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Inside the vast, quiet mansion, as I stepped over the threshold, a tiny ball of fur caught my attention—a kitten, its meows soft but insistent, looking up at me with curious eyes. My heart skipped a beat. It was the same kitten from the park, the one that had darted away before I could even dream of taking it home.
"Daddy, look!" I exclaimed, pointing towards the small creature. "It's the kitten from the park, the one I told you about during our first playdate."
He smiled, a warm, comforting presence in the cool expanse of the entryway. "Yes, it is," he confirmed, his voice filled with something akin to pride. "I saw it again at the park when I was looking for any clue that could lead me back to you. I remembered how much you wanted it, so I brought it home. Thought it could be a surprise for when you returned."
My heart swelled with a mixture of joy and overwhelming emotion. "You did this for me?" I managed, my voice quivering.
He nodded. "I wanted to give you something that mattered, something you'd love. It's my way of showing you that I knew you'd come back to me. That you belong here, with us."
The kitten, seemingly content with being the center of attention, purred and rubbed against my leg. I bent down to scoop it up, its tiny body vibrating with purrs in my arms. "I'm going to call him Bart," I declared, a smile breaking through the tears that had started to form. "Short for Bartholomew."
As we settled back into bed, the kitten finding a cozy spot beside me, I snuggled closer to Daddy, the familiar scent of him enveloping me in a sense of home I'd feared lost forever. The wolf stuffie he had given me felt like a tangible reminder of our bond, of the love that had endured through the darkest of times.
"I'm sorry," he whispered after a moment, the weight of his words heavy in the silence. "I promised to keep you safe, and I..."
"No," I cut in, firm yet gentle. "You did everything you could. I know that. I'm just so happy to be back. To be here with you, with Bart," I added, a laugh bubbling up despite the seriousness of our conversation.
He looked into my eyes, searching, always searching for some sign of the hurt he feared he'd caused. "Lina, I..."
"This," I said, my hand finding his, "is everything I've ever wanted. To be here, with you, falling asleep and waking up to your face. That's all I need."
His eyes softened, and he pulled me closer, if that was even possible. "And we'll go back to Apex Creations tomorrow, start fresh. Together."
"Yes," I agreed, my heart lighter than it had been in days. "Together. That's all that matters."
As the gentle hum of the night wrapped around us, Daddy's whisper broke the stillness, a vow that echoed the depth of his love. "I can't wait to grow old with you, Lina," he murmured, his lips pressing a tender kiss on my lips. The warmth of his embrace, a steadfast promise of forever, enveloped me, offering solace and strength.
Half-draped in the veil of sleep, my mind wandered back to our early days, to a memory that always brought a smile to my face. "Do you remember taking me to your restaurant on our first date? And only telling me afterwards that you owned the place?" I asked, my voice soft with drowsiness.
His chuckle was low, filled with the fondness of shared memories. "I remember everything about us. Just like you do." His words were a gentle brushstroke on the canvas of our life together.
His next words, though, were a surprise, a delightful plan that spoke volumes of his caring nature. "Let's go there tomorrow, instead of the office. You haven't eaten well in days." The concern in his voice was palpable.
His promise, solemn and fierce, pierced the quiet night. "No matter what dangers we might face, I'll always be there to protect you." It was a vow that resonated deep within my soul, a beacon of hope in a world that had shown us its darkest corners.
"I know," I whispered back. "I believe you." My mind flitted back to that night at the club when our paths first crossed, how he saved me from choking, a metaphor for all the times he would come to my rescue in the future.
“I love you, princess.”
“I love you, Daddy”
A vision of our future unfurled in my mind's eye. I saw myself walking down the aisle, the dream of my wedding to Daddy coming to life. Elijah and Mike, our dearest friends and the embodiment of our found family, stood by, dressed in tuxedos and unabashedly sucking on their binkies, a sight that filled my heart with an indescribable joy.
That night, as Hank's arms held me close, the world outside our embrace ceased to exist. My last conscious thought before drifting into dreams was of the day I first saw him at the club. It was a memory that now felt like a prelude to a lifetime of happiness, a moment that marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey.
As sleep claimed me, my heart whispered a silent prayer of gratitude. For the love that had blossomed in the most unexpected of places, for the man who had become my everything, and for the future that lay ahead, brimming with promise and the certainty of a love that would endure through the ages.
