“Doesn’t matter, Cora. I only said I wasn’t his father because we hadn’t discussed it yet, and I didn’t want to presume without talking to you, but, Cora, you have to know that you and Noah are my family.” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “I have to admit something, baby,” he starts with a worried expression.“I killed Aidan.”
Well, that explains why he never came back.
“He tried to take Noah, but Rhett and I stopped him. Seth took care of him, but I tortured him, baby. I won’t apologize for it either. He said he was your uncle, but I didn’t care. He hurt you, and I couldn’t let that slide.” When he finishes speaking, he can’t meet my gaze.
“He was no family of mine. Thank you, Atlas.”
“One day, we’ll add to ours and make the most beautiful babies. Noah will be an amazing uncle.” He smiles at me, but I shake myhead. “But maybe let’s not tell the cops about yours. Let them think he skipped town.”
“I can’t ask you to do that, Atlas. You deserve more than?—”
“More than what? The love of my life? Waking up to you every morning and having my way with you every night?” He grins. “Helping Noah grow into the man you’ve already started raising him to be? I know what I deserve, and I’ll spend every damn day looking at it, and loving it.”
He presses his lips to mine briefly. They’re soft, warm, and full of promises.
When he pulls back, his eyes find mine. “I love you, Cora. I love you with every single beat and skip of my heart. You’re the light to my dark, the answer to all of my prayers, the reason Iexist. There will only ever be you.”
Melting into his touch, I let everything else fade away. I can’t describe how much I’ve missed him. When he pulls away, I don’t even try to cover the sigh that escapes me.
Leaning forward, I lay my forehead on his chest, letting him cradle me in his arms.
“I love you, Atlas.”
He freezes and pulls back to cup my face. My head is wrapped in gauze and I’m sitting in a hospital bed, but he looks at me the same way he always does, with reverence.
“Say it again,” he demands.
“I love you. You’re what I’ve been waiting for all these years. No one ever felt right for Noah and me, but you’ve felt perfect since the start. You have such a big heart, and I promise to take care of it.” I gently press my lips to his.
“Oh, Firefly, you’re not getting rid of me, now or ever. Consider me glue, because you’re stuck with me forever.”
“Forever is a long time,” I point out.
“Not long enough.” He grabs my hand and leaves a kiss there. “You’ll wear my ring one day soon, so you better get used to the idea.”
Smiling, I meet his gaze and nod. “I can’t wait.”
Chapter Fifty-Six
Atlas
Cora was released three days after waking. She was a bit surprised when she realized I had moved myself in while she was in the hospital.
“I thought Matt had changed the locks.”
“Nope. I kind of knocked him out in the hardware store, then took his phone to call you. Guess he never got the chance.”
“You hit Matt?” she yells. “Atlas, what’s wrong with you?”
“Not a thing.” I pull her close to me. Noah’s in the living room watching TV, but I need my girl to lie down and rest. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat, but I think we finally came to an understanding.”
“Sometimes I can’t tell if you’re serious or not.”
“When it comes to you, I’m always serious, Firefly.”
Picking her up, I carry her to our room.
“What happened to my bed?” she asks, taking in some changes I made.
