“Yes, sir,” the younger man acknowledged quietly.
“Yeah, one day, it’ll be your daughter whose care you will have to entrust to another man. And trust me, son, it won’t matter how good or honorable that bastard is. Nah, it won’t mean a fucking thing. Because on that day, all you’ll be able to think is that nobody will ever love your kid as much as you do. Just do me one favor, Nyx,” Devil requested, turning to stare the choice his daughter had made in the eye.
“Yes, sir,” Nyx whispered.
“Never forget that I loved her first.”
Epilogue: 23 Years Old - From This Moment On
“Nooooo,” Devil breathed, shaking his head as he fought back a wave of panic. Watching as his wife and her three best friends fluttered around his little girl, tugging and fluffing Devlynn’s flowing white dress, he couldn’t help hoping that this was all a dream, that soon he’d wake up and find his daughter asleep in her crib where she belonged. There was no way Devlynn was old enough to become another man’s wife. No damned way!
It didn’t matter that he was sixty-three. He still felt forty, and he dared the world to prove otherwise. And if he was forty, then by God, his baby was still his baby. Right?
Obviously not.
“I still can’t believe I’m wearing a Samantha Dixon original creation. Thank you so much, Aunt Sami!” Devlynn sighed happily as she twirled in the center of the room, finally stopping to study her reflection in the cheval mirror in the corner of the room. “It’s like a dream come true!”
“Oh, please,” Devlynn’s Aunt Sami scoffed as she sidestepped Devlynn’s maid of honor to reach for her flute of champagne. “It’s the least I could do for my beautiful niece on her wedding day. My gift to you, sweetie.”
“It’s beyond gorgeous, Samantha,” Molly praised as she adjusted her little girl’s lace veil, her thin fingers working easily. “Don’t you think the dress is breathtaking, Devil?” she asked her husband over her shoulder.
Looking from his wife’s beautiful, expectant face to where his only offspring stood waiting for his praise, he nodded. “Sweetheart, the dress is stunning, but the bride is the only breathtaking thing in this room,” he declared hoarsely with a wink at his daughter.
“Thank you, Daddy,” Devlynn replied sweetly before turning to look at her Aunt Vivian when the older woman called her name.
“I don’t know how in the world Armando did it in the middle of the worst winter Georgia’s ever experienced in the last twenty years, but he actually managed to get you the blooming pink orchids you wanted, Devlynn,” Vivian announced, passing the flowing spray of roses, tulips and orchids to the younger woman.
Gasping, Devlynn took the huge bunch of flowers in one hand. “Oh, my word,” she tittered, her wide darting around the room to find Armando – a man who was both her honorary uncle and father of the groom. “Uncle Mannie, this bouquet is a work of art! Mom, are you seeing this?” Devlynn asked excitedly, turning so her mother could ogle the flowers, too.
“They’re perfect! Look how the blue of the tulips matches the bridesmaids’ dresses! Devil, don’t you think they’re just perfect?” Molly asked her husband over her shoulder.
They just looked like flowers to him, but if his wife and his kid deemed them perfect, then perfect they were, Devil decided as he nodded supportively to the women.
“I’m glad you think so, Devilkins,” Armando declared with a gleeful smile as his eyes sparked mischievously. “Because you paid a pretty penny for them,” he added as he elbowed Devil in the ribs. “Nothing is too good for los ninos, si?”
“Right,” Devil confirmed with a nod. Hell, he didn’t care about the money. He could make more money. But he and Molly couldn’t make another Devlynn. Was he really going to let another man take her from him?
One look at his daughter’s happy face established that he was, indeed, going to hand over his child’s care and well-being to another man.
Not just any man, his conscience reminded him.
That was true, he thought. Nyx Santino had been raised by two of the best men he knew and two of the finest friends he had. Armando and Nick had done a stellar job raising their adopted son, and if Devil was forced to trust Devlynn with someone else, Nyx would be his pick every single time.
None of that eased the butterflies in his stomach or the ache in his heart.
