“See you in hell, Lagger,” I growl, as his body starts convulsing.
“Let’s load up, boys,” Ford commands, and we get the fuck out of there, leaving three dead bodies that not a fucking soul will miss.51GruntI dropped by the club to shower. I didn’t want even the smell from spending time with those assholes on me when I walked through the doors of home. I could lie and say I felt some kind of remorse, but I didn’t. I was glad they were no longer breathing air. I was glad it was done. I know how idiots like Lagger operate. He would have made Jasmine’s life hell every single time he got a chance. Besides, he sealed his fate when he hit her that day beside the road.
Plus, when someone is rotten on the inside, they aren’t satisfied with being a pest. Eventually, he wouldn’t have stopped until he hurt Jasmine even more, maybe killed her, and that made him too dangerous to live.
My world, my rules.
And it definitely helped that my club had my back.
I walk into my house, taking a deep breath of nothing but clean air. My home with Jasmine is a sanctuary. At thirty-five I’ve never had a real home, unless you count being part of the DC’s. This house, building a life with Jasmine and Daisy, is a home. A true home and the first real one I’ve ever had.
I’m not stupid. I know that it’s not the brick or wood that make it that. It’s the fact that I share them with Jasmine. Hell, she even made me a father. Before her, I didn’t have the first clue how to be there for my daughter. Now, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, couldn’t imagine Daisy being anywhere else than with me.
After making sure all the doors and windows are secure, and arming the alarm system, I stop by Daisy’s room first. She’s sleeping, hugging up to a ridiculous troll doll that her and Jasmine made together. She’s named him Ty and I don’t even want to know what that means for me in the future. I make sure the covers are pulled up and I kiss her forehead. Daisy doesn’t even move. Her hair smells like sweet cherries and I grin, because I know that Jasmine is responsible. She is a born nurturer and she’s spoiled my daughter—in all good ways.
Before Jasmine, I couldn’t even tell you how often my little girl had a bath. Here she gets one every night for the most part, she gets one using the special bubble bath and shampoo that she loves. She loves them because Jasmine took the time to take her shopping and let her pick things out. It might sound stupid, but I would have never thought to do that. I didn’t even know it mattered.
But it did matter to Daisy.
When they came back from shopping, it was all my daughter could talk about. She was so happy and all over something as simple as a shopping trip to pick out bubble bath.
I move on to mine and Jasmine’s room and when I get there, I can’t move. My heart is too fucking full, so full that I can hardly breathe.
Her red hair is fanned out over the pillow, the sheet has worked down to her hip and my t-shirt is tangled under her boobs, revealing her stomach.
If someone had told me a year ago that this would be my life, that I would come home to a woman who was everything good in the world, a woman who accepted my daughter as her own, a woman who taught me what loyalty and love are all about…
I would have called them a liar.
But it’s all true. I have everything, and it all happened because of a beautiful woman, with hair the color of fire, looked at me one day and took my breath away.
“Luke?” she murmurs, as I get close to the bed. I tried to be silent, but maybe I wasn’t good enough. Or, maybe, Jasmine is like I am. I swear I can feel her the minute she enters a room.
“Yeah, baby, it’s me.”
“Everything okay?” she asks, opening her eyes and blinking.
“Better than okay,” I tell her, undressing quickly and sliding into bed with her.
Jasmine immediately flips over, giving me her back. I pull her back into me, my body spooning against hers, as she snuggles back into her pillow.
“You’re late, I was worried.”
“No need, baby. I’ll always come home to you,” I promise, kissing her temple.
“Mmm…” she says, already back asleep.
I lie there in the darkness, holding Jasmine in my arms and I breathe easy. Tonight wasn’t fun, but I protected my woman—my family, and I’d do it all again.
Because they’re everything.EpilogueJasmineTwo Days Later“Did we get anything good in the mail?” I ask Luke as he comes back in from outside. It’s a quiet Saturday—quiet because Daisy went home with my parents. Bart has Ty this weekend, which means Aunt Katie has Ty and he’s been asking for Daisy. I know they’re only five and six, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they aren’t tied at the hip for life. I’d never say that to Luke, he gets more than a little testy on the subject. The thought makes me want to giggle, and I quickly take a drink of my orange juice to hide my smile.