Royal Savage

by Victoria Ashley

  “No!” June screams from the open door. “He’s your father. Don’t hurt him!”

  “He’s not my father. He’s just someone you dated before dad, then left dad when he fucked up by getting locked up, and decided to get back with and marry. Fuck that! He means nothing to me.”

  Placing the knife to Ken’s throat, Royal leans in and growls in his bloodied up face. “You made me believe for over two years that my daughter died. Do you have any idea what that’s like? You and that bitch cop fucked me over.”

  He presses the knife down, causing blood to drip around the tip. “I should kill you right now. I should take your life, just like you took two years of mine. It could’ve been more,” he screams. “I could’ve never fucking known. Do you get that?”

  “Royal! Stop! You’re hurting him. You need to stop!” His mom continues to scream at him from the background, but he tunes her out as if it’s just him and Ken.

  “Royal!” I scream, as he presses the knife a little deeper. “You can’t do this,” I say gently. “Your daughter needs you here with her. If you kill that asshole for taking her from you, he’s still winning, and you will still end up without your daughter. Do you understand that? Do you get that?”

  He tilts his head to the side, his eyes moving up to lock with mine. There’s so much pain behind his gaze that I almost want to kill Ken myself.

  “Let him go,” I whisper. “He has the picture now and you have your daughter at home waiting for you.”

  Slowly, I walk over and grab the knife out of his shaking hand. Then I bend down and grab his face. “Let’s go home . . . with our true family. Please.”

  Releasing a breath, he stands to his feet and quickly runs his hands through his sweaty hair.

  “I was only trying to protect her,” Ken says quietly. “Your head was too messed up after what happened. After Olivia died . . .”

  “Stop it,” Royal demands. “Shut the fuck up before I change my mind and cut your throat out.”

  Grabbing my hand, he stares Ken down, while backing me up toward the truck. “Stay the fuck away from my family. This is your only warning. Fuck with my family and I won’t hesitate to kill you. That’s the fucking truth.”

  Relief washes over me as he helps me into his truck and jumps inside, quickly taking off.

  The whole ride home is silent. I expect nothing more. He needs this moment to calm down. Any good man who loves his family would.

  Once we pull back up in front of my house, he turns the truck off and grips the steering wheel, while fighting to catch his breath.

  Crawling over the middle to get to him, I duck under Royal’s arm and straddle his lap. “You need to let it go for her. You need to be strong for her. Everything that you do now has to be for her. Your daughter needs you even more than I do.”

  Releasing the steering wheel, he cups my face and looks me in the eyes. “How can I just let it go? Tell me how I can move on and forget that they took her from me. Tell me! I should have killed him.”

  Trying to keep my emotions in check, I wrap my arms around his neck and press my forehead to his. “It’s not going to be easy . . . I can tell you that right now, but isn’t having her in your life right now better than not having her at all? If you go back and teach them a lesson, you’re losing her again . . . and me. You’re going to lose us both.”

  “Fuck,” he says in a pained voice. “Fuck, baby. I love you. I love you both so fucking much. All I want is to be the best for you both.”

  Letting my own tears spill again, I hold him tightly as he breaks down in my arms.

  I close my eyes and whisper repeatedly that I love him and that what’s best for us, is to have him in our lives, as he buries his wet face into my neck.

  This man will never understand just how strong he truly is right now for not killing that asshole. He had the power in his hands and yet he found it in him to stop. Not getting his revenge will be the hardest thing he’s ever had to do over losing Olivia.

  “I love you, baby. You belong here with us. Promise me that you’ll never fucking leave again.”

  Gripping his face, I pull it up to look at me. “Promise me,” I demand.

  He grabs my face and runs his thumbs under my wet eyes, while kissing me long and hard. “I promise,” he says gently. “I’ll never leave you guys. The only way I’m leaving is dead.”

  We sit here and hold each other for what feels like forever, before Jax finally opens the door and laughs at us. “Get your asses inside and join the fucking slumber party. I see you kept his ass in check. You’re the only one that could have.”

  I laugh against the side of Royal’s face. “Way to interrupt a deep moment, jerk face.”

  Jax winks at me and reaches inside to help me out of the truck and to my feet. “Sorry, but you did good,” he whispers. “Real fucking good.”

  “That’s because she’s my woman,” Royal says, while jumping out of the truck and shutting the door. “Her and Kylie are my world and I won’t do anything to jeopardize that. I just needed a moment to get my shit straight.”

  Royal’s hand reaches out to grab mine, like old times, as he walks me back to the door, and inside where Blaine and Madison are chilling on the couch, surrounded by tons of blankets with a movie playing on the TV.

  In this moment, here with my family surrounding us, is the only place I’d ever want to be.

  Now that Royal is back, I can see that our family is complete.