“Hey, guys, I’ll be back in a few,” Devil said, rising from the chair he’d been holding down in the corner of the room. “I’m gonna go get some air before we take that walk down the aisle,” he informed his daughter with a smile.
“Daddy, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Devlynn asked, looking at her father with concerned eyes.
“Are you loco? We’re getting close to show time, papi!” Armando worried aloud, pointing a finger toward the clock hanging above the door.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Molly murmured, extending a hand toward him as she cocked her head to the side and she stared at him with knowing eyes, her understanding gaze soothing some of the pain in his chest. God, he loved his wife. Every time he looked at Molly, he still saw the beautiful, vibrant woman he’d fallen in love with all those decades ago. He still remembered every moment of their own wedding and how he’d literally carried her away from the reception. How could they have reached this point? How?
“I’m okay, baby,” he assured his spouse, reaching out to squeeze her hand in his. “I wanna have a word with my future son-in-law.”
“Don’t you go terrorizing mi bebe, pendejo,” Armando warned as his dark eyes flashed.
Devil grinned as the man went from a meek, mild-tempered lamb to a mama bear ready to maul someone for the good of his young in less than three seconds. “Sheathe your claws, Mannie. Your kid is perfectly safe from me as long as he makes my baby happy,” Devil replied with an eye roll. “I just wanna give him something real quick. I meant to do it earlier, but time got away from me.”
“What?” Devlynn asked curiously, smoothing her hands over her satin skirt as she stepped toward her dad.
“Nothing you need to know about yet,” Devil replied with an impish smile as he headed for the door.
“Daddy, I love him,” Devlynn reminded her father. “Don’t try and scare him off, okay?”
Pausing with his hand on the brass doorknob to the room, Devil turned his head to stare into his daughter’s eyes. “Baby girl, even if I tried, that man wouldn’t be scared off. He loves you. If I have to let you go, there’s no better man to watch you choose.”
Nodding once, Devlynn grinned. “Okay, then.”
Chuckling as he slipped out of the room, Devil quickly walked to the room he knew they were using for the groom’s waiting area. Tapping his knuckles against the door once, he didn’t bother waiting to let himself inside. He was, after all, paying for this joint. To his way of thinking, that entitled him to enter any room he wanted.
“Devil? We were all just about to head into the church sanctuary. Something wrong?” Nyx’s dad, Nick, quickly asked as Devil stepped into the room.
“Is Devlynn okay?” Nyx asked anxiously before Devil could open his mouth.
Shaking his head, Devil nodded to the group of men waiting to go into the church, but his eyes were only concerned with one of them. “Everything is fine, Nyx. Relax,” he urged the nervous groom in front of him. “Believe me, my daughter is as ready to meet up with you at the altar as you are to see her. I actually just wanted a private word with my future son-in-law before the service gets started,” he shared easily.
“You won’t convince me to bail on my woman,” Nyx warned seriously as everyone in the room laughed.
“Yeah, I know, kid. I’m not gonna try to bribe you into jilting the bride. Between her mother and your other dad, I wouldn’t make it out of here with my eyeballs intact if I tried any monkey business right now. I come in peace; I promise you that,” Devil reassured the younger man.
Nodding, Nick looked toward his dad, best man and groomsman. “Go ahead in, guys. I’ll be behind
you in a couple of minutes.”
Nyx’s dad paused beside Devil on the way out to shake his hand. “Can you believe our kids are really getting married?” Nick asked.
“Nope,” Devil denied. “It seems like Devlynn shouldn’t even be out of diapers yet. I don’t know where the time has gone.”
“Mannie and I haven’t had Nyx as long as you’ve had Devlynn, but it still feels like I just brought Nyx home,” Nick admitted. “For the record, though, I couldn’t be more thrilled that our boy chose your girl to fall in love with, Devil.
“Same here, man. Same here,” Devil said gratefully, smiling as Nick released his hand and left the room. Relieved to be alone with the guy that was going to marry his daughter, Devil leaned against the door. “So, you ready?”
“Absolutely,” Nyx confirmed as he faced Devil.
