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I nod. I know he will.
This man. He owns my heart.
“Anything for my girls,” he says with a smile that lights up every single fleck in his amazing green eyes.
With a wink, he steps forward and wraps his arms around me to give me a kiss. “No matter what, baby. You’ll always be my star.”
I nod into the crease of his neck, tears threatening to make their debut. Harrison Hughes—he’s the best in the whole world.
Harrison
I peek in the bedroom—filled with every baby item known to man, courtesy of my friends—and my gaze lands on Ellie, sleeping in the center of her crib. Rocky is asleep on the daybed across the room, her hair fanned out across the pillow and her lips slightly parted.
She’s beautiful—she’s always beautiful—but tonight, she looks content in a way I’ve never seen her before.
I know deciding to leave show business behind might be an emotional response to the betrayal she’s endured at the hands of her team, but I’m okay either way—temporary or permanent. Jared didn’t even blink when I suggested he hand over HawCom West Coast to my second-in-command—a young guy all too happy to get a change in “scenery” since he’s not ready to settle down—and I’m just glad for the respite the decision to shift coasts seems to have given Rocky now.
And for the opportunity to get our family as far away from those toxic people as possible. Because as angry and hurt as I know she is, I know I feel exponentially angrier.
I hide it well—she doesn’t need or deserve to see any of it firsthand—but I was manipulated away from my family by a woman who proved herself conniving from the very first moment I met her.
I can’t let that stand—not for me, and certainly not for Rocky. So, while she’s peacefully secure in the bubble of new motherhood, I’ll be working quietly in the background to ensure that the people who have betrayed us get theirs—and then some.
I tiptoe into the darkness of my study, shut the door with a soft click, and then flick on the light to find my way behind my desk.
I settle into the supple leather of my favorite chair and dial Cap’s number.
He answers on the second ring.
“I’ve been waiting for your call,” he says, his voice more business-y than I’ve had the pleasure of hearing it in a long time. Since he’s one of the most revered lawyers in the world, I know it’s something he’s capable of. But with his friends, he’s much more prone to letting down his metaphorical hair.
“I was waiting until Rocky and Ellie were settled.”
“Understood. I took the liberty of getting the ball rolling. Obviously, this kind of case isn’t my particular forte, but Ruby and I know enough people who can help us. All I need from you are the details. Send me texts, call histories, timing…anything and everything you can think of.”
The list of Heidi’s crimes is a mile long, but I have no problem digging deep into every interaction both Rocky and I have had with her. I don’t care if it takes me fucking days, I will find everything I possibly can that will ensure some justice will be served.
“Consider it done.”
“And, of course, I just need to know one very important thing. How bad do you want her to hurt?”
A wolflike laugh jumps from my throat. How bad do I want to hurt Heidi Morris?
Man, I’m not generally the revenge-type, but this, I can’t let go.
And I certainly can’t make it easy on her.
What she did was unforgivable. The hell she put Rocky through is something I won’t ever forget.
“For all the pain Heidi caused Rocky over the years and everything she did to both of us since…” I shake my head. “Yeah. Make it bad, Cap. Make it really fucking bad.”
Cap’s laugh is exactly what I would picture for a rich, good-looking, maniacal hero-style vigilante in any Avengers movie. “With pleasure, Harry. With pleasure.”
Four Months Later…
Harrison
“Rocky!”
“Yeah?” she yells back from the floor of the living room, where I know she’s lying eye to eye with little Ellie during her tummy time and making all the cutest faces.
“Come here,” I say from the door to our bedroom.
“I’m a little busy!” she yells back predictably. I shake my head with a smile and tuck her phone into my pocket, strolling casually down the hall to the living room.
About a month ago, after three months of voice mails from her brother—the long lost Luca Weaver—we agreed that if he kept calling for another month, she would take the bull by the horns and call him back.
Three months of licking her wounds was acceptable, but after that, she’d be the one at fault. Because clearly, Luca, despite his abandonment and mistakes—is serious about making an effort to make things right with his sister.
