Page 34

She pulls back, tears in her eyes. “Just one thing?”

Pearl and I both nod again, waiting for the clincher.

“Anything,” I say, hardly daring to believe my luck.

“Am I gonna have to call you Momma anytime soon?”

We burst out laughing.

“Absolutely not.” Pearl laughs. “You have one mom, and it’s gonna stay that way.”

She grins. “I can’t believe you two were sneaking around. That’s so badass⁠—”

“Speakin’ of which,” I cut in. “Who’s this guy you’ve been keepin’ from me?”

“Let’s keep the attention on you two for a bit,” she throws back with a devilish smile. “I kinda like you being in the hot seat.”

And with that, the problem we thought would tear us apart does nothing of the sort.

I smile at my daughter, thankful for her in so many ways, but mainly for her love and understanding.

Pearl glances at me, and I pull her into a hug, kissing her on the forehead.

Phoebe wags a finger at us. “Okay, and that. Keep PDA to yourselves until I can get my head around the two of you. And we’ll need to tell Kayla.”

“Yes, that’s true, I have to talk to Mahini, but she adores Decker.” Pearl beams at me.

I nod. “Whatever you ladies want, you know I’m a sucker for the women in my life.”

“Well, Dad.” Phoebe pats me on the arm as she heads to the fridge. “You’re outnumbered four to one, so I guess you don’t have much of a choice.”

“I’m still your father!” I call after her.

When she’s gone, I pull my girl into my arms. “Well, that went better than I thought it would.”

Pearl’s shoulders drop, as if a heavy weight just physically lifted off her. “Holy shit.”

I kiss her nose. “Happy?”

“Yes.” She looks at me with love in her eyes. I adore her as much as she does me, and I’m gonna be here, no matter what. “It’s more than I could ever ask for.”

“You’re my whole world,” I tell her. “I love you, Pearl.”

“I love you, too, Decker.”

Our lips meet, and we both chuckle in unison when we hear Phoebe yell from the kitchen,

“I heard that! That qualifies as PDA!”

“But we’re in my house,” I call back.

Pearl kisses me right back, and I know I’m home. Right where I need to be.

“I’ll never be sorry,” Pearl whispers, my heart full.

“Neither will I, baby, neither will I.”

Pearl