He could delude himself into thinking it was to give me a stern warning about how to treat his daughter.
I knew her better than he ever would. I was the one fucking her, forgetting all my worries when I saw her smile, and crafting a dynasty in her honor. If he was lucky, he would get to play Santa for our kids come holiday time.
He removed his hand from my shoulder and rubbed his angular jaw. “When are you telling her about Evie?”
“I’ve dropped a few hints, but I’ll give her full disclosure tonight.”
“And if she decides against it?”
“You’ve met her. That’s not going to happen. I wouldn’t have waited to bring Rhiannon home if that were a remote possibility. Give me a few days to get back to you and then we can bring Rochelle in.”
He grunted.
“Is this someone I need to be concerned with?”
“Do dead men speak?” I retorted evenly. “You know just as much as I do why she’s necessary.”
There were a lot of things I knew to push with Saint, but loyalty and his family weren’t one of them. He was a cruel sonofabitch but when it came to them the man was a teddy bear with spikes.
He’d been ready to go in guns blazing before I gave him the ultimatum to let her marry me or lose her forever. I had a feeling he still held that grudge. As a Barron, I fit into the family category which helped smooth things over when he went into a rage, and I watched him destroy his office while drinking his whiskey.
I think the whole cheating thing had more to do with him fucking around on Rhiannon’s mother and setting his tragedy in motion. No one else was that stupid.
“I’m trusting you with her. Don’t let me down.”
“I would have to let her down first, and that isn’t an option.”
Satisfied with my answer, he nodded. “Give me a minute to say goodbye.” He began walking back in the direction of Rhiannon, taking Juan with him before I could agree or object.
“Until next time,” the man said to me and Gavin before following after his boss.
“I can feel the love overflowing between the two of you,” Gavin commented when we were alone.
“It’s a work in progress. We have to get along for Rhiannon’s sake.”
“Man, I did not see any of this playing out when we enrolled at Pesadilla all those years ago.”
“I didn’t plan on her finding me burying a body or letting me…shit happens.”
I’d almost mentioned details. There was never a reason to disclose our personal life in that regard. He was well aware my addiction to Rhiannon started with a late-night fuck in a shed. I hadn’t known who she was until after the fact. Imagine my delight when I realized she was who I’d been looking for.
I had intended to use her as leverage, if need be, against Saint in the future. She ruined that plan with one Little Red costume. It was the party I made sure she showed up at soon after that locked her into my orbit.
And she was here again.
I should’ve been able to breathe easier because of that, but there were these fleeting moments I couldn’t. She hadn’t committed to this with her own words, and I didn’t have all of her. Fuck, some days I understood exactly why my padre lost his mind over a woman.
I needed her to want everything I had to offer.
Power was the easy part.
The small beast inside her that enabled the disregard for lives like Joey’s needed to be cared for until it grew and became so vicious no one would dare test her.
I would guard her with hells army, but I knew Rhiannon wouldn’t feel good enough until she stood beside me as an equal. This thing with Evie was a good starting point.
Love on the other hand was such a complicated, messy endeavor. I’d never thought much of it before her. I was more focused on making a name for myself. She shifted my mindset dramatically.
I was after her heart, entirely. Just like I wanted her to accept what I was offering I needed everything she had to offer. I didn’t expect her to give right away but there was no doubt in my mind that she would.
I wasn’t ashamed to use her traumas to get what I wanted. Rhiannon had this way about her that made her yearn for someone as if they were an exclusive addiction. That had been me. It would still be me. I knew how to coax and lead her to a place that would benefit each of us and ensure our future.
There wasn’t a traditional happily ever after insight for her. All I had to offer was an ending where the villain of this story chose to make her their one and only.