm and steady and he pulled her into his lap, wrapping himself around her, wishing he could protect her from her own dark thoughts.
“No, baby. No,” he whispered into her hair as he rocked her. “Greg picked you because he’s a sick bastard who goes after good people, people with big hearts. You weren’t marked for him. You weren’t asking for him. That’s not on you. That’s onhim. You hear me?”
Roland’s arm came around her then too, gentle but sure, pulling them both closer. “Greg doesn’t get to define you, just like your father doesn’t. Only you do.”
And at last, Sydney let the tears come, leaning into them both like she was too tired to hold herself up anymore. And Levi held on, promising silently that he wouldn’t let go. Not now. Not ever.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sydney
The snow had started again.
Big, soft flakes drifted down from the sky, catching in her hair and on her lashes as Sydney ran, half-laughing, down the quiet path toward Levi and Roland’s apartment. She was underdressed, she knew it, just as well as she knew that both her new Daddies probably wouldn’t like it very much but she had spent all night thinking about her decision and when it was finally late enough for her to get up and go to them, she couldn’t wait anymore. She was dressed in her pajama pants and her favourite hoodie, her feet shoved into socked slippers not meant for slush, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.
This time, the snow didn’t scare her. It wasn’t the sign of panic or uncertainty from her previous mad dash through it after she’d overheard Levi talking to Nanny J. Now it was beautiful. Magical, even. If she was a smidge more romantic she’d almost say it was like a sign or omen or something related to the choices she’d made the night before. She tipped her head back mid-step, letting it fall on her cheeks and her nose, the cold biting and sweet all at once. When she spun, once, quick and breathless, the whole world tilted around her in a blur of white and quietjoy. Okay, and maybe her feet got a little squishy, but she was almost at her intended destination so it wasn’t really the end of the world.
She was still grinning when she reached the front door. Before she could knock, the door flew open.
“Sydney Jane du Preez, what in God’s name are you doing running around in the snow in socked feet?”
Levi’s deep voice was sharp with concern, but the sight of him—barefoot, open shirt, and a pair of flannel pajama pants—made her smile even more.
“I—” she started, just as Roland appeared behind him, rubbing sleep from his eyes and dragging a robe around his shoulders.
“She’s gonna catch her death,” he muttered, stepping past Levi and eyeing her from head to toe. “You’re freezing. What are you thinking? Honestly, where are your damn boots? Or a coat? You’re gonna get sick.”
Sydney’s heart warmed at the two men and their obvious care for her. This was exactly the thing she’d been missing in her life since her mother was killed.
Roland turned, already muttering to himself. “Ordering winter gear first thing. A proper coat. Boots. Maybe one of those puffy marshmallow jackets—she’d look adorable?—”
“I’m sorry,” Sydney said quickly, stepping inside as Levi pulled her in with a warm hand at the small of her back. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I was just… really excited to come and tell you something.”
Levi’s brow lowered, his hand lingering. “Couldn’t this have waited until you to get dressed properly?” He helped her sit down on the couch so he could take off the sodden socks while Roland fetched a towel. The second man knelt down in front of her, carefully drying her feet.
“I didn’t want to wait,” she said, voice softer now, heart starting to race for entirely different reasons. “Because I know what I want now.”
Both men paused.
“I want to stay,” she said, looking between them. “At least for a few more months. I don’t know if I’m ready for forever yet. But I know I don’t want to leave. Not yet. Maybe not ever if I think about how I felt going back to my room last night. It felt empty, even with Chloe in there with me. It was all wrong. I missed you both so much.”
She swallowed, blinking snowflakes from her lashes. “And I want to talk to the sheriff. About Greg. I want to make it official. I want to take that power back.”
