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“You’re not adding any amendments?” I asked him.
A crease formed between his brows. “The point of an apology is to not add amendments.”
“I received two apologies today,” I informed him. “From two different men.”
Elden’s gaze remained intense but stony now. “You deserve two different apologies from two different men.”
I swallowed hard. “I’ve never been apologized to by a man who was important to me before,” I said in a small voice. “I know for a fact that my father never uttered the words ‘I’m sorry’ to me. Even though he definitely did things worth apologizing for, and that’s not counting all the things he did to my mother.”
The words burned like acid.
Elden’s expression was tight, his back ramrod straight and his eyes squinting with anger. “Hate that you haven’t experienced what it’s like to be loved by a real man.” “Real men apologize, Violet. Without amendments, without excuses. And although he did indeed hold a gun to my head earlier today, I’m glad as fuck that for the rest of your life, you will have a father who is unafraid to apologize to you when he fucks up. Ready to go to battle for you and then back down when you battle him right back.”
He smiled sadly, his hand moving down to my stomach.
The stomach that skipped at his featherlight touch, his reverent gaze.
“And if we have a girl, we’re gonna have one who isn’t afraid to go to battle with her father if he steps a foot out of line.” His eyes blazed with intensity. “I’m gonna do everything in my power to ensure I don’t step a foot out of line in our daughter’s eyes. And if I do, I’m gonna show her what a real man does, how they apologize. And, Violet, I’m gonna try really fucking hard to fix what your father broke.” His hand cradled my jaw. “For as long as I live, I never want you to look at me the way you did today.”
My breath hitched.
He wiped a tear that had escaped the corner of my eye. “I’m not good at this,” he admitted. “The second I became a free man, I swore that I would always be in control. So I’d never feel the way I did while locked up in there. But with you, I have no control. None. Don’t want to control you because you’re wild, beautiful, brave, infuriating and perfect the way you are. So I can’t promise I’m not gonna get pissed at things I shouldn’t get pissed at. Can’t promise I’m not gonna spend the rest of my life wanting to protect you. But I can promise you that I will never fucking hurt you. You are safe with me, Violet.”
He let the words sink in for a moment, or maybe he was waiting for me to say something.
I’d lost the ability to form words.
“I know it’s just words,” he continued. “But I’m gonna prove that to you, Violet. That you’re safe.”
“I know I am,” I whispered. My hand covered his on top of my stomach. “I know we both are.”
We lingered for a long time before Elden tore his gaze from me. His eyes landed first on the cookies then on the book I’d long abandoned.
He slipped his hand away to pick up the book and skim through it.
I watched his mouth and eyebrows twitch as he likely arrived at particularly spicy scenes in the book.
His cheeks were even flushed by the Time he set the book back down.
Elden’s cheeks were flushed.
“Thisis what you’ve been reading without me?” he asked in a low rumble.
I swallowed my smile, my own cheeks warm. “I enjoy magic, dragons and smut,” I shrugged. “Don’t try to shame me for that.”
“I would never shame you for that,” Elden replied, voice gravelly. “You read this for as long as you want. When you’re finished, I’ll fuck you better than any book hero can.”
I cocked my hip. “Is that a promise?”
“I’ll put it in my vows if you want,” he replied.
There it was. Cold water on the moment.
Elden must’ve seen my face fall, softly adding, “Not gonna rush you. I understand your thoughts on marriage. Respect them. But I hope one day I can convince you to be my wife. Can prove that marrying me doesn’t have to look like anything you’ve ever seen. Doesn’t have to be something that holds you back. But for now...” He scooped me up and out of the bed.
I let out a squeal, not expecting that.
“We need to get the fuck out of this house,” Elden groaned. “Because I need to fuck you. And that will not be happening under this roof.”
