“I love you too trouble.”
Nick doesn’t shake my hand.
When his daughter switches from grasping his arm to clutching my fingers, he kisses her cheek but ignores me. Evie doesn’t seem to notice, with her gaze locked on mine, for which I’m grateful. His blessing is the only part missing from her happily ever after.
I can’t expect any more from him. He only allows our wedding because he knows he’d have to kill me to keep me from her, and neither of the women he loves would ever forgive him for my death at his hands. But thankfully he doesn’t make the situation worse for Evie, which I can at least respect him for. Only I deserve his rage. Silent and contained yet always burning below the surface.
Maybe over time his disdain for me will wane. Maybe it won’t. Either way, I can deal with his resentment. Because she’s mine regardless of how he feels. The baby I put in her belly will always be safe. The home I provide for her will always be secure. The commitment I pledge to her will always be solid.
Because she smiles at me. Just like that first day. I bring her delicate hand to my mouth and press my lips against the warm velvet skin. Too soon for the kiss but I don’t really give a damn. We’re together permanently with or without the utterances of the minister or the signatures on a certificate.
I indulge her with the ceremony she wants to celebrate—with her parents and Marta and the rest of the family—and say the words the pastor instructs me to. Vowing to keep doing everything I already do, and will continue to do, for her. Only lifting my hand from her gorgeous rounding stomach to slide the diamond ring onto her small finger. Accepting both the titanium band she slides on mine as well as the second chance she gives me. Promising her that she nor our child will ever feel like second choice.
Finn squirms against my chest, but with a few pats on his tiny back he settles down and snuggles into a coma-like sleep I can’t help but envy. He misses his mum just like I do even though she’s only about thirty feet away. Flanked by two guards on each side and Gus at her feet, since I’m forced to wait back here on the narrow road. Probably shouldn’t even be this close, but I’ll be damned if I let her get out of my sight regardless of the stupid restraining order. She may be Nick’s princess, but she’s my queen and nothing will ever harm her again.
On our behalf, she gently slides the stems from the bundle of white roses inside the metal vase attached to his half-brother’s grave. As generous and thoughtful as always, she’s even brings daisies for Madeline. Which I doubt most women would be secure enough to honor her the way Evie does. But I’ve done everything possible to ensure my wife is confident in my love for her and our son. She knows I won’t allow past mistakes to destroy me or jeopardize our future anymore.
Proven by the enormous smile gracing her radiant face when she looks up and finds us standing right where I said we would. With one last solemn and loving brush of her fingertips across Aiden’s name carved in the granite, she rushes back to us as fast as she can in her tiny silver heels. When she reaches us, I pull her against me with my free arm and breath in her scent of home and love and peace. The perfect good-bye before we board the jet to introduce Finn to his British roots and give her the new dream she deserves.
“Higher Gampaw. Higher.”
Liam shouts with all his might, wanting to fly as high as his older brother, who has already learned how to pump his legs. Dad pushes his swing again, smiling even bigger than his grandsons who giggle while they soar.
I haven’t seen my father this relaxed in a really long time. Not just from the peace of having the dangers of his world so far away, but because he’s literally exhausted. The boys have demanded every second of his attention since he and my mom arrived. Only giving him a bit of respite when the kids are sleep, and even that break isn’t very much since they’re off schedule with all the excitement. Because now the faces Liam and Finn have been seeing on the computer screen for the past year are actually at their house and all the promises of building forts and playing American football and going hiking to explore the countryside are finally coming true.
Nicolette squirms on her blanket, beginning to fuss. Protesting against the tummy time she loathes while I set out the plates for dinner. She’s fine, but of course Dad doesn’t agree. Racing to his name sake and picking her up from the pink quilt spread across the grass. Swaddling her tiny body in his arms while he glares at me in dismay for allowing her to suffer this unimaginable neglect. I just laugh. Three kids in five years may make us crazy, but not inexperienced.
Mom pauses spreading thick chocolate icing on her triple layer cake, glowing with pleasure from Dad nuzzling his granddaughter so sweetly. “He never let you cry either.”
“Well now we finally know what’s wrong with her.”
Andy sets the platter of chicken and vegetables on the glass top and smacks my bottom while my mother laughs from his teasing. His hand lingers on my back with a possessive caress and his lips brush my shoulder before he strides out to the yard to gather up the boys since his roasting duties are now complete.
My heart flutters in my chest from the absolute perfection in front of me. Adoration shines in our sons’ eyes as Andy scoops them both up, kissing their dirty faces and then tucking them under his arms while they squeal with delight. Making Gus bark, manic and joyful, circling around them as they return to the patio with an easy conversation flowing between my husband and my father. No longer any anger or antagonism between them. Just a mutual love for our growing family bringing them together and ending their animosity.
Ironic how Dad thought he was keeping me from the life he didn’t want me to live when he sent me to Andy that summer. And now, because of both of them, my life is exactly what I really wanted all along—happy, safe, and full.
THE END
If you want to read how the story all began, check out Nick and Shae’s romance in Wine & Whiskey.
The Surviving Absolution series:
Wine & Whiskey
Wine & Whiskey: Everything for You
Truth About Tequila
Truth About Tequila: Believe in Me
Stand Alone Books:
Straight, No Chaser
On the Rocks
Under the Influence
192
Dirty, Bruised Martini
The Last Call
Nikki writes contemporary romantic thrillers and admits to a weakness for alpha males and bad boys, especially ones who can’t live without the strong women they love. She spends more time in her characters’ lives than her own. But, when she’s in the real world, her passions include reading, wine appreciating, running, and spending time with her husband and daughter.
Connect with Nikki:
Reader’s Group: Nikki’s Naughty Tequilas
Website: www.nikkibelaire.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NikkiBelaire
Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/NikkiBelaireAuthor
Another Round Page 15
