I was a possessive, obsessive psychopath, so sue me. He loved it, and me. That was all that mattered.
His smile was dazzling as he jumped out of the car and raced up to wrap his arms around me. I held him tight, while still being mindful of his healing side, my face buried in his neck as I breathed him in.
Fuck, I never wanted to let go of this man. But all too soon, he was pulling back and dragging me into the house.
“How did it go?” I could guess, but I hoped it went well, though from the way his shoulders sagged, I knew it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
“It wasn’t bad. The police chief accepted my resignation and told me if I needed a letter of recommendation, or even wanted my old job back, all I had to do was ask.” He trailed off and had a faraway look in his eyes.
“Vic,” he whispered, “on the other hand…” A deep sigh escaped from his lips and he knocked his forehead against mine. “She’s not taking it well that I’m leaving.”
My little bird pulled away and I felt a chill envelop me as he moved toward the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. We both knew she had been the wild card and the only one he would actually miss when we left. Not to mention, I knew that she had tried to warn him against me and that there had to be a million alarm bells ringing for her.
For both of them, really.
I sighed as I followed him into the kitchen and watched him grow more agitated as he wandered around. Though I wasn’t sure if it was from him worrying about whether she would try to cause trouble for us or from the sorrow he felt about leaving her, and his family, behind. But I had to trust him to take care of his own problems and only offer my support when he asked for it—or, at least that was what he kept trying to tell me.
But honestly?
Fuck that.
He was my man, my heart and my soul, and I’d be damned if I let anyone get in the way of that or let someone hurt him.
“Do you think she’ll be a problem?” My voice was soft and I tried to sound unthreatening, but the way his back stiffened as he stared into the fridge told me I hadn’t succeeded.
“No,” he bit out as he reached in and started to yank things into his arms.
My eyebrow shot up as he kicked the fridge door closed and slammed the pickle jar so hard on the counter, I feared it would shatter. Before he could injure himself, I walked over andwrapped my arms around him and held him against me. The way his body melted against me made my heart soar.
There had been a lot of things in the last couple of weeks that I knew had caused him distress, and I hated to be the cause of it for even a moment.
“Little bird,” I whispered as my lips ghosted across his ear. “I know I’m asking a lot of you and I hope you know that every day I thank every deity I have never bothered to believe in, for bringing you into my life.”
My lips grazed his jaw, my throat tightening at the twinges of emotion that threatened to shake me to my core. “For letting me love you, and for the miracle of you loving me in return, despite all the sacrifices you have to make for me.”
Aiden let out a sigh and his head lolled to the side, exposing his neck to my wandering lips. “Nothing about loving you is a chore or a sacrifice, Daddy. I love you and I’m here because this is where I want to be.”
He turned in my arms and wrapped his own around my neck and pulled me into a searing kiss. The type of kiss that is a brand, a claim. I was as much his as he was mine.
I couldn’t believe how selfless my little bird was. He was a miracle I’d never deserve but would always cherish. “I love you so fucking much.”
He smiled up at me and cupped my cheeks before stealing another kiss. “I love you, too.”
My gut clenched with guilt. “I wish I could stop, for you. You deserve that. To be with someone who is normal, who doesn’t have these urges that drives him. But I?—”
“Hey, hey.” He cut me off, squeezing my cheeks together tight as his smile turned to a frown.
Fuck.
“Look at me. And listen to me. Very carefully. I know you would change for me if you could. I know that. I do. You’vealready explained that you can’t, and why, and the consequences if you did try.”
He let out a frustrated sigh that left me even more confused. “And it’s not up to you to say what I deserve or don’t deserve.”
“I didn’t mean?—”
“Yeah, you did.”
My mouth snapped shut and I stared at him for a moment. Things had gone off the rails somehow and I wasn’t sure how or why. And I didn’t know how to get things back on track. I still had so much I wanted to say, but I didn’t know how. Not when he was starting to get angry.
