Crow tilted his head to the ground, seeming to be overwhelmed by the praise he’d just received.
“When I hear you talk to Vanessa, I understand how much you love her. I can hear it in your voice, see the way you react to the sound of hers. You’re different, softer. I know you would do anything for her, even keep her away from me because you thought she deserved better. How could I hate a man who refused to let his daughter settle for anything less than the perfect man? You taught her loyalty, how to throw a mean punch, and how to take care of herself, not wait for a man to do it. If you hadn’t had her, hadn’t raised her to be so damn perfect, I wouldn’t have found the woman to spend my life with. There’s no other woman out there who would have brought me to my knees the way she did, who would have softened my rage and anger the way she has. She’s turned me into a better man, a man I’m actually proud of. So instead of hating you…I should be thanking you.”
Crow lifted his gaze again, his hard expression gone. He took a deep breath, his eyes softening in the way they did for Vanessa and Conway. He didn’t erect any of his walls around himself. He allowed me to see a more vulnerable side to him…since I’d showed him a different side to myself. “That means a lot to me, Griffin.”
“And it means a lot to me that you raised the perfect woman. I respect her so much. She’s not the kind of woman to wait for a man to save her. She saves herself. I’ve never seen anything like it. She’s half my size but manages to put me in my place…over and over. I didn’t realize I wanted a wife and kids until I found her. I didn’t realize what kind of man I wanted to be until I found the right woman.”
A half grin formed on my face.
“I was really wrong about you, Griffin. I’m sorry for that.”
I shook my head. “You wanted the best for her. I understand that now.”
“I never thought I would say this, but…I’m glad all of this happened. I’m glad the Skull Kings attacked us and all these events were put into motion…because my daughter never would have found the right man…since you’re the right man.” He stepped closer to me. “You’re a part of this family, Griffin. Whether you’re married to my daughter or not, you’re a son to me. You’ll always be a son to me.”
I never knew how much I wanted to be part of something until I had it. Vanessa was family to me, and now the rest of her family was too. They didn’t accept me because they had to. They accepted me because they wanted to. I could see the sincerity in Crow’s eyes, the way he admired me the way I now admired him. On the surface, I was a dangerous guy covered in tattoos who had been shot more times than any other man. But underneath that, I had a heart the same size as his.
He extended his arms and moved into me, pausing before he touched me to gauge my reaction.
I didn’t move away.
He was an inch shorter than I was, and he closed the gap between us and wrapped his arms around me. He hugged me the way he hugged his son, with the same kind of grip and the same kind of affection.
My arms moved around his body, and my chin moved to his shoulder. I held my greatest enemy in my arms, embraced a man I’d plotted to murder. But now there wasn’t a hint of rage inside my chest. Now I embraced this man as a friend…as a father.
He cupped the back of my head—just the way he did with Conway. “When my time comes, I know you’ll take care of my wife. I know you’ll take care of Vanessa. I can rest in peace knowing you’re there…and that is the greatest gift you could have given me.”
Pearl was right.
When I walked in the door, Vanessa was wide awake.
Judging by her tired eyes and flat hair, she hadn’t closed her eyes—even for a few minutes. The sun had already risen about twenty minutes ago, so the night had passed. She stayed up the entire time, waiting for the moment she would see me in person.
“Griffin.” Relief washed over her face when she saw me with her own eyes. Just the way Pearl broke down when she saw Crow, Vanessa did the same with me. She buried herself in my chest, her fingers exploring my body to make sure I was okay. “I’m so glad you’re home.” She kept her face against my chest, the tears from her eyes soaking into my t-shirt. “I couldn’t sleep…”