“Do you want the bathroom first, or want me to go first?” she asks, and I look around, realizing we’re in her bedroom and she’s digging through her dresser for something to wear to bed.
“You go first. I’m gonna shut the house down,” I say, and she nods before disappearing into the bathroom. I don’t question it. I learned to never look a gift horse in the mouth.
When I make it back into the bedroom, she’s in middle of her bed with her back to the headboard and the blankets over her lap. I shut off the overhead light, since she has the lamps on, then head into the bathroom. I use the toothbrush she left out on the counter for me and strip down to my boxers. I open the door and see she’s on the phone with who I immediately know is her twin brother, just from her side of the conversation. I go to the right side of the bed and climb in, pulling her against my torso, which she hasn’t taken her eyes off of.
“Love you too, and tell Hunter I love him,” she says quietly, running her fingers down the center of my abs and the trail of dark hair there. “Yeah, see you both soon.”
She drops her forehead to my pec and I look down at her, seeing her hair spread out over my chest and abs. “You okay?”
“Steven is pissed. He hasn’t spoken to mom in forever either, and he can’t believe she had the guts to show up here after everything that’s happened and act like things were all good.” She looks up at me. “He and Hunter are coming next weekend. Shel—I mean Mom—told them about you and me. I think they want to come see for themselves that everything is okay with us.”
“They love you. Them coming is understandable,” I say, looking into her eyes and trying to gauge her reaction.
“Yeah, but… um, will you be okay with that?”
“With them coming into town to check on you?” She nods. “Yeah, baby, you know I get along with your brothers. It’s not a big deal,” I assure, and she bites her bottom lip. “What?”
“It’s just so odd how everything seems to be falling into place.”
“That worries you?”
“Yes… no… I don’t know. It just seems like I’m going to wake up and this will all be a dream.”
My fingers slide through her soft hair and curve around the back of her neck. “This is not a dream. This is definitely not going to end. This is the way it’s supposed to be.”
I watch her eyes soften then slide closed. “Ly wants to call you Dad.”
My stomach muscles bunch and my fingers around the back of her neck tighten at her words. “Pardon?”
“I… Pen told her we are in love. And I guess she heard Dad say you have always been a daddy to her. She asked me tonight when I was making dinner if she could call you that.”
“Fuck.” Heat hits my chest and spreads through every limb, every cell, every single inch of me. I thought I had everything with Bre giving herself to me, but hearing Ly wants to call me Daddy means I not only have everything. I have it all.
“Denver.” Her hand slides up to my jaw, and I focus on her, seeing she’s worried.
“I’m down with that, if it’s what she wants.” I haul her up my body until we are face-to-face. “You okay with that?”
“I am. I just….”
I know what she’s thinking, even without her saying it. I know she’s worried Ly giving that to me will mean she’s going to forget Gabe. “We—you and I both—will make sure she never forgets him, Bre. But I’m fucking honored she wants me to have that title.”
I watch her eyes slide closed. “She loves you.”
“I love her too.”
“I know you do,” she confirms, opening her eyes meeting my gaze. “Please tell me all of this isn’t too good to be true.”
“It’s not, baby. Just stick with me and I promise you’ll see that for yourself.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she whispers, her soft hands sliding down my chest.
“No you’re not,” I agree, rolling her to her back. “You’re mine now, and no fucking way am I letting you go.”
“Good.” She lifts her head, pressing her mouth to mine.
I kiss her back then do a whole lot of other things to her. Only when we are both exhausted do I tuck her against me and fall asleep with her in my arms, right where she belongs.
Right where she will always belong.
_______________
“Fuck, man. I can’t believe it. I heard it from Lu, who has been spreading that shit wide, and I still didn’t think it was true,” Lincoln, my best friend since I can remember, mutters, watching Bre and Lyra disappear into the restroom at the restaurant we are having lunch at together. “Happy for you.”
“Not as happy as I am.” I pick up my beer, taking a swig. It’s been a week since Bre and I got back into town, and since then, we haven’t spent a night away from each other. I’ve woken each morning with her in my arms, ate breakfast with her and Lyra, and then worked while she worked, going back to her and Lyra’s at the end of the day. Tonight will be the first night I’ll be gone, since I have to head out for an opener. I’m not looking forward to being away, but I know when I get back into town she’ll be waiting for me, so it’s all good.
“When are you getting married?” It’s a joke—I know by his smile he’s just teasing—but when I answer, it’s not.
“I got her ring. Just waiting to take her out on the boat again to ask her. As soon as I can get our moms to plan it, we’ll get married. I’m not fucking around with this. I’ve waited long enough. Not gonna take my time.”
“Christ, you’re going fast.”
“Not fast enough,” I say, and he grins then his expression shifts.
“Are you moving in with her, or is she moving into your place?”
“We talked this morning. I’m moving in as soon as fishing starts to slow down.”
“He lived there,” he states quietly, and I know he means Gabe. I no longer feel that ever-present jealousy when it comes to him. I don’t know what happened to it, but it’s gone.
