“I’m here now.” My hand cupped the back of her head, and I watched her lean on me like a crutch. “Everything went smoothly. Nothing to worry about.”
“You don’t think they’ll be a problem again?”
“No.” I scooped her into my arms and carried her to bed. “They got their money. That’s all they care about.” I set her on the bed then stripped my clothes off so I could get into bed beside her. It was one of the rare times when I wasn’t in the mood for sex. There was something else deep inside my chest, a satisfying feeling that completed me. I didn’t want anything more.
She was already in my t-shirt, so she got under the covers with me. She was happy just to hold me, to feel me beside her as the sun continued to rise and fill the bedroom with sunlight. “I’m glad this is over. I know how much my father worries about these sorts of things. Mama too.”
“They’re both happy. Relieved.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that.” She rested her hand on my stomach while her leg was tucked between mine. With her face on my shoulder and her hair spread out everywhere, she was the perfect sleeping companion. She was light, soft, and beautiful, and there was no one else I’d rather share my bed with—along with everything else. She closed her eyes, finally finding peace now that I’d returned home.
I watched her, entranced by the woman who’d captured my heart. She was my reason for living. It used to be cash and violence, but now both of those things didn’t matter anymore. She was my purpose, my world. “Baby?”
“Hmm?” She kept her eyes closed, more comfortable in my arms than in any other position.
“I forgave your father.”
Her eyes snapped open, her fatigue instantly wiped away. “You did? Why? What happened?”
“When I listened to your conversation over the phone, I realized that he loves you as much as I do. And how could I hate someone who would do anything for you? We have the same thing in common, the biggest thing in common.”
Her eyes softened.
“He was just doing the right thing for you. He stood up for you when most men would have backed down. He was never afraid of me, never afraid of making me a worse enemy. All he cared about was protecting you, regardless of the consequences to himself. He risked turning you against him by rejecting me, but he did it anyway. Maybe he didn’t handle it the best way, but there’s no doubt that your father would do anything for you, even the hardest things. Then I saw the way he treated your mother and brother, the way he selflessly protects his family. Maybe we got off to a bad start…but he’s definitely a respectable man. I decided to let it go…since his blood and my blood will be mixing to start a family. How could I hate a man you love so much? Someone you consider to be your best friend? So I let it go, knowing it was the right thing to do.”
“Griffin…” She rubbed my chest as the emotion grew in her eyes. “You have no idea how happy that makes me…how happy that must have made him.”
“It did make him happy. He hugged me.”
“Aww…” She cuddled into me closer, her face moving into my neck.
“And he said I was a son to him.”
“Because you are.” She squeezed me tightly. “This is what I wanted for so long, and it’s finally happening… I can hardly believe it.”
My arms moved around her waist, and I cradled her against me, her size dwarfed by mine. She was a petite woman, but her spunk made up for her stature. Plus, she didn’t need to be big when she had a big man for strength. “There are better people I should spend my time hating. Your father isn’t one of those people.”