Page 48 of Her Courage

Lottie twisted in my lap, straddling my thighs as her arms wrapped around my neck. "I'm so proud of you."

Those words. Four simple words.

But they hit me like a freight train.

"Say that again," I rasped.

"I'm proud of you, Kaleb Wulf." She pressed kisses across my face between words. "So. Damn. Proud."

My eyes burned as I crushed her against my chest, burying my face in the crook of her neck.

"Thank you," I whispered against her skin. "For not giving up on me."

"Never." Her hands fisted in the back of my suit jacket. "I'll fight for you every single day. For all of you. Just like you all have for me."

The sound of footsteps made us both look up. Andrei leaned against the doorframe, coffee in hand. His knowing smirk told me he'd been there for a while.

"About fucking time, Wulf."

Despite everything—the chaos, the fear, the uncertainty—I laughed.

"Shut up, Volkov."

His grin widened. "Make me." He shook his head as he turned and walked back toward his office.

Lottie giggled against my neck, the sound like sunshine after a storm.

My phone buzzed. Marshall's response already coming through.

Marshall: Understood. I'll have everything ready by 2pm. Proud of you, man.

I showed the screen to Lottie, who beamed then giggled. God, I loved that sound.

"See? Everyone's proud of you."

"I don't care about everyone." I tucked her hair behind her ear. "Only you three."

"Then believe us when we say you're doing the right thing," Andrei said, moving to refill his coffee. "Patrice doesn't get to poison your life anymore."

"Or ours," Lottie added firmly.

The conviction in her voice made my chest tighten with overwhelming love.

"Wheels are set in motion now," I murmured, more to myself than them. "No going back."

"Good." Lottie kissed me softly. "Forward is the only direction worth going."

Andrei raised his coffee mug. "To moving forward."

"Together," I added.

Lottie smiled, her eyes shining. "Always together."

As I held my girl close and felt the support of my brothers surrounding me, I knew one thing with absolute certainty.

Whatever came next—legal battles, Patrice's inevitable counterattack, media scrutiny—we'd face it as we faced everything.

As a family.