AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah you can.”
She peeked around Cadence at me. “Can I show you too?”
Any-fucking-thing you want.
“Yes. You can show me too.”
She grinned so damn big and walked to the deep end and I felt Cadence tense beside me but I grabbed her hand to stop her from moving.
“Trust her.”
Seconds later, Gracie threw herself into the pool, eyes closed, pinching her nose. She went completely under and came up swinging her arms erratically for a brief moment before her motions smoothed out and she swam to the side.
“Mommy, did you see me? I dived in the deep side.”
Dive was a stretch.
“You sure did.”
But me, I felt like that was exactly what I was doing with them, diving into the deep end. However, just like Gracie, there wasn’t an ounce of fear in any part of me.
epilogue
Eight Months and some change…
Cadence.
When Sol’s hand landed gently on my thigh and his fingers brushed across my skin, my eyes shot up to find his waiting. His expression was reserved but concerned.
“Why are you nervous?”
“I’m not.”
His fingers applied the gentlest pressure against my skin at the same time a sexy smile eased onto his face.
“You are. I feel it.”
Subconsciously I leaned into him. He was my safe space. A promise that I would forever be loved and protected from anything or anyone meaning to cause us harm.
My eyes crawled over to Gracie who was leaning against his other side. Her little legs pulled up on the seat, body anchored against his, while she cradled his phone in her tiny little hands busying herself with some video she was watching.
Safe.
Protected.
Free of worry.
“This is a big deal for you.”
“Yeah, it is but I should be the one nervous, not you. What’s on your mind?”
“There will be a lot of people here tonight.”
Things with us had finally settled into a place of peace. The chaos surrounding our lives had shifted from the shock of Jaasir claiming Gracie as his daughter—tainted by the rumors that she was really Dresden’s, all his doing—to fans embracing us as an adorable family. Jaasir had easily settled into the role of being Gracie’s father in public and private.
The two of them had been captured out more times than I could count. He did his best to keep her shielded and protected but occasionally photos of them smiling over ice cream or of his fierce protectiveness with Gracie situated in his arms while her face was tucked into his chest to avoid cameras because the two were dipping in and out of restaurants or stores found their way on blogs and gossips sites.
There were also the standard shots of the three of us walking down the street, Gracie skipping along between us seemingly oblivious to the invasion of our private moments. I hated how nothing was sacred but I appreciated that the world had chosen to move on from my painfully checkered past.
