As much as it means to me that Daisy would kill for me and my family, I’m glad she didn’t pull the trigger. It’s a burden she won’t have to live with every time she closes her eyes. Even if the victims deserved to die, taking a life can also take a piece of your soul. I know from experience.
“Thank you.” I shake his hand and then pull Mom into a hug, with one arm, my sister in the other. My body is exhausted and sore, but I’m not letting them go.
“Did he hurt you?”
“No, son. We’re okay. A little shook up, but okay.”
“Bro, look at your girl. She’d tear his face off if she could,” Livvy says, referring to my feral little clover attempting to get to Madden. She’s yelling obscenities at the evil fuck as the deputies search him and strip him of his many weapons, several of which are covered with my blood.
“Passionate is the word I’d use to describe her, sweetheart,” Mom says thoughtfully, watching the fiery brunette I love more than she’ll ever know. “She’s passionate about those she loves.”
“Clover,” I manage to say loud enough for her to hear above the chaos.
She turns, and when she sees the three of us together, tears stream down her face. Finally leaving Madden behind, she joins our hug, completing our circle.
After a couple of minutes, Mom steps away, taking my sister with her, giving the two of us a moment together.
When I wrap her in my arms, she hugs me back but stops when she touches one of the cuts on my back, opting to rest her hands on my hips. I hate it. I want all of her. Always.
“Thanks for saving me,” I whisper into her hair.
She pulls back to look at me. “Well, you’ve waited a long time for me to figure my shit out. It would be a shame for something to get in the way now.” She winks, lightening the mood just like I would if I were in her shoes.
I know most would say that two such similar personalities will never work, but they’d be wrong.
“I love you so damn much.”
“I love you more.”
I scoff. “In your dreams.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Owen
Daisy and I lay on our sides in my childhood bedroom as the sun sneaks over the Cascade Mountain Range. Just like when I was a teen and had a girl in my room, my door is open. Only for very different reasons.
After everything that went down, I didn’t want to leave Mom and Olivia on their own. I know the bad guys are dead or behind bars, but tonight I want us all under the same roof. Four men died on our property tonight. Losing the criminals was easy to take, but the bodyguard who died trying to protect my family — that was a heartbreaker. I can’t imagine how mixed up that has them feeling, no matter how okay they pretend to be.
Here, in my old bedroom, is where I need to be.
The walls of my room are no longer littered with supermodels and football stars. Mom has turned it into a highland cow themed room. From the pictures on the wall to the throw pillows on the bed, there are cows as far as the eye can see. My favorite piece of decor is the 8x10 photo of my dad withSharon’s sweet Bernadette on the dresser. God, I wish he were here. He’s been gone for nearly ten years now. I miss him every day, but today I miss him for my mom and sister, too. I wish he were here to comfort them. To protect them.
“You comfortable?” my four-leaf clover whispers.
Not in the slightest.
“I’m fine.”
“Can I get you anything?”
“No, baby, I’m good. Just sleep. It’s already morning.”
“Sorry, but I get to be the boss this time. I’m taking care ofyou. Not the other way around.”
“Okay,” I relent.
Except for when she tried to rip Madden’s face off in the barn, Daisy hasn’t left my side all night. Even in this double bed that is too small for the both of us, I don’t want her anywhere else. She offered to sleep on the floor, but that was a hard no from me. I know I should try to close my one working eye and sleep. But how can I when a creature as beautiful as Daisy McKinnon is next to me?
