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"Does he like cupcakes?"
Callum's breath hitches as he stares into my eyes. "He loves them, Daddy. We eat them when we read together in the tree fort."
I rush forward and press my lips to his. I'm proud of him for getting close to his younger brother, reconnecting with his lost family. Most survivors wouldn't know what to do in that situation.
Life goes on, no matter what trauma you go through. Callum takes it all in stride. He wants to get to know his brother and be his friend. He’s so mature, and I can tell he's putting the skills he picked up in the life skills class I enrolled him in to use. He wants to be there for his brother in a way that no one, except for Ollie, was there for him.
I cup the back of his head. "I bet you like spending time with your brother. You two have a great connection."
"The best." Callum rubs his lips on mine. "Although…"
I furrow my brow. "What?"
"He caught me speaking to Ollie on the phone last week." Callum scrunches his face together. "He heard Ollie say he was going to chop off the Diavolo brothers’ dicks when he found them. He wanted to join."
I bring Callum onto my chest and wrap him in my arms. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to get back at the men who hurt his older brother, boy. It's a very noble thing."
"He's not even fifteen, Daddy. He's too young to be an assassin."
"My Mom and Dad can teach him to fire a gun." I see nothing wrong with this. “I learned to fire my first weapon when I was that young. He's too young now, but when he turns eighteen, he can help you and your friends."
Callum makes eye contact with me. "We can all be assassins and take out the bad guys."
I plant a big smooch on his forehead. "That's exactly right. Now that you’ve recovered your memories, you're ready to start the next chapter in your life."
Callum makes a face. "Thatmakes it sound like you want to teach me about credit again."
"Goddamn right I do." I drag my thumb across his cheek. "And help you enroll in college, too. You’re too gifted not to get your degree. But I don’t want you to forget where you came from. Your friends are going to murder the Diavolo brothers and quite frankly, I want you to assist them."
Callum's eyes widen. "You're joking."
I smirk. "I'm not naïve, boy. I know you went through hell in that warehouse, and it changed you. I bet you’d love to sink a knife into their fucking skulls, slit their throats, and hang their bodies in Times Square for everyone to see. Wouldn't you, boy?"
Killing is what I do best. I refuse to deprive my boy of the same fun by claiming to "protect" him.
Callum rubs himself on my body. "You're the best Daddy ever."
I pick up another cupcake. "I have another surprise for you, boy. Eat this."
Callum stares at the cupcake. He takes it in his hands, then peels off the paper.
He glares at me. "This better not be a bad surprise." He tentatively brings the cupcake to his lips. "If you put lemons in here, I'll be cross."
I pat his bum. "No sour fruit. Try it."
He sinks his teeth into the cupcake, taking an enormous bite. But he makes a face when his teeth hit something metallic.
Cling.
He spits his treat into his hand and studies it. He gasps when he sees what it is.
"Oh, Daddy!" He holds up the diamond ring I purchased from Tiffany’s, covered in frosting. "You gave me a ring!"
From my caterpillar onesie pocket—yes, Callum made me get one that matched his—I tug out a tiny towel. I work it around the ring, wiping away the edible material.
"Fuck yes, boy." Once I clean the ring, I slide it onto Callum's finger. "We've been through too much together for me to be content with merely being your Daddy. I want to marry you, sweetheart." I squeeze his bum. "I want to be your husband. Your protector. Your partner for life. Would you do me the honor of being my forever boy?"
Callum studies the glistening ring on his finger. In the playroom lights, it sparkles like it's one-million carats instead of only twenty-five.
