by Cole, Mila
He was the whole reason I had her in my life. For that, I’d be forever grateful.
“Do you hate me?” she whispered to Knox.
Fuck. Bring on the tears again.
Knox stood up, pulled her close to him, and promised her that he would never hate her. He told her how proud he was of his father, and that he’d need lots of time to heal, but he didn’t hate her. He never would.
Just when I thought I’d shed all the tears I possibly could—well, I was wrong.
Knox went inside and climbed in the recliner next to where Chloe was lying on the couch. He fell asleep rubbing her head. That little girl was going to help us all heal. I was going to make sure that she always remembered Tony, because he’d loved her so much.
I sighed heavily and wrapped my arm around Lighter’s shoulders.
“Let’s go to bed,” I told her.
She agreed.
The two of us were wrapped in each other’s arms under the sheets, holding on to one another for dear life.
“I’m sorry about everything,” Lighter said against my chest.
“It’s not your fault. You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”
She shifted against me. “If it weren’t for me, none of this would’ve ever happened.”
“Don’t,” I pleaded. “Don’t blame yourself for this. I love you so much, and thanks to Tony I’m going to have you for the rest of my life. I won’t ever let you go.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
* * *
The next few days lingered by slowly, like time was standing still. There wasn’t a service for Tony. Instead he was cremated, and we all said our goodbyes at his house. It was a hard day. Lots of tears were shed. But I think it went as well as could be expected.
Lighter’s mom even came by to pay her respects, which I thought was really nice. She was handling everything so well. She took Lighter for lunch that evening, which I later found out was much needed. They talked about her mom moving out of the penthouse and filing for immediate divorce from her father. I happily agreed it was a wonderful decision.
Rebecca was surprisingly okay with the way everything worked out, aside from the death that happened on her husband’s watch. She was just as apologetic as Lighter. I didn’t know how two such sweet women could be connected to that monster.
On a good note, Lighter was still staying with me. I loved having her there. Chloe loved having her there. Things just sort of settled into a groove, and I found myself loving every single minute of it. She was worried about how Chloe would react to her being in our home, but Chloe loved her. I was dead set against her leaving and in the end she didn’t put up much of a fight. I believed that she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
It was going to take time to work out the issues that were going to slowly arise. Like, the fact that I didn’t have a job. Where would we live? What would we do? Was she going to stay? Because I wanted her to stay, forever if she would, but I knew she had school starting soon.
The list of questions and issues were endless, but in the end, I knew that I wanted her there, for as long as she’d have us. Despite the shitty hand we’d been dealt, we’d managed to find each other. Things wouldn’t be easy, and I expected that. Of course, there would be some fights in our future, but I think if I were choosing things in my life that actually worked out and that I didn’t screw up, my two girls would be the only things on that list. They were my world.
The age difference didn’t matter. I loved her regardless. I still wanted to devour her every second I could get my hands on her. She was mine. She would always be mine.
Seeing those blue eyes look at me with such love and devotion made my heart beat faster. I could never get enough of her.
When I took that job as her bodyguard, I had no idea that she would rock me so hard to my core that I’d feel unsteady on my feet. But that’s just what she did. She dug deep into my soul and planted roots, making me wish for things that I never thought I deserved. Because of her, I was going to have the life that I didn’t even know I wanted.
I could picture Tony with a wide grin on his face, poking fun at me for settling down and taming my wild beast-like instincts. Only in good fun though. I knew he’d happy for me. For us.
It warmed my cold heart just thinking about it.
Making my way into the living room, I found my two girls snuggled up at the corner of the couch waiting for me to bring the bowl of popcorn.
“What are we watching tonight?” I asked Chloe.
“The Little Mermaid,” she giggled.
“Not again,” I grumbled. But it was all for show. There was nowhere in the world I’d rather be than right there on that couch with them, watching that crazy movie for the thousandth time, and singing along with that little crab.
Epilogue
Lighter - Two-year anniversary of Trim’s death
“Bullshit!” I called out to the table. Knox’s girlfriend, Brielle, grinned and picked up the large stack of cards in front of her. She was new to the game, still learning.
The anniversary of Trim’s death had become a yearly barbeque. Myself, Slick, Knox (or Clock as Chloe still called him), and Chloe would get together every year on the date of Trim’s passing for a barbeque. We got together a lot, but this day was always special. We’d grill steaks, play Bullshit, and hang out to talk about Trim.
He was missed by all of us—the guys more so—but it was nice to sit around and talk about his memory.
Things had changed so much since that crazy night in the parking garage. We were such a close family. All four of us. Ever since the day of the “accident,” I had been living with Trim. I went home with him that night and never left. We’d had our ups and down, same as any relationship, but we always came out of it stronger and more in love than the day before.
My mom and dad’s divorce was final almost three months after he was shipped off to prison. That’s where he was, and that’s where he’d stay, at least for a long time. He was expected to do thirty years. No chance for parole until the fifteenth year. Even then, I hoped he’d never get out.
Mom moved to LA, and I’d been out there to see her several times. She was doing great, still working and living in a mansion all by herself. The house was ridiculous, but she loved it. The fancier the better. She told me that I always had a home to come to if I needed it.
