Still, nothing is like walking through the doors and seeing it for myself. Inhaling her sweet scent and following it through the house in search of her.
Oranges and cloves.
Comfort and warmth coursing through my veins like a drug.
A hint of home in a house that has never felt like one.
Apart from the monthly housekeeper visit, there’s no life here. No good memories, just things I’d like to bury in a cement grave. So when I step inside and see every surface dusted. Blankets washed and folded on the couch. Lights on in rooms that have been bathed in shadows for as long as my father has been gone, my chest tightens.
And when I turn the corner and find Emery asleep in a chair with Charlie in her arms, I can hardly breathe.
I spent ten months looking for her. Ten months scouring every street in this city. Now here she is, holding my daughter and putting this puzzle piece back that’s been missing since I woke up alone in a hotel room.
The floorboard creaks beneath my boot when I take a step into the room, and Emery’s eyes fly open. She tightens her hold on Charlie, turning as if she’s shielding her from whoever might be approaching. The fear in her eyes is real, stopping me in place.
It’s more than fear—it’s a bolt of terror.
Zane is going to pay for every second he and his men made her feel unsafe.
“It’s just me.” I tuck my hands into my pockets, shifting back a step to assure her that I’m not a threat.
Emery checks me from head to toe, her shoulders relaxing.
“Sorry I woke you up.”
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” She lifts out of the chair with Charlie barely stirring in her arms. “It’s been a long time since I’ve slept this well. Something about this place—”
She cuts herself off, her eyes darting up to me like she didn’t mean to say that. Like she’s worried what I might think of her getting comfortable here.
If only she knew how much I fucking love it. That it sets me at ease. I’ve never cared about the danger I put myself in on a daily basis. But as Emery rocks Charlie in her arms, there’s nothing I won’t do to keep them safe.
Charlie’s face scrunches for a second like she might cry, but she doesn’t.
“Just a dream.” Emery rubs her finger down the bridge of Charlie’s nose, and her face relaxes. “There you go.”
Emery’s gaze shifts to me, and I realize I’ve taken a step closer. I can’t help it. Charlie is so small. So perfect.
A bundle of good when I thought I was only capable of making shit bad.
Here she is, defying the fates.
My daughter.
“Do you want to hold her?” Emery asks.
My heart hammers as she lifts Charlie higher. It’s such a simple question that isn’t simple at all. The only babies I’ve held were Steel and Legacy’s, and that was only for a second. There wasn’t this fear attached to it.
What if I’m not enough for her?
What will my world do to her?
I shove those doubts down.
“Are you sure?” I swallow hard, my throat burning.
Emery’s blue eyes blink up at me. “You’re her father, Hayes. Of course I’m sure. I trust you.”
She probably shouldn’t. Not with the things I’ve done. The hell I’ve raised. Just an hour ago, these hands were painted in blood. Now they shake as Emery adjusts Charlie, preparing to hand me all that’s sweet and pure in the world.
