I rubbed my hands over my face and stood. “I’m sorry, I fell asleep. Do you need me to do anything for you?”
My father walked in and peered out the window. “I need you to take a break. You’ve been working yourself ragged this whole week.” He glanced over at me, his gaze sad. “I don’t want you worrying about me, son.” A long sigh escaped his lips. “Your mother would be furious with me if she could see how I’ve been this week.”
My chest tightened and I rubbed a hand over it. “True. I hope she isn’t disappointed in us.”
He shook his head and faced me. “No,” he said, his voice adamant. “Nikolai had to be stopped and we did that. I don’t regret my decision at all. If your mother were alive, she’d learn to understand.” He stepped toward me and kept his eyes on mine. “What I do regret is putting all the pressure on you. Can you forgive me?”
I waved him off. “There’s nothing to forgive. I was ready to do anything to protect our family name. I just wish we would’ve done things differently.”
My father hung his head. “So do I. That’s why I’m here to talk to you.” I furrowed my brows and waited for him to continue. He pointed out the window at the New York countryside. “This is our home away from the city. It’s where your mother and I built a life together away from the chaos.” A sad smile spread across his face. “I want you to have the same, son. It would be best if you didn’t worry about the family business and staying here because of me. You can handle all of that anywhere in the world.” He walked over and placed his hands on my shoulders. “I may have lost the only woman I’ve ever loved, but that doesn’t mean you have to.”
“What are you saying?”
He waved a hand in the air. “I’m saying, go. I heard you talking to Wren earlier. You need to live up to your promise. If there’s one thing I taught you, it was to never back down on your word.”
And it was something I’d lived by my entire life. I’d made a promise to Wren, and I was going to keep it.
CHAPTER33
WREN
Being back in California was bittersweet. I left for Vegas with Parker and came back alone. Ripp was glad to have me back, and it was comforting to know he would just be next door. However, I didn’t want to be alone when I arrived home. Thankfully, my services were needed elsewhere.
I was a little sleep-deprived, but I didn’t care. Spending time with the twins was what I needed. Instead of staying at my Venice home, Peyton and Ethan were more than happy to have me stay with them. I woke up in the middle of the night with the twins and fed them so Peyton could get some much-needed rest.
“Are you ever going to put Colby down?” Peyton teased, her voice quiet from the doorway.
I’d already put Walker in the crib, but Colby took a little longer to fall asleep. Gently, I laid him beside Walker and tiptoed out of the nursery, following Peyton down the hall to her living room. My bags were packed and ready by the front door. I figured it was time to deal with everything going on. I couldn’t hide away at Peyton’s forever.
Peyton patted the couch, and I sat down beside her. My body still hurt from the explosion, so it took me a few seconds to get comfortable.
“Maybe you should take two more weeks off from training instead of one,” Peyton suggested, staring at me with concern in her emerald eyes.
I waved her off. “I told your mom I’ll be ready in a week. I can’t sit on my ass any longer.”
Peyton chuckled. “You haven’t been sitting on your ass. You’ve been taking care of two babies.”
I reached over and held her hand, loving how my heart swelled at the mention of them. “And I’ve enjoyed every minute. You and the boys have been keeping me sane during all this craziness.”
Peyton squeezed my hand. “Things with Seth are still going good, right?”
My chest tightened just thinking about him; I missed him.
“They are,” I replied, “other than the fact that I haven’t seen him in days.”
Tears burned my eyes as memories from that disastrous night in Vegas replayed through my mind. I remembered the last moment I saw Genevieve. Her smiling face will always be ingrained in my mind. That was how I wanted to remember her.
I leaned my head on Peyton’s shoulder, trying to keep the tears at bay. “I wanted to be there for him, Peyton. He shouldn’t have had to deal with losing his mother alone.”
Peyton laid her head against mine. “You’d been through so much, too, Wren. Seth knew you needed to be around your friends and family.”
The second I closed my eyes, the tears fell. “I’m not a porcelain doll.”
Peyton sighed. “No, but you needed to come home.”
I sat up and quickly wiped the wetness off my cheeks. “Thank you for letting me stay here. Walker and Colby are the most precious things I’ve ever seen.”
Peyton shook her head and laughed. “I’m surprised you can say that after the past few nights of no sleep.”
