by Penelope Sky
Crow woke up when I pulled onto the gravel. He ran his fingers through his hair then wiped the sleep from his eyes. He looked at the front door, the large wooden slab that reached the ceiling of the first floor. The lights in the windows turned on as everyone in the house woke up. Before Crow got out of the truck, the front door flung open and Pearl stepped out first.
Crow got out and watched his wife run to him in the darkness, her bare feet crunching against the gravel with her movements. She jumped into his arms, her legs and arms hooking around his torso.
I stared at them, immediately thinking of Vanessa and me. She greeted me in the same way, with overwhelming affection. Regardless of who was watching, she loved me openly, showing the depth of our romantic relationship.
Pearl cupped his face and kissed him, like a young couple still passionately in love.
I got out of the truck next and saw Conway and Sapphire on the front steps. Conway had his arm around Sapphire, but he wasn’t watching his parents. With his gaze averted to the ground, he found something else to look at.
I heard Pearl and Crow talking as he held her.
“Our babies are okay?” she whispered, her forehead against his.
“Yes.”
“It’s over? You’re sure?”
“Yes.” He kissed her on the mouth as he carried her closer to the front door. “Everything is alright, Button. Our simple life is safe. Our children are safe. I’m safe.” He held her against his chest as he carried her to the front of the house with ease. He set her on the concrete so her feet wouldn’t have to touch the gravel again.
She was in the same clothes she’d been wearing earlier, but her hair was messy from lying down until we came home. She cupped his cheeks one more time before she stepped back so he could greet their son.
He kissed the inside of her palm before he dropped her hand. He looked at his son next. “Con—”
Conway embraced his father, hugging him tightly. “I’m glad you’re home, Father. I’m sorry about everything.”
Crow stilled before he hugged his son back. Whatever he was going to say didn’t seem important anymore, not when his son said those words to him. He hugged him tighter and closed his eyes, holding his son even longer than he held his wife. “I’d do it again…a million times.” He cupped the back of his head and kissed his forehead. “I love you, son. So damn much.”
“I love you too, Father. I’m so sorry—”
“Forget it. It’s over.” He pulled away and looked his son in the eye. “It’s time for us to be happy. To live quietly. To welcome the new Barsetti that will be here any day. I just hope this is the last lesson I have to teach you.”
Conway stared at his father, his eyes starting to water. “I will always need you to teach me things, Father…”
Crow’s eyes watered in return. “Then this better be the last mess I have to clean up.”
“I can’t promise that either,” Conway said. “Sapphire and I are going to need you to babysit and change diapers…”
Crow blinked the emotion away and chuckled. “I don’t mind cleaning up after my grandbaby. But I’m not cleaning up after you anymore.”
“Deal,” Conway said. “Carter and I will pay back every dime you gave them.”
Crow gripped his son by the shoulder. “I know you will. That’s how I raised you.” He moved to Sapphire next and embraced his daughter-in-law, delicately hugging her because of her enormous stomach.
Pearl came to me next, tears still in her eyes. She moved into my chest and hugged me. “Thank you for everything, Griffin. You’ve been such a blessing to this family. We love you very much.”
Love. They loved me. “Thank you, Mrs. Barsetti.”
“I don’t want to hog you too much,” she said as she pulled away. “I know Vanessa is probably waiting by the door as we speak. I was sleeping on the couch in front of the window, waiting for the lights from your truck.”
“I told her to go to sleep. I’ll wake her when I get back.”
She smiled. “I promise you she’s wide awake.”
I smiled back. “You’re probably right.”
She kissed me on the cheek before she pulled away. “Good night, Griffin. Hope to see you soon.” She walked inside with Conway and Sapphire, leaving Crow behind.
Crow turned to me and extended his hand. “Thanks for everything…again. I’m sure that would have gone quite differently if you weren’t there to lay the groundwork. As my wife just said, you’ve been a blessing to this family…definitely not a curse. I’m sorry I ever said otherwise.”
I didn’t take his hand, letting it hang between us.
When Crow realized there would be no reciprocation, he lowered his hand, his eyes filling with disappointment. “Good night, then.”
“I forgive you.”
He flinched in place, his eyes widening when he heard the words I said. He regarded me with focused eyes, as if he didn’t believe the words that came out of my mouth. Perhaps it was part of his imagination. Perhaps he’d misheard what I said. He didn’t say anything, unsure how to proceed.
“You’re a great father. I think a man isn’t only judged by his strength and success. He’s judged by the way he takes care of other people, even if those people don’t deserve it. I see the way you respect your wife, treat her like a queen, and put her before yourself. I see the way you love your children, the way you’ve been a great example of what Vanessa should expect in a man. She’s a picky woman, only falling in love with a man who’s strong enough to handle someone like her. And you’ve been a great example to your son, to make him follow in your footsteps.”
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…”
“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.”
Also by Penelope Sky
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Also by Penelope Sky
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