“Yeah, and he’s gone in a way he’s never coming back.” His expression shifts at my words, filling with remorse. “She likes living next to her parents, and Lyra is comfortable there. I’m not asking them to leave, not when I’m getting everything I want in the end.”
“Like I said, happy for you, man.” He lifts his beer toward me.
“And like I said, not as happy as I am.” I watch Lyra and Bre as they come out of the bathroom and start toward our table, only to stop when someone steps between them and us. When I see it’s Gabe’s father, my muscles bunch. “Fuck.”
Bre told me she talked to Gabe’s mom the day after we made it back into town. She told her she wasn’t comfortable with Lyra being so far away for so long, especially with how young she is. She told me Patrice wasn’t happy about her decision and hung up on her. I stand quickly and head across the mostly empty restaurant.
“You won’t allow us to take our granddaughter to see her family, but you got no problem shoving a man who’s not her father down her throat,” I hear Jack say when I’m close, and my temper flares.
“Step back,” I growl, stepping between him and Bre.
Jack turns his cold stare on me. “You are not in this.”
“You’re wrong.” I look back at Bre and then down to Lyra, who’s hiding behind Bre’s legs. “Take Lyra and wait in the truck, babe.”
“Come on, you two,” Lincoln says, picking up Lyra and grabbing Bre’s hand.
“Do not walk away from me,” Jack seethes, grabbing Bre’s arm tight enough that she flinches in pain.
I see red. I grab his wrist, squeeze tight until he releases his hold, and then yank so hard I wouldn’t be surprised if I dislocated his shoulder. “Do not touch her, ever.” I grip his wrist. “Not fucking ever.” I look at Lincoln. “Get them out of here.” He nods and leads them away, and I wait until they’re gone to look at Jack, not letting up on the hold I have on him.
“Get your hands off me.” He jerks away, his face red and pissed off.
�
��Stay away from them, Jack. Unless Bre contacts you, you do not approach them again, especially not like you just did.”
“That’s my son’s wife and my granddaughter.”
“Your son is gone. That’s my woman and my girl. You are not a part of Lyra’s life. She doesn’t even really know you or your wife. You want to change that, I’m sure Bre would love for you to get to know Lyra, but you do not get up in her face and spout bullshit.”
“Fuck you,” he spits, his eyes scanning the restaurant before he storms off.
“You okay, Den?”
I look at Marty, the owner, and lift my chin. I pull out my wallet, drop some cash on the table, and take off to check on my girls.
“Everything all right?” Lincoln asks, meeting me at the front of my truck.
“Not sure,” I reply, looking through the windshield and meeting Bre’s worried gaze.
“You still heading out this evening?”
“Probably not.” After that scene, I’m not exactly thrilled about the idea of my girls being home without me there. “I’ll touch base with Zach and go from there.”
“Let me know. And if you need anything, I’ll have my sat phone on.”
“Thanks.” We say a quick goodbye before I swing in behind the wheel.
“Denver?” Bre starts, breaking the silence as I pull out of the parking lot and head for the house.
I jerk my head toward the back seat. “Wait until we get home, baby.”
“Right,” she murmurs.
I grab her hand, lacing our fingers together and trying to get my temper under control. “You okay, gorgeous?” I ask Lyra, meeting her gaze in the mirror, and she nods, but I can tell she’s confused by what just happened. Maybe even scared, and that does not make me happy.
When we arrive at the house, I carry Lyra inside and Bre sets her up with her iPad in the living room before we head to the kitchen to talk without her hearing.
“You need to call your dad, baby,” I tell Bre, and her brow furrows.
“Why?”
“He needs to know what happened, so he can keep an eye on things, especially if I’m gonna be out on the water.”
“Jack wouldn’t do anything to me or Lyra, Denver.” She sighs, grabbing a soda from the fridge and opening it.
“I watched him.” Her eyes meet mine. “I watched him grab you, baby, watched you wince in pain. And I don’t want to see right now, because I’m barely hanging on to my control, but my guess is you got bruises from him on your arm.”
“Denver.”
“Call your dad and tell him he needs to come over.”
She studies me for a long moment then nods and grabs her phone. Dialing, she then puts it to her ear.
“Dad, I need you to come to the house,” she starts, but she goes quiet and her face pales. “Yeah, see you soon.” She hangs up. “Dad’s on his way.”
“Okay, but what’s that look on your face?”
“Dad said he was already on his way over, because he has something to talk to me about.”
“Talk to me,” I urge when she drops her eyes to the counter.
“Dad got a call from Maxine, who works at the airport. She told him that if Lyra is still leaving with Jack and Patrice tomorrow, they need to have a notarized letter from me along with her birth certificate.”
“Pardon?”
“She said they might not have in issue leaving town with Lyra, but coming back with her, the airlines will want to see that letter before they let her get on a plane.”
I stare, trying to wrap my mind around what she’s saying. “Are you telling me that after you told them you didn’t feel comfortable with her leaving with them, they were gonna just fucking take her?”
Fear fills her eyes, and my jaw clenches along with my fists. “They were going to take my baby from me.” She covers her mouth with her fingers.
Fuck.
