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I look at both of them, and then down at my clasped hands. It’s hard enough to talk about it during Josephine’s counseling sessions. Talking about this with her estranged parents is far from comfortable.
“She got hurt real bad. Broken ribs from where he kicked her. Ripped and shredded skin from being dragged and handled roughly. Bruises, God the bruises—all over her legs, arms, back, and torso. He nearly crushed her windpipe from strangling her. He tried—he tried to rape her,” I choke, dropping my face into my hands.
“Oh God,” Stella cries.
I lift my face. “But she fought. She fought back until help came.”
“Are you the one who put a bullet in him?” Jim asks.
“No, but I sure as hell wish I had been the trigger man. I was taking care of Josephine when the cops opened fire on him,” I say honestly.
Jim presses more. “But you’re the one who stopped him?”
“Yes, sir. Me and my crew all had a hand in stopping him from running away with her.”
Her father nods. “I’m glad you were there. I’m glad you protected my little girl.”
“I plan on doing it for the rest of my life,” I say fervently. “I never did this properly. I come from a traditional family that believes in customs. I sometimes forget my roots, and I have to go back and make up for it. I would like to ask for your permission and blessing to marry your daughter. I know I’m not the type of man you envisioned Josephine being involved with, but whatever beliefs you have about bikers, I’m here to say my crew and I are not your typical stock.
“I run a security company that’s doing rather well. We’re expanding all the time. Your daughter recently built our new headquarters. It’s how we met, actually. My crew and I don’t deal in illegal activity of any kind. We’re active members in our community. We volunteer our services when families are in need of retrieving a missing loved one.
“Yes, we ride loud bikes, party a little too hard, swear a little too much, are tatted up, and may give off a tough guy vibe, but we’re men of honor and integrity who do everything we can for our family. And we’re all decorated retired Navy SEALs. We’re thegood guys,” I say evenly, repeating Josephine’s words.
“I love Josephine with all my heart. She’s the only one for me. I want to build a life with her. Support her and her growing business. Take care of her at all times,” I admit with a wide smile.
“Mr. and Mrs. Holland, please, give me a chance, and I’ll prove to you I’m worthy of your daughter’s hand.”
Jim gets up from his chair and stretches out his hand for me to take. “You already have, son.”
I stand and take his hand. “Thank you, sir.”
Stella comes over and opens her arms to me. I bend down and give her a tight hug.
“Will she forgive us?” Stella asks with a sob.
I blow out a lungful of air. “I’m gonna be honest, I hope she forgivesmeafter she finds out I came to visit you two. The one thing I know about my pixie is she’s very forgiving. The hard part is getting her to listen to you. I’ve screwed up a lot myself, and as long as I can get her to hear my apology, she’s always been gracious in giving forgiveness.”
Jim and Stella look doubtfully at one another. Stella clears her throat. “We admit we liked Jacob, but we had no idea how manipulative he was. Even after Josephine told us what he did to her at the firm, we had a hard time accepting it. He called us constantly, filling our heads with these lies, and it was easy to believe him, especially after Josephine quit her job and came back home. She wasn’t acting like herself, and she would hardly talk. When we started questioning her why she would just quit without notice, without another job, and asking how she was going to start a company with nothing…”
Stella shakes her head before continuing. “She got so angry and accused us of not supporting her when we were only concerned. And then she was gone the next day, moved out to Fort Collins. She refused to answer our phone calls or texts. For the longest time, we didn’t even know where she lived. We talked to Jacob because she didn’t talk to us, and we believed him over her. How is she ever going to look past our mistake?” Stella turns to Jim and cries into his shoulder.
“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy and I’m not saying there aren’t going to be hurt feelings. If you want a relationship with your daughter, you’ll find a way to get through to her. I will do what I can on my end to see she at least gives you a chance. You have to understand your daughter truly believes you had no faith in her ability to start her own company, or to find a decent man. She’s under the assumption you believe she’s inept, or doesn’t deserve a fighting chance. You have to be prepared for backlash,” I confess.
Her parents both nod, and I hope they follow through. Josephine deserves to have her family’s love.
“I would like you both to come to our wedding, Simone as well. We’re getting married the first Saturday of October. If you could come maybe a week beforehand, I think that will give you enough time to get comfortable with each other before the big day. I’m hoping that by then, we will have gotten Josephine to hear you out. But please, let me talk to her first before you guys show up—she has been through enough, and if she’s really adamant against this, I’m not going to force her to go through a family reunion.”
Stella’s eyes go wide. “Married this October? Why so soon?”
Eager for the big day, I smile down at Josephine’s mother. “I know it seems like it’s happening fast, but we’ve been waiting for each other forever. We’re ready to start our lives together, give you some grandkids,” I say, winking.
Stella’s hands fly to her face and she turns to beam up at her husband. “Grandbabies!” She coos enthusiastically.
“I’ve got plenty of land up in Colorado. I can have Josephine build you guys a cottage on the property. You can visit as often as you want,” I offer with a smile.
Stella is bouncing like Josephine does when she gets excited. Jim shakes his head and smiles at his wife adoringly.
Looking at both of them, I know I’ve done the right thing. Josephine is going to see my actions as treacherous and make me beg for mercy. But this is her family. As much as they may have screwed up, I don’t believe they meant her ill.
“I should go,” I say. “My VP and I need to head back before my future bride has my head.”
“You and your friend should stay for dinner. I’ve been working on a brisket all day and it will be done soon,” Jim offers. “Stella makes a great cornbread, too.”
I smile at them because I can see a bright future ahead of us. I head to the door and whistle to Gauge.
“My in-laws invited us for dinner. Come meet the family,” I say with a cocky-ass grin.
