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I smiled, immensely proud of the younger version of Vanessa that I never knew. “How old was she?”
Crow paused as he thought about it. “Nine or so.”
“Good.”
He chuckled. “She got in trouble for it. She received a much harder punishment for the violence than the boy did for lifting her dress. Of course, that made her angry, so she asked us to challenge the school’s policy. Her punishment had already been served, but that didn’t matter to her. She wanted justice for what happened, but she also wanted to the change the protocol for the future. In her eyes, she was being discouraged from standing up for herself. The only other possibility would be to allow the boy to keep doing it until someone heard her screams and came to help her. She said that wasn’t the way girls should be taught, to scream and wait for someone to help them. They should be taught to fight, to protect themselves and not be submissive for fear of punishment.”
I set my glass down, my mind numb from what I’d just heard. “She said all of this when she was nine?”
He nodded, the pride on his face undeniable. “Yes.”
I shook my head, a smile on my lips. “Fucking badass.”
“I know. She was always a smart girl. Always a champion. Her personality and morals never changed as she got older. I was always protective of her when it came to boys, always present and rarely allowing her to be alone with one.”
“You don’t say…”
He gave a guilty shrug. “But Vanessa was so smart I never really had to worry about it. When she went off to college on her own, I knew she was a grown woman and I didn’t need to worry about her anymore. She had good instincts, and she would explore romantic relationships with men…because that’s what she was supposed to do. But then she brought you home…and I forgot all the credibility she’d previously established with me. I didn’t trust her at all, blind to my own hatred. I forgot how smart and strong my daughter was…and I never really listened to her. That was my fault.”
When another insult came to my lips, I swallowed it back. Listening to him describe his daughter with such pride softened my anger. I knew he always tried to do the best thing for her, tried to protect her but strengthen her at the same time. So I swallowed back the retort and let it go.
“It seems like the best thing we have in common is Vanessa—we both love her.”
I nodded. “True.”
“What is your favorite thing about her?”
My answer changed depending on what time of day it was. If it was early in the morning or late at night, my favorite thing about her was her naked body, the beautiful slit between her legs. Her gorgeous tits as they pointed at the ceiling while she lay on her back. That was my favorite thing about her, having her pinned against my mattress while I enjoyed her like I owned her—which I did. I told Vanessa she had to pay the price for the sacrifice I’d made by becoming mine forever. She could never leave even if she stopped loving me. She was a possession now, not just my lover. “It’s hard to narrow it down just to one thing. But when I think of the moment when I fell for her, it has to be her fierceness. I’m three times her size and terrifying enough to make grown men shit their pants. But she didn’t hesitate to fight me, to outsmart me whenever the opportunity presented itself. She didn’t think twice before she grabbed that gun, pointed it right at my heart, and pulled the trigger. She meant to kill me. I saw it in her eyes.” When I thought of that night, I felt the coldness against my fingertips, the frozen air as it entered my lungs. I could still hear the crunch of the snow underneath my boots. I could even see the vapor escape my mouth when I breathed. I remembered that night with clarity because it was the night that changed my life forever.
“Isn’t that the night you met her?” he asked.
“Yes.” I wasn’t a romantic guy. I had no experience with love, not even when I was young. But when I met Vanessa on that winter night, the feeling in my chest was undeniable. I thought I just wanted to fuck her, but when I looked back over our relationship, I knew that was the beginning of something much deeper. “I fell in love with her the night I met her. I just didn’t realize it at the time.”
Crow watched my expression as he held on to his glass, surveying the different emotions that danced across my gaze. “I’m going to tell you something that only my brother knows. I’ll share it with you if you keep it a secret, especially from Vanessa. I know I can trust you.”
