"Not at this precise moment," he says, chuckling again. "But soon. I need to know you're mine in that way. It's been driving me crazy all week."
"Okay," I agree, willing to give him that. And then I bite my lip. "What are we going to tell Ainsley?"
"The truth," he says, crooking a finger beneath my chin until my eyes meet his. "What happens between us is between us. If Ainsley comes home, you'll still be my baby girl. I'll still be your daddy. That won't change."
"I love you," I whisper.
He smiles and then kisses the corner of my mouth. I turn my head slightly to catch his lips before he can pull away. We kiss until we're both out of breath, just tasting each other. Enjoying each other. I never knew kissing could be so sexy. But every time he kisses me, my blood turns to steam and I want him all over again.
My body is deliciously sore and my muscles achy though. I don't think I can handle another round right now. He may not need recovery time, but I think I do. Otherwise, I might explode into tiny pieces and float away.
"You said if she comes home," I murmur, laying my head on his chest again.
"I did."
I wait for him to explain, but he doesn't.
"Justice!" I poke him in the ribs and then scramble up to straddle his hips so I can see his face. He's smirking at me. "What do you mean if she comes home?"
"I mean if she comes home," he says, his smirk slipping. He lifts his gaze to mine, his eyes full of some emotion I can't name. It's striking though, full of quiet regard and a hint of self-reflection. "She deserves happiness. If being here doesn't give her that…then maybe it's time to consider something else."
"Do you mean college?" I ask, narrowing my eyes on him. He wanted to send her off to college, somewhere he deemed safe. Which we both know means somewhere that's more like a fortress than a school.
"No. Well, not if that's not what she wants," he says. And then he sighs. "I've been certain for a long fucking time that keeping her locked up was the only way to keep her safe and to keep me…me. I think it's time to learn a different way."
"Justice," I whisper, shocked.
"It's time, Milan," he murmurs. "If she finds somewhere out there where she's happy, I won't force her to come back. I'm not saying I won't worry about her every minute of the day because I will. But a lot of shit needs to change around here, starting with her."
"Wow."
"Once we find her, we'll talk. She'll talk," he amends. "I'll listen. I'll find a way to keep her safe without putting her in a cage." He tips his head to the side. "You too. I may fuck it up. I'll probably drive you crazy and follow you everywhere you go and worry every minute you aren't right here in my arms where you belong, but you were right today."
"I usually am," I murmur, earning a small smile from him. "But what was I right about in particular?"
"Not a fucking thing on this earth will make me risk what we have together," he growls. "Being your daddy is everything to me. I'll crawl through hell before I do something to jeopardize that and what we have here."
"Justice," I say, melting. I fall forward, catching myself on my hands at the last minute and then easing myself down to press my lips against his.
He wraps his arms around me, kissing me for all he's worth. I taste the promise on his lips and know he means it. Know he believes it as strongly as I do. He'll never risk hurting me or losing me or himself. That's how much he loves me. That's how much he cares.
"Daddy," I whisper, tears welling in my eyes and then spilling down my cheeks.
"Baby girl," he whispers back. "My pretty baby."
I give myself and my future over to him joyfully, willingly. Forever.