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“Why?” she whispers delicately.
“Because there’s nothing I have faith in more than you and me.”
Her slow curling smile buckles my knees, but then she grips the top beam, hoisting her feet up on the bottom to capture my face between her hands.
I gaze up at her, offering everything I have to give. “You’re the keeper of my heart, sunshine. No one else. It has always been, and forever will be, you.”
Those soft eyes flick over every inch of my face, holding me tight in tense silence.
“What? No smart ass remark?”
She snort-laughs. “I’d rather you kiss me.”
Her lips descend on mine, and we grin through each kiss when her dad groans.
A dam bursts inside my chest, flooding my body with the kind of elation I’ve only ever experienced with this wild woman, and I haul her over the fence before sitting her ass on the top beam.
“You’re mine,” I murmur, ravaging her mouth, seeking and yearning, and I don’t give a fuck if Patrick is watching or not. I want to hear her say it.
“Yes, yours.” Her ankles hook behind my back. “Forever this time, okay?”
I wing my little finger around hers. “I pinky swear.”
She wanted someone who would fight for her–someone who would prove she was worthy of being more than a secret–and I’m giving that to her with every silken brush of our lips.
“All right, all right,” Patrick shouts from the middle of the paddock with one hand over his eyes.
“Sorry,” Penelope calls back, but I’m given a cheeky grin when she brushes her lips against the shell of my ear. “I’m really not, though.”
My chest constricts with the force of my love for her and the endless possibilities that are waiting for us. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
After pressing a kiss to her forehead, I follow her, hopping back over the fence to meet Patrick halfway. We’re holding hands like a couple of love-drunk teens, and for as long as I live, I’m going to make sure that feeling never ends.
Patrick reaches a hand out to me, and I stare at the palm he offers before flicking my gaze to his. The understanding and acceptance I find shatters something inside me. I’m experiencing what I know to be the loss of one father with the hope—no, the promise—of gaining another.
“Now,” he says, squeezing my hand once before releasing it. “What was it you wanted to tell me?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Logan
Dad,
I’ve spent the last week reflecting on what I’ve wanted to say to you. This isn’t how I planned to have this conversation, but since you’ve cut ties with me, you’ve left me no choice, and selfishly, I need to get this off my chest.
I’ve always looked up to you. My hero, my role model, and the man I aspired to be. Your strength, wisdom, and guidance were constants in my life. Even through our hardships, I cherished the lessons you taught me and the bond we shared.
But the man I believed you were was merely an image I constructed in my mind that never existed. You’ve manipulated me, intentionally or unintentionally, to serve your own needs and desires. Everyone makes mistakes, but as the depths of your betrayal comes to light, I find it impossible to speak to you, let alone see you.
How can I look into the face of a man who continuously abused me and feel nothing but anguish? You laid a hand on me once… I tried to forget, but I never could. Just as I haven’t forgotten your punishments for simply trying to enjoy my youth, to experience life without the constant focus on greed and business politics.
You didn’t just take years of my adult life from me. You stole what remained of my childhood and molded me into someone you could use for your own personal gain, and I’m holding you accountable for that.
It’s ironic that the woman you tried to erase from my life, and forged documents to keep me from, is the very one encouraging me to write this letter. That’s because she’s a good woman, one who will stand beside and protect me the way a partner should. And no matter what comes of this letter, I will always choose her.
I hope, someday, you’re able to become a better man. A man who values what he has now that he’s experienced the loss of something great. Because I’m moving forward with my life, and more than anything, I need you to know that I’m committed to breaking this cycle. My family will know nothing but love and trust. I’ll be a different kind of father, one who nurtures and empowers my children, allowing them to grow into their own unique selves, instead of forcing them to meet impossible expectations surrounded by deceit.
