I sit up, meeting his concerned gaze. “Please,” I plead. “Please, just promise me.”
He blinks, then nods. “I promise. I fucking promise.”
My hand goes to his cheek, and I lean in to kiss him. It’s a different kind of kiss. Like a seal for the promise. It means something different now—and moving forward.
This feels like a start. Like a new beginning. Like… maybe I could actually be happy. Like I could have a normal life. Not just for me, but for her—for us.
We break the kiss, and I lean my head on his shoulder again, staring down at my daughter.
Her hair is dark, wavy, and she has a lot of it. Her lashes are long, cheeks chubby. She is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’m sure most mothers say that, but she really is perfect.
“What was your mother like?” Grizz asks, sliding his hand closer and brushing her fingers gently with his. He still hasn’t held her. He’s afraid he’s going to hurt her.
“My mother was the opposite of everything I am going to be.”
It’s the simplest way to put it without getting into detail.
I expect him to apologize, but he’s quiet for a long time. All we hear is Dorothea’s little snores.
But then he says, “You deserved so much more.”
My eyes well with tears, and I fight to keep them at bay, but fail. Thankfully, he doesn’t notice, and I get myself together before he does.
“Tell me about your mother,” I say, discreetly wiping my eyes.
“She was the best.” I hear the smile in his voice, and his happiness washes away the sadness. “She would make me breakfast every morning. I always had the best desserts. She was fair and kind. She read me stories when I went to bed. Most of the time, it was only me and her. Tommy was grown by then, already gone and living in Florida. Pops was out with the club most of the time. He was a good father but a shit husband. I don’t know why she stayed with him.”
“Love makes you do crazy things,” I say.
“I don’t think she loved him. I think she was stuck.”
“Stuck?”
“She wanted a family. She had it. If she broke it up, what would she walk away with? Me and a ton of struggles. Where would she go? Who would pay the bills?”
“You shouldn’t sacrifice happiness for convenience,” I say.
“Yeah,” he agrees. “Maybe if I was smarter then, I would have told her that.”
“You were just a boy; you didn’t know any better.”
“Are you happy here?”
I glance up at him, giving him a smile. “Very.”
“Do you think… that you’d want to stay?”
“I definitely want to stay,” I say. “As long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever,” falls from his mouth, and the look on his face tells me he regrets it.
“Forever,” I agree, sliding my hand over to take his.
Chapter Twenty-One
Grizz
I move a step back, taking more cover in the trees, and lift my binoculars to my eyes.