I guess I’d always suspected that I’d wind up back in New York at some point in my life, but that didn’t happen. Turns out there was a lot to love in Philly, including school. I was well on my way to getting my bachelor’s degree and loving every minute of it. I still didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do once I graduated, but that was okay. I was enjoying school, and I loved being a stepmom more than anything. Well, except for being a girlfriend. But it was a close second.
Some days I still found it hard to believe that I ended up with Slick. Looking back to how our relationship started, I don’t think I could’ve ever imagined this life for myself.
As for Chloe, she was the sweetest, most precious girl in the world. Her girly attitude had grown with her height, but I loved that about her. I loved having someone who was always on my side, who I could care for and love. She was the best and gave her daddy a run for his money.
“Did you schedule the meeting for Wednesday?” Slick asked Knox.
“No!” I shouted across the table. “You boys are not talking work today. We have to listen to it enough. Right, Brielle?”
“Right,” she agreed.
Since they’d started their own security business, it was all they talked about twenty-four seven. We weren’t having it today. If the two of them got started, they’d never quit.
“You’re killing me, woman,” Slick said as he leaned over for a kiss.
Of course I was.
He was a pain in my ass sometimes, but I loved him more than anything.
“You look fucking hot today, Princess,” he whispered in my ear.
; First, I was getting on his nerves, and then he was whispering all the right things in my ear. He was incorrigible, but it was turning me on.
“You know just what to say,” I said back.
He softly kissed my lips. “So, if I said I want you to wrap those pretty little lips around my dick, what would you say?”
“I’d say, meet me in the bathroom in five minutes.” I winked.
“Get a room, would ya?” Knox called out just before Chloe climbed on his lap.
Slick mouthed the words “five minutes” to me, and I nodded.
“Will you teach me to play Bullshit, Clock?”
The table erupted in laughter. “Sure thing, sweetheart.”
I slipped away from the table, excusing myself, and walked inside of Knox’s place. It used to be Trim’s place until he’d passed. We thought Knox would eventually move, but he loved it there. I think it kept him closer to his father.
Opening the door to the hall bathroom, I stepped inside. Slick wasn’t far behind me. I barely had the door closed before he was opening it back up.
“Have I told you how sexy you are today?” He loved it when I said that.
My hand moved against the front of his jeans, feeling his hard length pressed against it. The man could turn it on so easily. He could turn me on easily too.
“Mmmm,” he moaned. “Once or twice.”
I lowered the zipper of his jeans. My eyes were locked on his, and I could see the love there. He always looked at me like I was the only woman in the world. He was still a bit jealous at times, totally overprotective, but I loved every second of it. “I love you, Jensen ‘Slick’ Stevenson”
“I love you more, Princess.” Of course he did. I was about to give him bathroom head.
“That’s Princess Stevenson to you,” I said before dropping to my knees.
“In ten days it will be.” He smiled down, grabbing my ponytail.
I couldn’t wait. In ten days we would be saying “I do” on a beach in Aruba. Then we were flying back so I could start my third year of college. Time sure flies when you’re having fun.
“Promise me something?” he asked, his hand tipping up my chin.
“What’s that?”
“That you’ll love me forever…”
Of course I would. That was a promise I’d always keep.
“Fine, old man.”
CARD GAME RULES
Rules to the card game - Bullshit
OBJECT:
To be the first player to successfully play all the cards in your hand.
PLAYING THE GAME:
- Shuffle and deal all 52 cards out amongst the players. (Some players may have more than others.)
- Beginning with aces, the first player places a card (or cards) facedown on the table and announces the number of cards he or she has played (i.e. 2 aces, 3 fours, 1 queen, etc.) You continue with 2’s, 3’s, 4’s and so on.
- If anyone believes a player is bluffing, they can call “bullshit” after that player lays down their card(s).
- The person who played the card(s) must turn over the card(s) they played to show whether they were lying.
- If the cards are indeed what the person said they were, the person who called “bullshit” takes the entire pile of cards and adds them to his or her hand.
- If the person was indeed lying, he or she takes the entire pile of cards and adds them to his or her own hand.
- Play resumes.
WINNING THE GAME:
- You play until someone plays their last card(s).
- Anyone who notices that a player is out of cards would likely call “bullshit.“ If the card is indeed what the player said it was, they are the winner.
Coming Soon
Coming late summer:
Clock and Chloe’s story – This book is currently untitled but will be a forbidden love story. If you’d like to be informed about what’s coming next or news about the next release, you can follow me on Facebook or sign up for my monthly newsletter. Links below.
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dy957T
Acknowledgments
I am going to try and make this short and sweet.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story. I hope you loved Jensen and Lighter as much as me.
Thank you to my cover designer Emily Wittig, for being so patient through my ever-changing mind. I suck at decision making, but I’m so happy with the way it turned out. Love you girl.
Thank you to Sandra, my editor. I know this wasn’t easy for her, because my first draft was so rough. But, she’s wonderful, and the story turned out to be even better than I imagined it would. So, thank you Sandra. You’re a gem and I can’t wait to work with you again.
I have to thank my two gracious beta readers. I love their feedback, and their determination. Thank you, girls, for everything.
Until next time…
Xx – Mila