  I’m complete . . .

  Eight Months Later . . .

  GRIPPING THE BAR, I PULL up for the hundredth fucking time, letting out a relieved breath as I release it and jump down to my feet.

  I’ve been up for the last hour, working off steam and getting ready for the day. I need my head cleared whenever I’m around my family, so I come in here every morning at the ass-crack of dawn and workout until all of my tension is gone.

  So far . . . it’s been working, and I hope to keep it that way.

  Grabbing for my towel, I run it over my sweaty hair and body, before tossing it aside and quietly jogging past Jax’s open room and upstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast.

  By the time breakfast is done, I look up at the clock to see that it’s about time for Kylie to wake up. She seems to be on a schedule, always waking up at or around the same time each morning.

  Grabbing the tray of Mickey Mouse pancakes, I make my way up the stairs, stopping to peek inside Kylie’s room.

  I smile to myself and look down the hall when I hear sounds of her and Avalon laughing from down the hall.

  These two women are what keep me sane from day to day, living the crazy life that I’ve grown up in. I know it’s not an easy life, but I’ve made sure to keep most of the drama out of the bar now. Things are slowly changing for the better.

  These two women are my life now, and the last eight months with them have been the best days of my life. To be able to hear my baby girl laugh each morning and to be able to kiss her goodnight each night is the best thing a man could fucking ask for. There is nothing better in life than having a family to take care of and love.

  I know this now . . .

  Leaning in the doorway, I stand here and watch the girls for a few minutes as they play around on the bed, laughing and giggling as Avalon tries to get Kylie to calm down and stop jumping on the bed.

  “Okay! Okay!” Avalon yells playfully. “I’m awake. Mommy’s not going back to sleep. I promise.”

  “Mommy awake!” Kylie jumps one last time, before diving into Avalon’s arms and wrapping her arms around her neck.

  “You’re awake,” I whisper, causing them both to look over at me.

  “Daddy cook breakfast again! Yummy tummy!” Crawling out of Avalon’s lap, Kylie jumps down off the side of the bed and runs at me, causing me to set the tray down and catch her in my arms.

  “Daddy will always be here to make breakfast for you and mommy,” I say happily. “Who else can make damn good pancakes like daddy?”

  “R
oyal!” Avalon scolds. “Language.”

  “Hey . . .” I set Kylie down and she runs over to the bed where she usually eats her breakfast on Sunday mornings when we don’t have guests. “I’m getting better. I didn’t use the F word this time. Progress, baby.”

  I pull Avalon into my arms and look over to see Kylie getting lost in cartoons.

  “Easy, buddy,” Avalon laughs against my ear as I cup her ass and squeeze it. “It’s going to be a long day before that can happen.”

  “Oh yeah . . .” I run my bottom lip up the side of her neck, before biting her ear and growling. “Uncle Jax is downstairs and Uncle Blaine is only a call away.”

  “Nice try.” She slaps my chest and walks away, leaving me gripping my hair. This woman has never turned me on so damn much. She’s so sexy, and she still has no fucking idea how much.

  “Why don’t we go downstairs and eat at the table this morning.” Avalon turns off the TV, making Kylie throw her head back and whine. “Come on.”

  With a pouty lip, Kylie huffs and jumps out of bed, grabbing for my hand. “No Mickey Mouse,” she cries softly.

  Bending down, I scoop her up into my arms and distract her by blowing against her belly and walking fast down the hallway.

  She begins laughing and squirming in my arms, being so loud that I wouldn’t be surprised if Jax came running up the stairs soon.

  Once we get to the kitchen, I plop her down into her booster seat and grab the tray of pancakes away from Avalon so she can get out the orange juice.

  “Mmmmm . . . Mickey Mouse never looked so fucking good,” Jax mumbles tiredly from the doorway.

  “Language, asshole,” I complain.

  “Both of you,” Avalon scolds while giving us the evil eye. “You two are hard to tame.”

  I bite my bottom lip, before gripping her face and roughly pressing my lips against hers. Fuck . . . I love her to death. She puts up with so much from us. “I warned you, babe. Now eat your food.”

  She narrows her eyes at me and shakes her head, before turning to Kylie. “You better eat up before Uncle Blaine shows up and eats Mickey.”

  “Already here, gorgeous.”

  “Of course,” I mumble, while reaching for more plates and pulling the pan of extra pancakes out of the oven. “Where there’s food there’s Blaine and Madi.”

  “You know it,” Madison says with a smirk, before walking over and snatching the pan from me. “Every Sunday, sweets. Get used to it. We don’t wait for invites anymore.”

  “Oh you were waiting for them, babe. That’s why you stacked that pan with pancakes,” Avalon says with a smile, happy we’ve all become so close lately.