Dressed in a black Armani tux that closely resembled the one Devil wore, the younger man looked every bit the confident, successful businessman that he’d become, and Devil was suitably impressed. “Look, I don’t wanna hold you up, but I have something for you,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his slacks and extracting a slender gold band. Holding it out to Nyx, he ordered, “Take it.”
Nyx eyebrows furrowed as he slowly held out his hand as Devil dropped the ring into his palm. “I don’t understand,” Nyx murmured, confused.
“That ring,” Devil began, nodding at the band in Nyx’s hand, “belonged to Devlynn’s great-grandmother.”
“Nana,” Nyx breathed softly, closing his eyes.
“Yeah, kid.” Devil’s grandmother had been a force of nature when she’d been alive, and everyone had loved her, including Nyx. “The Delancy diamond is still on Molly’s finger where I hope it’ll stay for a good, long while, but I thought you ought to have a little piece of Delancy history to mark this day. That’s the gold that my grandfather put on Nana’s hand over eighty years ago. They had a long, happy marriage so I’m pretty sure that ring has some pretty incredible luck attached to it. I had it sized to fit Devlynn’s finger a couple of months ago, and I thought you might want to put it on your bride’s finger today,” he said, shrugging uncomfortably.
“Uncle Devil….” Nyx choked. “I… you… this means a lot to me, sir,” he admitted emotionally.
Devil nodded. “I know. Just know that I’m happy for you and my daughter. I want the world for both of you, son,” he shared, pulling Nyx into his arms for a hug. “Be good to my little girl,” he whispered against the boy’s ear.
“I will, sir. I swear it,” Nyx vowed thickly.
Thirty minutes later, with his wife curled against him, Devil watched as two individuals who’d played together as children, fought together as adolescents. and loved together as adults linked their lives together in the most permanent way a man and woman could. He could still remember in great detail the day that he had married Molly over two decades ago like it was just yesterday. He was just s certain that he’d remember his daughter’s wedding in the same way.
Both of his girls were happy. He had kept his promise to Molly’s daddy to always take care of them both. He had a feeling that Miss Anne, Walter, and his own Nana were smiling from heaven at that very moment…or at least he hoped so.
“Well, that’s the end of an era,” Molly breathed, sniffling as she used Devil’s handkerchief to wipe the tears she’d shed from her cheeks.
“No, sweetheart,” Devil denied with a smile as he watched his glowing daughter tilt her head back to receive her new husband’s kiss. “This is only the beginning.”
~*~ The End – for now ~*
If you enjoyed the Sizzle Saga, then you’re gonna love Paradise Found! Check out the first chapter below…
Sneak Peek – Paradise Found
Three Years Ago
Samantha
Sitting behind the wheel of her sporty crimson red mini-Coop, Samantha Dixon gripped the steering column with nerveless fingers. Her entire body was still in a state of dazed shock as the words she’d just heard her doctor speak played on repeat in her mind.
“I’m sorry, Miss Dixon, but the tests we ran are conclusive. The odds that you will be able to conceive and carry a fetus to term are less than one percent. Biological children just aren’t going to be a possibility for you.”
She’d tuned her physician out after hearing that. He’d had still been talking – something about surrogates and adoption - but after absorbing that emotional blow to her heart, her mind had checked out. Luckily for her, the pain hadn’t set in quite yet, but she knew it was just a matter of time before agony would envelop her. Yeah, the hurt and anger would arrive soon enough. In fact, she could already feel it seeping through the cracks of her shattered heart.
“Fuck!” she whimpered, thumping her clenched fist against the steering wheel as the first hot tear slipped past her closed eyes. “This isn’t fair!” she screamed into the empty vehicle. God, it felt like her world had just blown up in the space of a single doctor’s appointment.
It was supposed to have been routine visit to her OBGYN, just a simple check of her girly parts before she and her wonderful fiancé, Ben, got truly busy on the baby-making front. It had taken Ben months to convince her to take this leap. Since she’d had an unhappy childhood with parents that had often either ignored or mistreated her, she’d had a ton of reservations about having kids. Never having had a mom or a dad that really gave a crap about her, Sami had been worried that she would be a terrible mother herself. Over time, however, Ben had finally convinced her that she could break the cycle with their babies and be the mom she always wished she’d had as a child. He’d gotten her excited about it… this dream of a little boy or girl to love and protect.
