She was the goody-goody of the entire group. I mean, I would bet a million dollars she’d never seen a penis and had taken one drink in her entire life. If there was ever a perfect daughter, it was her.
And ohhhh, how Chase knew it.
Perfect for his political career, I mean.
“Yeah, well…” She sniffed. “That, at least, makes me feel better.”
She went to pull away, and that’s when I noticed the mark on her finger, her left finger? It had been smudged away by her tears. What? Makeup? Why would she have cover up on her finger?
It looked like a sickle tattoo, which would be madness because she didn’t have tattoos; she didn’t have anything.
“Hey, I gotta go make sure Breaker isn’t too drunk.” She jerked away from me and then walked off, giving me a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach because I could have sworn I’d seen that tattoo before.
And on someone I knew.
“Serena.” My dad barked out my name. I ran down the hall to the guest room, where both he and Phoenix were standing outside its door.
“Can I go in? Is he okay?” Tears streamed down my face. “Daddy, tell me he’s okay, and he’s going to live because I love him, I really love him, and Phoenix I don’t care, I don’t care! Everyone gets a second chance; I’m not justifying what you did, I’m just saying that—”
“Shhhh.” My dad pulled me into his arms and rocked me like I was a little girl. I instantly relaxed. “We didn’t know. And as much as it pains me to admit, we’re still fucking up every day as parents. The rules apply to us all, and we thought you were just being you, and Junior was just testing us, testing the Family, breaking rules because he could, sleeping around because it got you attention, and stop giving me that look. We can’t let people break those sorts of rules just because they feel like it. When one rule’s broken, the house of cards falls.”
A heaviness settled on my chest. “I know, I know, I should have told you I just, I didn’t even know how to say anything, and then we stopped for a while because we hated each other so much—”
“—Because your love matched your hate,” Phoenix said behind me in a soft voice. “Trust me when I say, I know exactly what that feels like.”
He sighed and then held out his hand to my dad. “We’re good?”
“We’re good.” My dad took his hand and then leaned in and kissed Phoenix on each cheek and said. “He’s released from his promise. And so are you.”
Phoenix instantly relaxed. “I chose well.”
“Well?” my dad repeated.
Phoenix just smiled. “For a best friend. All those years back. I chose well.”
My dad gulped and then murmured, “Despite our past, I did too, Phoenix, I did too.”
Phoenix gave me a small squeeze, and then he was gone, and my dad was opening the door, giving me a slight push and nudging me in.
It closed behind me.
And there was Junior in all his bandaged-up glory looking extremely black and blue and high on whatever they’d given him so he’d stop moaning and jerking out stitches in his sleep.
“So…” I walked over to him and sat on the bed.
He muttered a curse and slowly turned his head toward me. One eye was completely swollen shut the other was getting there, his beautiful skin was turning purple and yellow, and I’d never seen him more handsome in all my life.
Because he was alive.
And he was mine.
“So.” He blindly reached for my hand.
“Want me to get naked so you can touch me with what fingers aren’t broken?”
He laughed and then moaned.
“Sorry.” I chuckled and then scooted myself on the bed. “I’ll hold you, and you dream, how’s that?”
“Living my dream,” he said softly. “But you can hold me while I do that, princess.”
“I love you.” I tried not to let the hot tears fall, but it was impossible.
He turned and looked up at me. “Those for me?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
“Hate you for as long as we both shall live.”
He barked out a laugh. “Yeah, hate you for as long as we both shall live.”
Neither of us missed the way he kept trying to grab my ass, just like I couldn’t keep myself from running my hands up and down his abs.
Junior De Lange-Nicolasi was my curse and my reward. My treasure, my love. He was my perfect match in every way.
And I would never, never let him go.
He was my King—mine.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Junior
One week later
The fact that I was alive was still a new concept to me as I grabbed my gun, pulled it apart, and started cleaning it. Nervous habit.
Serena was coming over for dinner, and it was the first time she’d be in my house where we wouldn’t have to sneak around—as much, at least.