I leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Daddy’s chest. Leaving our little nest last night sounded like the worst thing in the whole world. The last thing I wanted to do was face the world.
Sadly, adult responsibilities still existed. The police station was important, but I wanted to see the guys again. The group chat I had with Josh and Seth was already going crazy this morning, but I’d been ignoring it because I wanted to just bask in the time with Daddy.
“How are you holding up, Little one?”
That was a hard question to answer. Taking a moment, I tried to assess my mental and physical state. Physically, I was okay. Not a scratch to be found, which I was grateful for. The bullet wound from years ago burned a little as I was assaulted with more memories I didn’t want to deal with.
Mentally, well, I was surprised I was still functioning at this point. My old therapist would tell me I was still in shock. She would probably be right, too. I knew that if I continued to lie here, my mind would continue to spiral, and that wouldn’t be helpful for anyone.
“I’m going to be okay, Daddy. Maybe not right this second. Maybe not even a few days from now, but one day I will be. Want to know why?”
“Of course I do, Sweets.”
“I’ll be okay this time because I have you. Last time, I was alone after my world exploded. No family and very few friends. The one person I cherished the most was gone. I had nothing and no reason to keep pushing. This time, though, I have you and all the guys. I have Vic. I have a purpose. That’s what makes this time different.”
“You’re absolutely right, my darling. You have all of that and so much more.”
“Thank you for coming to my rescue, Daddy.”
“There will never be a time I won’t come to your rescue, Rebekah. There will never be anything in the world that will keep me from finding you each and every time.”
It was on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to say those three little words so bad, but there was a small part of me that was worried it was still too soon. We had barely begun, but the feelings that I felt for this man exceeded anything that I’d ever felt before.
Telling the voices in my head to shut the fuck up for once, I said what was exactly on my mind. “I love you, Daddy.”
I heard him suck in a small breath and pull me in tighter. “I love you too, Sweets. You never get to leave.”
“Good, because there’s nowhere else I would want to go.”
When we pulledinto the police station, my hands began to sweat and shake as Daddy made his way around to help me out. He had made a call this morning and told the officers that we would be there in a few hours to give a statement.
So here I was, with a serious case of déjà vu, wrapped up in Daddy’s stolen hoodie and Ophelia tucked inside the pocket. I walked inside the station with my head held high. My world shattered when I realized what waited for me.
Standing in front of me were Seth, Josh, Matt, Patrick, Zach, Eric, and Chase. Each one a wall of strength that I didn’t know I needed. I refused to cry again this morning. Daddy had already held me once in the shower when reality hit me once more.
“Hey, Pipsqueak.”
I gave Josh a small wave. One after another, they greeted me, wrapping me up in a hug that I didn’t know I needed. This was what romance books talked about when they said someone had finally found their family.
I had a family again, standing before me in worn combat boots, ready to take on the world for me. A family who would ride into battle without a second question. A family who had accepted me, welcomed me, and loved me just as I am. A family I wouldn’t trade for anything. A family that I know Alicia would have loved. A family I loved.
“Beau, thanks for coming in.”
I turned toward a man in uniform sat. I remembered seeing him last night, but I had no clue who he is.
“Of course. This is my girlfriend, Rebekah. Sweets, this is Officer John. He’s the one who caught the bad guy last night and took him away.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Rebekah. I wish we were meeting on better terms though.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, and please, call my Bekah.”
“All right, Bekah. If you would like to follow me, I’ve set up a room for us to speak freely.” Officer John led us down a hallway and into a very small room.
“Uh, guys, I don’t think all of us need to be in here. And I only really need to speak to Bekah. The rest of you can hang out in the bullpen until we get done.”
I turned around and let out a giggle. Every single one of the guys had followed us and were trying to cram into this tiny room. My heart warmed at the sight of them each standing at my back.
“Boss, we will go if you say the word. Right now, none of use wants to let her out of our sight. That’s our little sister and we want to support her,” Matt said, shocking me.
