“I’m not going to let you push me away,” I say softly as Caleb sniffles, squeezing Hol tightly, making my chest tighten.
He sees her as his mama, and I need her to see that, to see what happened today won’t ever happen again.
Chairs has already called my dad several times apologizing after his sergeant had a go at him and suspended him and explained what had really happened.
Apparently Cheryl blackmailed him with video footage of him allowing a man to fuck his ass while he sucked some other guy off and she sucked him off to get him to do her bidding.
Definitely not a visual I fucking wanted when Dad explained that to me, though him telling me Cheryl has been charged with assault on Lyra, forced entry and trespassing and wasting police time made me laugh. Until he said she’s in police custody until her court date because she couldn’t meet her bond then I was pissed.
Can’t fucking kill her if she’s being held.
“I thought I was doing the right thing,” Hol whispers, and I shake my head as I step forward and cup her soft cheeks, our eyes connecting, hers shining with unshed tears.
“You are the right thing for him, darling, not that woman,” I whisper, and she nods as Caleb mumbles, “Can I go see Lyra?”
“Of course, sweetheart,” Holly whispers to him, and he squeezes her one more time before going around her and into the townhouse and I take a step forward and wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her into me and pressing my forehead against hers as she melts into me.
That’s fucking better.
“I thought you weren’t back until tomorrow?” she chokes as she grips my cut, something I shouldn’t have worn in a cage, but I wasn’t thinking straight. I just wanted to get to my girls.
“You come before the club, you and our kids,” I murmur, and she melts into me even further as she pushes up on her tiptoes and places her lips against mine, and I groan.
Fuck, three days without her lips is too fucking long.
I lift her slightly and walk us inside, kicking the door shut behind us just as our tongues touch and giggles echo, and I smile against Holly’s lips, who smiles back.
“I’m all for you needing space, darling,” I rasp as I caress her lips, “But I can’t let you get into your head, I can’t lose you.”
She grips the back of my neck, and I know it is taking everything for her not to pull my hair tie out.
My girl loves to run her fingers through my hair.
“I just needed to breathe through what had happened, that and I was told my great aunt passed, who I named Lyra after, right before I opened the door to the police, who didn’t even care that two kids were crying and were trying to arrest me.” She whispers, and I nod as I squeeze her tighter and murmur, “I’m sorry you lost her, darling,” and she squeezes her eyes tight.
“You won’t lose me, Alex,” she whispers instead of speaking about her great aunt, which makes me swallow my sigh.
Family is always off limits, and I just don’t understand why. I don’t think we can be fully committed to each other until she opens up, until she shows me she trusts me.
“I won’t?” I ask instead of calling her out, vaguely remembering our kids are here.
“No, because I’m in love with you,” she admits, and I look at her instantly, my heart racing.
Okay never mind my other thought.
“You love me?” I confirm with a croak, and she nods as a few tears fall, and I kiss her hard and fast before replying, “I love you too, so fucking much,” before kissing her again while our kids laugh, watching us, and my body relaxes for the first time since getting that call from my dad.
This woman, she’s fucking amazing, always trying to put people before her, just like she tried with Caleb, thinking he was better off with my dad, but I’ll ensure she sees that she always comes first, her and our little family, fucking always.
I just need to get her to fight back when things get really fucking hard, and people get in the way, wanting what isn’t theirs to have, trying to break us apart.
Chapter 17
Holly – Two Days Later
“Okay, kiddos, line up nicely, ready for recess,” I call as place the whiteboard marker on my desk as the bell rings, and my kids all get up, their chairs scraping as they do, just as a knock sounds on my door, and I look to see Mrs. Trivers, the receptionist, pop her head into the room and I frown a little.
She never comes to my class—always to Mrs. Jones’s, never mine.
