“Baby, breathe with me. Just take a second and breathe,” I instruct her. Taking her hand, I place it over my heart and lead her into a deep breathing exercise. She follows my command and soon before long her panic subsides. I place a kiss on the tip of her nose. “There’s my girl.”
“Oak.” Her voice sounds so torn and heartbroken. And this is exactly what I wanted to prevent. “I don’t want you being taken away from me.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Grace.”
“But they’re charging you, Oak.” She worries on her bottom lip. I know she’s fighting on saying what she really fears. And hell, I don’t fucking blame her. What have I really proven to dispel it? And then she finally voices it. “And what if you decide this is the punishment you deserve? What if you decide confessing is what you feel needs to happen?”
“I’m not confessing. I know this is hard to believe,” I say. “But I’m finally forgiving myself for everything. I’m done punishing myself, Grace. And if there is anyone to thank for it, it’s you.”
Tears brim in her eyes. “I’m not to thank for it. You are,” she insists. I shake my head, but she continues. “You need to thank yourself for how far you’ve come. All the battles you’ve facedand survived. The will to keep fighting. The strength to carry on. That’s you, Oak.”
This only convinces me how she was made just for me. My heart fucking swells as emotion clogs my throat.
“And you saw me, Grace. You saw all my faults and self loathing and fought for me anyways. You don’t know what that means to me.”
“I love you, Oak.” The fact that I used to be afraid of those words coming from her lips is a damn fucking shame. Now I don’t want to go a day without hearing them. They give me peace.Shegives me peace.
I kiss her because I don’t know what more I can possibly say that will completely encompass how I feel.
Tucking her hair behind her ear I then ask about her. “How are things looking with Nico?”
There’s a light in her eyes that resembles hope. “Our case is really strong. The judge has granted me temporary custody while my mom is unconscious, but Nico is pushing for full custody.”
“And Steven?”
“He tried to intervene, but his case wasn’t as strong as mine. The judge questioned why he was bringing up all these concerns when they were never mentioned once in Connor’s files.”
“But he’s still trying to deny you custody? To prove both you and your mother unfit?”
She nods her head, but she doesn’t look undeterred. Grace will move Heaven and Hell for Connor. There’s nothing that will stand in her way.
I wish I could kill Steven for how long he has stood in her way. For putting her in a position where she was afraid to fight back.
Men like him deserve to burn in hell for eternity.
“I’m not afraid of him anymore, Oak. He no longer has that power over me. This newfound strength I have, you’re the one I have to thank for it.”
“You’ve always been strong, Grace.”
“But not strong enough. Not until I met you.”
“You don’t give yourself nearly enough credit,” I say.
“The very same can be said for you.”
“Then how about this.” I lay her down and wrap her legs around my back. My cock nestles against her pussy. “We bring out the best in each other. How does that sound?”
Her eyes twinkle up at mine. I can drown in the love I see in them.
There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for this woman. All she has to do is simply ask. I will move mountains. Walk through the fiery pits of Hell. Kill every motherfucker that dares to touch her. Make those who ever caused her a tear to face my wrath.
Knowing Grace has made me a better man but loving her has made me a ruthless one.
“I love the sound of that,” she says softly.
“Good.” I kiss the edge of her mouth before trailing kisses down her neck. “Now tell me how much you love me as you sit on my face.”
And she does more than tells me, she screams it.
