I feel a growl start in my throat as I realize what he’s done. He had no intention of causing trouble between us, he just wanted me to give him something in return. And more than I was prepared to give when I came in here.
But as I take a seat, I feel Katarina relax beside me, and I decide to hell with it. It’s worth it.
“Fine,” I grunt. “You win.”
He nods, as if I’m just confirming what he already knows. “And another thing.” He fixes me with a stare. “If you ever hurt my daughter, I’ll—”
“Won’t happen,” I interrupt, enjoying taking back control of the situation. “I love her. I won’t be without her. I’ll take care of her for the rest of my life.”
Katarina turns to me and smiles, and her dad watches her for a moment before taking a deep breath.
“Fair enough then. To tell the truth, if I had to pick a man for my daughter to be with, from what I’ve seen of you, Miller, I’d pick you. You’re tough, not just physically but in business too. Not as tough as me, but—”
“Dad, let it go,” Katarina murmurs, and he nods.
“I’m giving my blessing, honey. There’s a condition though.” He waves the waitress over, and I sigh, wondering what other hoops he’s going to have me jumping through. “Double cheeseburger, fries, lots of hot sauce, maybe a side salad? And a coke. No, make that a whiskey, we’re celebrating. Hell, just bring the whole bottle, sweetheart. And whatever these two lovebirds are having.”
After we’ve ordered, Katarina fixes him with a stare. “What’s the condition, Dad?”
The grin spreads over his lips, and he looks at me. “He’s paying.”
Chapter Fourteen
Miller
EPILOGUE – FIVE YEARS Later
I wanted to do this five years ago.
I would have married her that first fucking night we were together.
But, as she tells everyone, we just got busy.
I didn’t worry too much. I had the ring on her finger and just because the paperwork wasn’t signed, didn’t mean we didn’t belong to each other.
Doesn’t matter. We’re here now and I know it will be perfect.
Because my kitten has taught me to let go of trying to make everything perfect, and just let it be perfect.
She’s taught me a lot, and everyday I’m thankful as I tell everyone that will listen, I’m the luckiest mother fucker in the world.
In the years since we got together, my girl has forced me to become this social butterfly around town. Sometimes, she even makes me carry Miss Muffet around with us.
My street cred had dropped a few notches.
Her father and I run our businesses separately, but we partner on a bunch of projects and still give each other a hard time when we can.
My kitten still works in the NICU, and I do a lot of the home and child care which, to my surprise, is more fun than running the construction business.
We’ve added on to the cabin, it’s still rustic but more functional for a family and last summer, we put in a swim pond and bought a horse to go along with our six dogs, five cats, two ferrets and a few other birds and reptiles Kat has brought home from the rescue over the years.
The church is packed. Five years ago, I knew probably twenty of these people, spending most of my time on the mountain and generally not speaking.
Her mom is here as well. A few years ago, she showed up. I was proud of Kat, she opened the door but kept her guard up and set some boundaries. I can’t say they have the dream of a mother daughter relationship, but she’s in our lives and the kids call her grandma.
Yeah, we have three kids and Kat is ready to walk down the aisle in her white dress, eight months pregnant again.
Fine by me, I think she’s beautiful all the time, but when she’s in her last few months?
Fuck. I’m a stone-cold fuck machine. I can’t keep my hands, mouth, eyes off her.
When the organ music starts, I look down the aisle and see her there, glowing like an angel on her dad’s arm.
As the wedding march plays, my throat starts to close and I’m not sure I’ll be able to get our vows out without choking up.
The minister reaches over and gives my arm a squeeze as Katarina takes her spot next to me and I’m a full-on blubbering baby in front of God and everyone.