“She’s worried about you. That’s all.”
“I’m not the one she should be worried about.” I faced my father, feeling a hint of rage I couldn’t combat. I wanted to kill the man who did this to her, but he’d been gone for over thirty years. There was nothing else for me to do besides let it go.
His gaze shifted away as he sighed quietly. “I told her we should never tell you. I didn’t think any good would come of it. It was a very long time ago and has nothing to do with our lives anymore. We’ve been very happy for a long time.”
“No, I’m glad she told me.” Even though it hurt so much, I needed to know the truth. I needed to know what my mother had been through so I could respect her even more, so I could decide what kind of man I wanted to be. “I’m just heartbroken over it.”
“I understand, son. It used to kill me too. But seeing her happy for all these years makes me forget about it.”
What would my mother have done without my father? Would she have died in captivity and I never would have been born? Would she never have had the freedom she deserved? “She told me you saved her?”
He nodded. “And your uncle Crow too. When I saved your mother, it started a war. Your aunt was pregnant with Conway at the time, so Crow sent her away to keep her safe. It was just the two of us and a few of our men…until we got the Skull Kings involved. The man who took your mother kidnapped Crow, so I didn’t have any other option but to ask for their help. In exchange, they wanted my arms dealing business. Of course, I handed it over so I could get Crow out of there. I killed the man who hurt your mother—shot him in the face. And that was the end.”
If my mother had never met a powerful man, she couldn’t have escaped. My father was a hero. “Thank you…”
His eyes softened, and he rested his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t thank me, Carter. I would have gladly given my life to save her. She’s the only woman I’ve ever loved. She’s the only woman who’s ever meant anything to me. I would do it again in a heartbeat…because I love her more with every year that passes.” He lowered his hand. “I know this is difficult to process, but remember that this is all in the past. Your mother has been safe and happy for a long time.”
“I know, but it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”
“That’s the reality of the world we live in. You shouldn’t dwell on the past, Carter. You should be grateful that your mother escaped and got a second chance at life. She got to be a wife and a mother. And being a mother has been the greatest joy she’s ever known.”
I already knew that without being told. “I don’t want to be like him.”
“Like who?” Father asked.
“The man who did that to her. I don’t want to be like Egor either. I didn’t treat Mia the way she deserved, and now I’m ashamed of myself. She told me I’m nothing like him, that I’m not cruel and brutal, that I have a kind soul and a soft heart. But I didn’t rescue her the way you rescued Mom. I was selfish…greedy.” I lowered my gaze, unable to look at him.
He was quiet for a long time, a sigh filling the silence a moment later. “Carter…don’t be so hard on yourself. Not everything is as it seems. If it weren’t for you, that woman might be dead right now. You’ve given her a second chance at life, another chance to be with her son. I told you I was angry you risked all of us to save her, but I’m also very proud. It takes guts to do what you did, to save this innocent woman. How could I not be proud of that?”
I lifted my gaze to meet his, seeing the sincerity on his face.
“You’re nothing like those men, Carter. If you were, Mia would already be gone by now. That woman adores you. I see it every time she looks at you. She’s very happy here, Carter. She’s never going to leave unless you make her.”
“Maybe I don’t want her to leave…”
Father’s eyes lightened noticeably. “Then don’t let her.”
Nineteen
Mia
I couldn’t focus on anything that day.
I took a cold shower because I was too distracted to realize the water crashing down on me was cold, not warm. Only when Carter joined me did I realized it was ice-cold against my skin. When I got ready, I tried to pull a shirt over my dress. I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing all morning, so none of my actions made sense.