I go to her, gathering her in my arms. I hold her tightly against my chest, trying hard not to crush her. I’ve never been as pissed as I am right now. “Need you to breathe, baby.”
“I can’t. They were going to take my baby, even after I told them they couldn’t.”
“I know, but you need to pull it together. We need to check on Lyra and make sure she’s good. Then you need to get ready to talk to your dad. You need to press charges or get a restraining order against them.”
“What the hell is wrong with them?” she whispers, looking into my eyes as hers fill with tears.
“I don’t know.” I rest my forehead to hers. “I do know it didn’t happen, that it will never fucking happen.”
“Denver.”
“Go sit with Ly and wait for your dad, baby. I wanna call my mom and dad to give them a heads up. I also need to call Lincoln to tell him I won’t be going out on this opener.”
“But you have to—”
“I need to be here.” I press a light kiss to her mouth, cutting her off. “I’m not leaving.”
She drops her forehead to my chest. “Okay.”
“Okay.” I lift her head, touch my mouth to hers, and give her a squeeze before I let her go. When she’s gone, I pull out my phone from my back pocket and call my dad and mom to let them know what happened. After I hang up the phone with them, I call Lincoln to tell him I won’t be going out on the opener, and then I head to the living room to be with both my girls.
Chapter 13
_______________
Aubrey
SITTING ON THE COUCH, CURLED into Denver’s side with his fingers moving soothingly under the edge of my tee, I watch my baby, her eyes on the TV as her head rests against Denver’s chest. I close my eyes and silently thank God. If we didn’t live in such a small town, and if Maxine didn’t call my dad to give him a friendly heads up, I might not have known about Gabe’s parents’ plans until it was too late.
I don’t even want to think about what I would have done if they had gotten on a plane with Ly. I know I would’ve lost my mind. I also know I would’ve stopped at nothing to bring her home. When my dad drove out to their property with two other officers, neither Patricia nor Jack tried to deny they were planning on kidnapping Ly to take her with them to Nevada. Though they didn’t consider it kidnapping. They told my dad, in their words—they were her grandparents; it was their right to spend time with her, and they were tired of me keeping them from their grandchild.
When my dad told me what they said, I was pissed—or more pissed than I already was. I never shut them out of Ly’s life. Even after some of the crap they pulled, I didn’t try to keep her from them. They have always been welcome at my house and invited to every family event I’ve planned. It hurt that I had to file a restraining order against them, and I pray to God we are able to find a way to work things out in the future. Not for me, but for Ly.
I might not understand them, but they are a piece of Gabe, and I want her to know all of him. I want her to be able to ask them any question she might have. I want her to know how her dad grew up, and I want her to understand how much she would have meant to him. For now though, the most important thing is protecting her from anyone who would cause her harm, even if it is just emotionally. And what they wanted to do would have caused her as much pain as it caused me.
“Baby.” I come out of my head at Denver’s voice, tip my head back, and focus on his handsome face. “Lyra’s out. Wanna wake her, or just take her up and tuck her into bed?”
My eyes go to Ly and I see he’s right. She’s out, with her hand curled under her cheek on Denver’s chest.
“Just bed,” I murmur, and he nods, dropping his mouth to mine for a quick kiss before he moves, adjusting Ly in his arms, and stands. I follow him up the stairs then carefully change Ly out of her clothes, into a nightgown, and tuck her in. She doesn’t stir; then again, she’s always been a heavy sleeper. I kiss her forehead then stand back to watch Denver tuck her blankets tighter around her and smooth her hair back from her forehead, studying her for a long moment before he turns out her lamp. I make
sure her nightlight is on then leave the room.
When we hit the bedroom on the first floor, I don’t hesitate, stripping out of my clothes and climbing into bed. I lie back with my head on my pillow and stare at the ceiling while he crawls in next to me, and then sigh when he pulls me against his hard frame.
“You okay?”
“I know I should be more freaked than I am, but surprisingly, I’m all right,” I answer, lifting up to look into his eyes as he rests back against the headboard.
“You know she’s safe.”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “She’s safe.”
“She’ll stay that way, Bre. I promise you that.”
“I know.” I start to rest my head against his chest, but he doesn’t let me.
His hand wraps into my hair, keeping my gaze prisoner. “I’d never let anything happen to either of you.”
My body melts against his as I stare at his handsome face and beautiful eyes. God, I love him, and I know without a doubt that he would do anything for me and Ly. He would protect us from anyone and anything.
“Bre?”
“Give me a minute,” I whisper wanting to soak in this moment, wanting to memorize this feeling.
He doesn’t give me a minute. He pulls my mouth to his then rolls me to my back, kissing me until I’m breathless.
“I love you,” he says quietly, tracing my brow with his finger.
“I know,” I reply, just as softly.
“You don’t, you have no idea how much I love you, how much you mean to me.”
I don’t get the chance to reply. I don’t get the chance to tell him I know how much he loves me because I feel his love deep in inside me, filling me up with life and giving me everything I ever needed. He cuts off my words when his mouth covers mine then steals my breath when he slides into me. When we both become connected in everyway possible, I whisper “I love you” against his lips and pray he knows I love him just as much as he loves me.
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