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“Do you want a hug?” I offered.
He chuckled. “Mind the bandages, and I could handle that.”
Carefully, I folded my body over his and draped my arms around his neck. He wrapped his around my waist, hugging me much tighter than I was hugging him.
“You’re a good kid, Felicity,” his voice rumbled in my ear. “I’m glad you’re mine.”
I swallowed hard, determined not to cry. It was no small feat.
Those were words I never thought I’d hear, especially not from any parent of mine.
“I think you could be a good dad,” I choked back. “I’m glad you’re mine, too.”
Chapter27
Xander
In the end, I let the hospital’s security guards deal with Eliza. She left me with a parting gift before they took over: a set of nice, deep teeth marks on my hand.
It was worth taking a little nip from a human. Felicity had made it clear that she didn’t want her mother in her life, and I had no problem enforcing that.
A short while later, Felicity emerged from Denny’s room.
She wasn’t crying, which was a good sign.
“What’d he say?” I asked.
“He apologized. I think he meant it, too. And he asked if he could be part of the boys’ lives. Part of my life, too.”
“What’d you tell him?”
“That it wasn’t entirely up to me. You get a say in this, too.”
I frowned. That complicated things, didn’t it? I liked Denny. He seemed like a good guy. I wouldn’t say that we owed him for getting the boys back. Despite being Felicity’s father, I was pretty sure he’d still be sending me a bill. But in a very real way, I owed him my life.
“I don’t like that he lied to you,” I said.
“No,” she agreed. “That was shitty of him. But to his credit, he didn’t know I existed until he showed up to take the boys’ case.”
“And he did help us find them.”
“He did.” She cracked a smile. “He’s charging you an arm and a leg for it, too.”
“Ah, that doesn’t matter. Can’t have your father going destitute, begging for money on the street corner and sleeping beneath a bridge, now, can I?” I joked.
“I suppose not.” She wrapped her arms around me and pressed her cheek to my chest. I stroked her back.
“You know, of all the people Mom’s ever been with, he’s among the better of them, at least,” she murmured.
“Yeah, just think. Thomas could have been your dad.”
She made a retching sound. “Ew.”
I laughed. “Yeah. Denny’s looking pretty good now, huh?”
“He’s my dad either way, I guess. Should we throw him a bone?”
I smiled down at her and brushed my fingers over her cheek. “Somebody’s gotta.”
