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“You’re ready for round two, my fiancée?” he asks.
The way he says that...
My fiancée...
The way he would say it makes me realize I would do anything for this man. In his embrace, I feel so secure.
“Yes, I am,” I reply.
“So am I, Beauty.”
Beauty. That nickname he has for me. It takes me back to that first time in his office, when I felt so nervous and so apprehensive about this crime boss who was about to make me his.
Well, how times have changed, hey?
I’m no longer his captive.
I’m his girl.
And I’m soon going to be his wife.
The criminal’s wife.
It’s a naughty thought to have, but I do like the sound of that.
I takea seat on the park bench, grasping the hot chocolate to-go cup in between my fingers, feeling the warmth soak through my hands.
I look up at the park. At the playground. At the sun streaming down. I look up and let the sunlight bathe my face. After all the craziness of the last few months, being here in the park is so calm.
I close my eyes.
Peace.
And Dad sits down next to me, a coffee cup in between his own fingers.
“It’s a beautiful day,” he remarks, taking a long sip of his caffeine. I open my eyes to look at him.
“Yes, it so is.”
We’ve just been to The Oak. We’ve already devoured our almond croissants before we even reached the park bench.
“Do you remember us doing this when you were just a little girl, Ava?” Dad asks me with a beaming smile. “Coming here to the park to drink hot drinks?”
He looks so happy. This is the first time I’ve seen him like this in a hell of a long time.
Years.
“I’m a little bit bigger now, Dad, than the last time we did this,” I say.
He chuckles at that.
“Yeah, you are,” he replies. “You’ve grown into yourown woman now, and I am so, so proud of you. I am so proud to be your father. I’m so proud to witness you transform into the strong woman you are today.”
That brings a tear to my eye.
I feel like I’ve finally got my dad back after all this time: the dad I remember from that time in the meadow when we saw that butterfly with the same mixed colors as my eyes.
And I see in his eyes that he is thinking the same thing.
