She peers up at me, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” I tell her. “Morgan, I can’t tell you how truly sorry I am. I had no idea it was you. Only once I saw that tattoo on Evan’s arm, did I put the pieces together.”
She wraps her arms around me and buries her face into my chest. “You havenoidea the impact you made on her either. Before—what happened—she was determined to make good on her promise to get out of that life. I don’t… like to talk much about what happened right before she died, but I know she did it… intentionally. Like, sacrificed herself so I could go live with Dad.”
“Oh, sweetie,” I sigh, holding her close. “I’m so sorry.” It’s repetitive, I know, but it’s all I can offer her. When she pulls back, she peers up at me again, and I’m again struck by how I didn’t make the connection that she was Marie sooner. I swipe some of her tears away with my thumb. “I wish I had found you both sooner,” I whisper.
“You didn’t find us because we were in hiding. Momdidget us out for a little bit, and Colt’s mom helped with that. I got to make so many more memories with Mom because of the years she was able to give me, all before they found us again. Gordy,youare the reason why we had the time together that we did. She was sober through the entirety of it, so I made so many good memories with her. And I know that when my mom passed, she—she did it so I could have a better life.”
“That’s all she ever wanted for you.”
“I know, and I got it in spades, trust me. My dad absolutely nailed giving me the best life possible, after what happened. So please,pleasepromise me you won’t let this hang over your head. You didnotgive my mom a death sentence. Pardon my cussing, but those cruel bastards— they have no conscience. They were going to keep her bound to them regardless. What you did was buy my mom and I a few more years together, and for that, I am truly thankful.”
“Babe?” Taryn pokes his head out of the back door of the pub. Spying Morgan and I sitting together on the stairs, both of us crying, he stiffens. “Dad? What the hell is going on? And where the hell have you been?”
“It’s a long story,” I sigh. Too long to tell with the business he’s trying to run right now.
Morgan nudges me with her shoulder. “Is it okay if I sharethiswith him? Not, you know, theotherthing.”
I nod and she slips the lid back on the box, passing it back to me. “Hold onto this for now, and we can come back for it after.”
“Okay. I’ll be awake.”
She hops up, wipes the last of the tears from her face, links her arm with his, and lifts up on her tiptoes to give Taryn a peck on the cheek. “C’mon, boss man. Let’s get this place closed up, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“That’s another thing I want to talk about, too, Taryn. Come on up once everyone skedaddles. I think it’s time we discuss ownership of this place.”
“O-kay?” he drawls skeptically, before Morgan yanks him back inside.
Chapter Twenty
“Shit, Gannett, what the fuck do you feed this dog? His breath smells like the breakroom at a sewage treatment facility.” I mutter, batting Twinkie away from my face. For a little dog, he sure is a power-licker, with an affinity for faces. With a huff, the sassy puppy hops off the bed, crossing the room to settle back into his own.
Christ, waking up feeling this well rested, thiscontent, is still so foreign to me. Foreign, yet addicting as fuck. It feels… like everything I was supposed to have in this life, but denied myself for far too long.
Gannett rolls over in bed, nuzzling in close. “I dunno. Something the chick at the pet store said would be good. It’s fuckin’ expensive, that’s all I know…” he murmurs, yawning.
I grimace. “Yours doesn’t smell that much better…”
He smirks, his eyes still buttoned shut. “Well, that’s on you. You know what I had in my mouth last night. Same thing you had in yours. Each other’s d—”
“Dicks, yes. I’m well aware, Wee-Waters. I wasthere.”
“You weren’t calling meWee-Waterslast night. In fact, I believe you had a lot to say on the contrary regarding Blackbeard’s size.” Blindly, he flicks my nipple with his tongue as the hand he had splayed over my chest starts to caress its way down my body.
“What are you doing, Gannett? The girls could wake up any minute…”
That’s another thing that’s fuckin’ wild. The amount of time I’ve spent with his kiddos over their school break. Hell, Taryn busted me wearing magenta nail polish the other day, compliments of Tatiana, and also sporting a bruised cheek from the elbow I took from Terra—which she was overly-apologetic over—when we got into an epic tickle fight.
Gannett slips his hand between my thighs, brushing against my already hard dick, as he cups my balls. “The bedroom door is locked, and I’m looking for myownEaster goodies…” Gently, he rolls them, sending a bolt of arousal through me that causes me to groan. “Found a couple of cream eggs,” he snarks.
I pull back, grimacing at him. “You do realize that when you say shit like that, it has theoppositeeffect as what I’m sure you’re intending, right?”
His palm coasts up my cock, and he gives it a little squeeze. “Yet here you are, hard as a rock.”
I sigh. “Because you’re touching it…” I pump some of the lotion he keeps on the nightstand onto my hand, roll onto my side to face him, and reach over to mirror his movements. He arches into me with a slight whimper as I make that first swipe up his shaft.
Over the last three weeks, we’ve been stealing little moments like this quite often. Because of our work schedules, he’s often asleep by the time I make my way over here after closing up Portside. And because he’s been more involved with the girls, he hasn’t had time tomake it to the gym with me after he gets back from work. When he finally has a chance to settle down, I’m over at the pub… something I’m working on rectifying with Taryn.
My plan is to have a work schedule more akin to Gannett’s by the time the sale of the pub is official, and I can begin the process of taking things over at Forge Fitness.