  I may not admit it out loud, but I’ve grown used to the gang showing up at our house for breakfast. I sort of like it, even though that means seeing Blaine’s hyper ass so early in the morning.

  “Get your ass over here and sit down, brother.” Blaine throws a pancake, hitting me in the side of the head.

  “I give up,” Avalon growls. “I’m going to have to start smacking you all in the mouth.” She points to Kylie, eating her food. “Little people ears here. Do I really have to remind you she’s like a sponge?”

  “Shit! Got it!” Blaine says, clueless that he just fucked up again.

  Avalon gives him a dirty look, but just shakes it off and continues eating her breakfast.

  I have to walk behind Blaine to get to my seat, so I make a pit-stop on the way there to slap him on the back of the head and drop his pancake that he threw at me on his plate. “Eat up, brother.”

  Laughing, I take my seat between Kylie and Avalon, where I belong.

  I feel Avalon grab my leg from under the table and squeeze it. “I love you,” she whispers.

  I place my hand over hers and squeeze it. “Love you more, baby.” I kiss her on the side of the head, before leaning over to kiss Kylie on the side of the head as well. “Love you, baby girl.”

  Kylie eats Mickey’s ear and talks with her mouth full. “Love you more, daddy.”

  My heart melts from her words; just like they do every single time that I hear them. She has a power over me that no one else could ever have.

  She holds my heart in her tiny hand and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

  IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I’ve been here; too long actually, and as I stand here staring down at the murky water, my heart aches that I’m standing here alone . . . without my family.

  A part of me wanted to ask Avalon and Kylie to come with me, but a small part of me feared that Avalon’s feelings would be hurt that I still need to come here for Olivia. I know that she understands, but I also know that it can’t be easy either. I never want to do anything to hurt Avalon again. Her and Kylie come first now, and I will protect them both at all costs.

  I’ll just give it a little more time. Maybe with a few passing years, Kylie will be able to fully understand our situation and I can make it a father-daughter thing each year.

  “I’m sorry that I missed your birthday,” I whisper. “I’ve been making up for lost time with our daughter.” I stop to collect my emotions before continuing. It’s never easy being here. “She’s an amazing little girl, and I have an amazing woman to help me raise her. You’d like her. You would also be so proud of the father I’ve become. I know I am. I’m different because of them. Complete . . . finally.”

  Holding up the single Calla Lily, I get ready to drop it into the water, but stop when I hear some noise behind me. It sounds like feet dragging in the dirt.

  I drop my hand down to my side and turn behind me to see Kylie walking, holding a Calla Lily in her tiny hand. She’s dressed in a little aqua colored dress. It makes me smile because it was Olivia’s favorite color.

  My chest fills with warmth that I can’t describe when she walks over and stands next to me, reaching for my hand with her free one.

  Then one by one, more bodies join us, each one holding a single Calla Lily. First Blaine, followed by Jax, Madison, Mark, and then finally . . . Avalon.

  With her eyes on me, and filled with love and understanding, she smiles and takes a spot between Kylie and Blaine.

  Seeing them all here makes my chest ache with so much emotion, as I look down the line to see them all looking down into the water.

  There’s no need for words right now. Nothing said out loud could make this moment any more special than it already is.

  It’s perfect . . .

  Swallowing back my emotions, I toss the Calla Lily I was holding into the water.

  Then, I watch as each one drops theirs in, one by one down the line.

  This is my life. This is my family. This is where I belong and where I plan to stay. I will do whatever it takes to keep it this way . . .

  THE END

  VICTORIA ASHLEY GREW UP IN Rockford, IL and has had a passion for reading for as long as she can remember. After finding a reading app where it allowed readers to upload their own stories, she gave it a shot and writing became her passion.

  She lives for a good romance book with tattooed bad boys that are just highly misunderstood and is not afraid to be caught crying during a good read. When she's not reading or writing about bad boys, you can find her watching her favorite shows.

  She is the author of Wake Up Call, This Regret, Slade, Hemy, Cale, Get Off On The Pain, Thrust and is currently working on more works for 2015.

  Contact Victoria

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  www.victoriaashleyauthor.com

  Wake Up Call

  Buy Wake Up Call on Amazon

  This Regret

  Buy This Regret on Amazon

  Thrust

  Buy Thrust on Amazon

  WALK OF SHAME

  Slade ( #1)

  Buy Slade on Amazon

  Hemy ( #2)

  Buy Hemy on Amazon

  Cale (#3)

  Buy Cale on Amazon

  PAIN

  Get Off on the Pain (#1)

  Buy Get Off on the Pain on Amazon />
  Something for the Pain (#2)

  Buy Something for the Pain on Amazon

  SAVAGE AND INK

  Royal Savage