My eyes narrowed. “You’ve got all the jokes, huh? You think you’re funny?”
“I kinda do.” She wriggled up my body, putting us nose to nose. “I bought it for you, so I’m really happy you like it. And how you handled me in the lobby turned me on. I liked you calling me your girlfriend and being publicly possessive. You should know, though, you’ll never have to worry about me reciprocating attention from another man.”
“I know that, Mazz.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “I know the kind of woman you are. That’s why I’ve been losing my mind over you.”
If I were a better man, I’d wish Mazzy luck finding a guy her age, but the very idea made me want to rip down walls with my bare hands. I was who I was, and the second I found out we shared a child, there was no going back for me. Mazzy was mine. It wasn’t some caveman instinct to claim her either. This need was born from seeing how she’d risen through strife, hardship, and grief. How she’d taken care of Kat, her dad, and herself against all odds. The way she laughed, even when she was exhausted to the bone. How she carried herself with confidence and practiced empathy on a regular basis. Her openness to me and my brothers. The pure love she had for our daughter. Her capacity for forgiveness and understanding.
Women like Mazzy Belle didn’t come around often. I may have been silly, but I wasn’t stupid. I was going to put in the work to keep her, even if that meant fighting my entire team. And Carrot, if I had to.
She shook her head like she could hear my thoughts. “There’s no need to lose your mind. I’m with you, Ben. You’ve got me.”
“You’ve got me too, baby. Wrapped around your little finger.” I picked up her hand and rubbed my lips along her fingertips. “I’m so glad you’re here with me. We’re going to have the best time.”
Her fingers curled around mine. “We already are.”
“Yeah.” I rolled us so she was on her back with me half on top of her. “Let me feed you dinner, then we should probably do that again, just to make sure that wasn’t a fluke.”
“Right.” Her laugh was soft and airy. “For science.”
With a dopey smile, I dropped my head to her chest. “For science.”
Since getting dressed and leaving the room felt too daunting, we ordered in, put on our pajamas, and ate sushi in bed. When we were all done, we had a video call with Katty.
She cried, but only a little before Aunt Barb swooped in, doing her witchcraft-level distraction routine. Once the tears were gone, Katty launched into a thousand questions with her usual speed cadence that made Mazzy laugh and my heart thump with sheer delight. We ended the call with a promise to bring her to LA next time I had a match here.
Tossing my phone on the bedside table, I let my head fall against the headboard. “I know there will be a time when her tears don’t rip me apart, but I’m not there yet.”
Mazzy laughed. “They still affect me. Aunt Barb is the strongest soldier in the family. The only time I’ve seen her crack was when my dad finally passed. And even then, she left the room for half an hour and returned with her shit pulled together.”
I took her hand in mine, rubbing my thumb along her knuckles. “I’m surprised she’s allowed Kylie to be so…Kylie.”
“I don’t know. Barb’s sort of my parenting North Star. She’s self-contained but never fails to show she cares. And she lets Kylie be Kylie—even when she has no ideawhatKylie is doing or why. That’s what I want for Katty. I want to be like that with her.Itryto be like that. It’s important for me to let her find herself, and I think she is. She’s so brave and confident.”
“That’s the first thing I noticed about her.”
“She marched right up to you.” Her mouth curved into a dreamy smile. “Sending her out in the world scares me. I know she’ll be hurt—” I tensed, and she paused, cupping my jaw. “Not like that, I mean her feelings. Maybe something will dent her confidence. And when that happens, I hope she’ll know she can retreat to me and always feel safe to spill her guts, no matter what, and I’ll hold her tight until she’s ready to face the world again.”
A sharp ball of my past and present lodged in my throat. It took me a few times to swallow it down then sat like lead in my gut.
“Our girl is so lucky,” I managed.
“She is,” Mazz agreed. “She’s got two parents who adore her now. Uncles, aunts, and cousins too. I have to admit, I’m a little jealous.”
I huffed a laugh. “Right? Girl’s got it made.”
“Definitely. She was doing well before, but now that she’s got her Benny, she has pretty much everything.”
Mazzy thought a lot more highly of me than I thought of myself. I would be the best dad I could to Katty, but most of the time, I felt like I was flying blind.
“I didn’t have a Barb in my life.” I brought her hand to my mouth, holding it there to feel her soft skin. “Dad was busy making his billions off the backs of his employees, and Mom got bored once we stopped being cute props. The only time she paid attention was when taking four little boys out in public made her look good. I never felt safe with them. That’s why my brothers and I closed ranks. We were each other’s walls.”
“That makes sense.”
“When she left for good, it screwed us up more than we wanted to admit. Adrian shut himself off. Nate battles depression. Rome thinks he has to be responsible for everyone, even at the expense of himself.”
I hesitated.
“And I—”
