“I believe you, Lane. And I promise we’ll do the same for you.”
“You’ve already done everything for me,” he responded, while placing more of those delicious little nips across my collarbone. His eyes met mine again and he said, “I love you. I love you so much that sometimes I feel as if it’s never enough. I’ll always want more of you. Every day I wish I had found you sooner so I could love you longer.”
My mouth moved against his, trying to show him the words I could not articulate. His warm hands caused a fire to spread across my skin, and I thanked all the powers in the universe for aligning our paths.
“I like you in my shirt, babe,” he said, as he began pulling it over my head.
“It smelled like you.” My hands found the hem of his and I brought it up over his head.
The second we were both topless, we stared at one another, just drinking each other in. I looked at his hard, chiseled chest that he worked so meticulously on every day. Each curve was finely tuned, and I still couldn’t believe he was all mine.
He was the first to move and his warm hands cupped my breasts roughly. I moaned in complete satisfaction. His body moved down mine, slowly kissing a lazy trail down my chest.
“This is gonna have to be quick, babe, if we’re gonna get any sleep tonight,” he murmured against my stomach. His hands moved down my sides until he hooked his fingers under my panties and pulled them down my legs.
“Why?” I whimpered.
“Because I’m waking you guys up at the ass-crack of dawn. I want to get back before Kate wakes up.”
That sobered me a fraction. “Oh… we could leave now.” A part of me wanted to, while another part of me was screaming at me to keep my mouth shut.
“We already paid for this huge bed. I had to hunt you down after this god-awful night. We aren’t leaving until I’ve made sure you understand how much I love you—how much I never want you to run from me again, and that I’d do anything to keep the three of you safe and happy.” His body moved down mine until he looked up at me from between my legs.
I let my head fall back and enjoyed whatever this man had to give. And God, did I enjoy it. With his mouth, his hands, and his heart, he helped ease the pain caused by the horrible events of our past. Together, we had come to terms with the hand we’d been dealt and maybe even become thankful for fate—as twisted as that bitch could be. But we had both finally been given a hand worth fighting to possess, and how could anyone not be grateful for that?
- EPILOGUE-
LANE, Ten Months Later -
“Christ, Raegan, finish it up already,” I complained while hunched over.
“It has to be perfect,” she mumbled.
“It’s six letters, baby. Write them, so we can finish this.”
“Lane, this is permanent. Let me get it exactly right.” I didn’t think her cold hands would be warming up anytime soon. I would never understand how she could have iceberg hands when it was ninety damn degrees out.
“B-R-A-D-E-N, that’s it. It shouldn't take you an hour,” I continued.
“No, mama, fix that ‘R,’ it doesn't look right,” Braden added.
“Oh, you’re right, sweetie,” Raegan cooed.
“Can we let the man do his job now?”
“Almost….” I felt her dragging the pen across my skin. “There! It’s perfect.” She clapped her hands and moved to sit directly in front of me.
I was straddling the chair and leaning over the back. Raegan smiled brightly when we finally sat face-to-face. Kate sat on her right, looking both worried and uncomfortable. It was Braden that made me chuckle though, because I had never seen him smile so much in the entire year I had known him.
“Smile, Kit Kat.” I grinned at her.
“Will it hurt, daddy?” her little voice asked.
“Dad is strong, he won’t cry!” Braden chimed in, while flexing his muscles.
“I can handle it, Kate. Besides, it’s time for Braden to join you, right?”
She nodded her head but still looked concerned. Braden was bouncing in his seat and Raegan mouthed ‘thank you’ to me. As if she had to thank me—these three were my whole entire world.
I tried not to think about my life a year ago and how lost I was without them. I didn't know if Kate was alive or dead, and I had no idea that Raegan and Braden would one day become such a huge part of my life. Now I loved them so much it hurt—literally.
I almost cringed when the needle touched the back of my neck, but I was able to maintain a stoic yet relaxed face in front of my anxious crew. After a few minutes of the buzzing sound across my skin, Kate finally let out a deep breath. I watched as she realized I wasn’t being tortured and that this was something it was time to do for her brother.
Ash had once written Kate’s name out across the back of my neck. I wanted a piece of both of her parents to show my love for her. It was only right to do the same for my son. And Raegan needed to be the one to write out his name.
My son. Those words still blew my mind.
The formal adoption papers had finally come in the mail this past week. Raegan had officially adopted Kate, and I had done the same with Braden. I wasn’t surprised when Adam had readily terminated his parental rights, even though Rae had been worried we’d have to fight him. It wasn’t hard to convince him though. I put a little extra on his prison commissary tab and, just like that, he signed over his son. Disgusting bastard.
Our family was now legal. Raegan and I had gone to the courthouse and said our vows not long after the whole Adam debacle. I’d protested and said that we should have a big affair because she deserved to be spoiled, but she swore up and down that wasn’t what she wanted. All she wanted was to work on the adoptions and we had to be married for that to happen.
My mom kicked my ass from New York to Texas when she found out I was married in a courthouse. She even traveled the fifteen hundred miles just so she could frown at me while she made me help her unpack. She and my dad bought a little house in the same town where we lived after he retired from the force and joined the County Sheriff’s office to work alongside Mack. Mom would never let him putter around the house in retirement; they would drive each other nuts. I loved that they lived so close to us and the kids loved having their grandparents nearby, who did everything in their power to spoil them rotten.
“You done back there?” I asked over my shoulder.
“Lane!” Rae hissed. “Do not rush him!”
“I’m antsy, babe.”
“The plane doesn’t even leave for another six hours. We can’t get there any faster,” she laughed.
“Maybe we could ask them if they have any flights going out sooner?” I asked, grasping at straws. She mouthed ‘no’ to me and I lowered my head back down to my chest in defeat.
“Dude, I can’t believe you’re getting a tattoo right before you head to the beach,” I heard Jace’s voice from behind me.
“Uhh…. I have to advise against that,” James, the tattoo artist, said between the buzzing sounds of his machine.
“I’ll be fine.” I shrugged it off without actually moving my shoulders.
“Yeah, my dad is strong!” Braden cried out. I reached out my fist and bumped knuckles with the little dude.
My front door opened and closed a few more times, and I knew the whole gang was here now. I paid the tattoo artist extra to come to the house. I didn’t feel right about taking Kate and Braden to a tattoo shop. There was no telling what the other artists would be tattooing or piercing on their clients. The kids weren’t old enough for that talk yet.