Waiting for Erica to come through those doors is the most tense I’ve ever been. Leaving her for her first full day of daycare was the hardest moment of my life.

“She’s going to have had a ball,” Nix reassures me, taking my hand in his and squeezing, his fingers curling around mine securely. Every day, I feel more loved, more safe, more alive with him.

We took the leap into each other fully and never looked back.

We’ve been through a lot, his father and mother’s murders, my father’s suicide from the guilt of killing them and trying to harm Lucy, but he’s never failed me—not once.

He’s my forever. My and Erica’s.

A beeping shrills, and my heart picks up its pace as the doors unbolt.

It’s the most secure childcare out there. Video monitoring throughout, serving a live feed of our children for us to watch if we feel a need to. I won’t tell Nixon I watched it for two hours today.

The doors open, and I begin tapping my foot.

“Baby,” Nixon chuckles. “She’s going to be super excited to see you, and you’ll wonder why you spent the whole day worrying.”

I nod my head enthusiastically. “I know, I know. Oh, I forgot her balloon! It’s in the car,” I panic, looking back at the parking lot. I’d insisted on getting her a balloon to congratulate her on her first day. She’s always had a thing for balloons since her birthday, and the woman in the shop snickered, thinking I was joking when I told her what it was for. But there was my man, stepping up and chastising her for being unprofessional, then going into a whole speech about a mother loving their child, and when she has a child, she can comment.

She could have had five kids for all he knew, but he has a sense for these things, and when Nix turns his attention on you, good or bad, you’re rendered speechless.

Leaning down, he brushes his lips over my forehead and releases his grip on my hand. “I’ll go get the balloon. She’s going to love it, almost as much as I love you.”

“Wow, that much?” I grin, shouting after him, ignoring the stares from the other parents. It doesn’t go unnoticed by the men here that the women have all not so subtly followed my man with their eyes as he passes them.

Adulthood has been good to him. He’s gained a few more inches in height and shoulder width. Damn, he’s built like a Viking, and I can’t get enough of him. I’m not even mad at them checking him out, because he’s mine, and I can’t blame them being drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

A chorus of chatter sounds just as the carers begin filing out with the children.

Searching every brown-haired girl, my stomach knots with anticipation of seeing my baby. I know my reaction to having to leave her is extreme, but I’ve lost so much in my life, I like to see, feel, and smell what’s mine next to me all the time—grasp on and never let them go. But I never let that need stop Erica from being around other toddlers and experiencing life. Those are my issues, not hers.

Blue eyes find mine through crowd of parents gathered to collect their own children, and my heart settles and begins a normal rhythm.

Waving my hand, I expect her to come running at me with excitement, but instead, she’s pouting searching the gathering of parents.

“Sweety?” I call out racing toward her, her eyes dart to something to her right, and a bright Erica smile spreads up her cheeks, and she takes off running unsteady on her feet.

“Daddy! Daddy!” she screeches. Nixon swoops her up into his arms and attacks her with kisses, the balloon bobbing around over their heads.

Placing my hands on my hips, I shake my head in disbelief.

“What about Mommy’s hello,” I pout.

Erica is Daddy’s girl, no doubt about it, and Nix has always given her a daddy and so much more.

When she first called him Daddy, I dropped to my knees and sobbed. We had always called him Nixy, but after spending a couple hours a day in daycare prepping for her full days, she just came out and called him Daddy one random Thursday afternoon.

Seeing all the other children using that term for the men taking the role as the daddy in their lives, she just decided that was Nix to her and she never stopped since.

The other Pearson boys were beaming with pride when they heard Erica call him daddy in their presence. He earned that title, and we will never forget Eric, but we can’t live in the past. Those ghosts don’t haunt this family anymore. We’re content, but more than that, we’re happy and stupidly in love.

* * *

Looking over at Ro, and then in the mirror at Erica, who’s tapping at her balloon, I breathe easy and turn the car onto our old street. We moved out of the Pearson household over a year ago and into our own place, just the three of us, despite me trying to get Cam to come live with us. He refused, saying Hayden needed looking after. They moved out too, into a place more suited for two young men.

Ro draws my attention when she looks at her watch for the fourth time since picking Erica up from daycare.

“Where are we going?” She widens her eyes as she takes in the scenery.

“A detour.” I grin wickedly, knowing she’ll be freaking out about missing her last class.

Little does she know, I’ve already arranged for Suzanne to pick up any school work she may need for the weekend.

Ro is in an incredible mother, but she’s so much more than that, and not getting to go to college played on her mind. She didn’t want any of her trust fund or inheritance, and wouldn’t be content not earning her own money and having a career.

So, I enrolled her in college and paid her fees as a birthday present. She wasn’t sure at first but the more we talked about it the more excited she became. She’s studying interior design, and wants to open her own business when she graduates, with a loan from a very handsome benefactor who just happens to adore her. This won’t be a problem.

There are a lot of excellent business opportunities that lack the capital to even get off the ground. So I made a business out of starter companies. I make sound investments and give the little fish a chance to swim in the big pool.

“What the…?” Ro breathes as I pull up next to the plot of land that used to be both her house and mine.

Ro couldn’t face ever going back to the house Jax raised her in. The yard held too many haunting memories, and my brothers and I all agreed our house was just a reminder of that time. It all needed to go—tearing down the old to move into the future burden free.

Opening the car door, I round it to get Erica out first, then open Ro’s door.

Her mouth is hanging open, and a tear has fallen onto her cheek.

Using the pad of my thumb, I dab it away and take her hand in mine, helping her out.

Her eyes scan the space. I had a developer turn it into a rose garden. Ro always said she can’t smell roses without thinking of Eric, so where his memory rests is now a huge array of colors. Clusters of every rose there is spouting up on every inch of the space that used to be her garden. Eric was a piece of shit, but we can’t pretend he didn’t exist. He’s in us all in some way. And Erica should have a place to come.

A seating area and a tree is planted on the land that used to be our house, in respect of our mother. She may have had her issues but you only get one in your lifetime and she happened to be ours.

“I can’t believe you did this,” Ro breathes.

“This will always be here for you if you ever need to come or decide to bring Erica when she’s grown.”

She sniffles and turns away so Erica can’t see her tears.

“Baby.” I take both her hands in mine and turn her back to face me.

“This is our past, and that won’t change, but you and Erica…you’re my future—my always. It’s always been you for me, Ro.” I drop to my knee, and her eyes expand so wide, they make her other features appear tiny.

“Daddy?” Erica giggles.

“Come here, baby,” I tell Erica.

I slip my hands from Ro’s and pull a ring box from my jacket pocket, taking out the engagement ring for Ro and promise ring for Erica.

“Ro, I promise to always put you and Erica before any and everything else. I promise I’ll never hurt you, never stop loving you, and never stop wanting you. Now and always.”

Gentle sobs rattle Ro’s petite frame as she looks down at the rings.

“Erica, I promise to be the best daddy you could ever want or need. I promise to keep you safe and never let you date. You are my forever and always, always.”

I slip the ring on Erica’s finger, and she beams at me, holding the ring made of tiny little diamonds decorating the band.

“Ro, marry me, baby,” I ask.

“Nix,” she breathes. “You know we’re going to wreck the friendship?” She sniffles and giggles at the same time.

I slip the ring on her finger.

“We’re just improving it, strengthening it, completing it.”

The END!

Coming soon…