Until an hour ago, Sami would have said she was finally been on the cusp of having it all. Because after kissing a lot of frogs, it seemed as if she had found her proverbial prince - a great man that cherished her for who she was rather than what she looked like. Yes, Benjamin Carlisle Atkins had crashed into her life with the force of a hurricane, sweeping her off her feet and stealing her heart before she’d realized what had happened. A successful model, Sami had met him on a shoot where she’d been modeling swimsuits. She’d spent the day watching as her fellow models fell all over themselves while they’d tried to flirt with the man behind the camera, but Sami had been pleased when Ben had remained coolly professional. When they’d wrapped for the day, she’d been shocked when he asked her out to dinner. Initially, she’d tried to decline. Her prior experiences with men had put her off dating. Getting a free steak wasn’t worth fending off a night of groping, but something in Ben’s eyes had told her he was different. So, when he’d persisted, cajoling her into accepting with his kind eyes and gentle smile, she’d agreed to one date.
And one date turned into a dozen more. Before she’d known it, her man had stormed her defenses, painstakingly proving to her that not all men were creeps. Since her man was a talented photographer in his own right, she’d known he wasn’t after her money. And despite models flirting with him day in and out, Sami had watched him remain detached, looking at the women he photographed with cold, dispassionate eyes. Quickly, it became crystal clear that big boobs and tight asses didn’t impress her Ben overly much. Her man was much more interested in what made up a woman’s character.
Before too long, Samantha had been head over heels in love with a man that had been perfect for her. Within three months, she’d moved into his apartment. And a year after that, he’d proposed. One year had bled into the next as they planned their lives together. They were happy. They were in love. And as their wedding day approached, they’d both looked toward the future, dreaming of the babies they’d have.
Now, those dreams had been shot to hell. The family that Ben wanted so much was going to be impossible to give him. Her body… the same body that photographers and ad agencies alike clamored to use…had betrayed her.
And because of that, she knew she’d lose Ben.
Oh, she had no doubt that he’d say it d
idn’t matter to him. He was a good man, and he loved her. He was a man that honored his commitments, and he had committed himself to her. It was her choice, though. She could never deprive the man who’d taught her how to love and be loved of what he desired the most.
Which meant she would have to be the one to set him free.
But not tonight.
She needed more time. Just a little more time to soak up all the good that came from being together with Ben.
Jabbing her key into the ignition, Sami started the car and drove home on automatic pilot. Pulling into the parking lot of their apartment complex twenty minutes later, she couldn’t help her involuntary smile as she spotted Ben’s black Dodge Ram parked in one of the two spots assigned to them. A quick look at the dash clock confirmed that her guy was probably home for the day, and she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of the night showing him just how thankful she was to have been loved by him – even if that love could only last a little while longer. Quickly parking beside his vehicle, she took a deep breath as she killed the engine, pocketing the key as she grabbed her Fendi purse with one hand.
Stepping out of her ride, she slammed the door before she straightened the seams of her black pencil skirt before making sure her fitted white silk blouse remained unwrinkled. Today, she dressed a little more demurely than she usually did – mostly because Ben got off on her sexy librarian look, and she’d wanted to look her best when she surprised him with the good news from her doctor’s appointment.
At least he’d still get to enjoy the outfit, she thought glumly as she began walking toward the doorman waiting outside her building. Nodding at the man as he held open the door, Samantha quickly headed toward the wall of elevators, hitting the up button with the palm of her hand. It only took a few seconds for the steel doors to slide open and for her to step inside.
Relieved to find herself the only occupant of the car, she quickly pushed the button for her floor and leaned back against the wall as the elevator began moving. Squeezing her eyes closed, she mentally willed herself to relax, knowing that if Ben saw her this tense, then he’d know something was very wrong.
The Sizzle Saga Page 60
