Chapter 20
Paisley
“Have you guys picked out a date?” Polly asks as she rocks Anderson.
“No. We will eventually, but we’re just happy with things right now how they are. No drama. The past couple of months since Anderson’s birth have been really good; we just want to enjoy that.”
She smiles a little bit. “Yeah, I suppose it’s been a rough start, huh?”
“When Royce told me how he felt, I never imagined we’d be where we are right now. I mean, it’s been what, a little over a year, and look at everything that’s happened.”
“You guys survived all of that, so anything from here on out will be a cakewalk. Yes, it will. Your mommy and daddy are troopers.” She talks baby talk to Anderson.
“Hey, have you heard anything from Brinley?”
She presses her lips together and shakes her head.
“Has anyone heard from Noble?”
“Erik says the only thing he said is he’s got her. I don’t know what that means. I wanted to go to his house and check on her, but Erik told me no.”
“And you listened?” I laugh.
Her smile brightens when Anderson opens his eyes. “Yes. This time I did because I have to trust that he trusts Noble enough to leave her with him.”
“Polly, were you… In foster care, did anyone ever hurt you?”
“Not like how she was hurt.”
I sympathize with that. “God, I can’t imagine how long she endured… I should have said something.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“But if I’d—”
“Not your fault.”
I drop the conversation because there’s nothing I can do now, and I don’t want my negative energy to rub off on Anderson. But I will forever feel guilty that I was so selfish at that time in my life.
“I want to get married in your backyard.”
Her eyes light up. “Really?”
“Yeah. That’s the first place I saw Royce.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet.”
“What’s sweet?” Erik and Royce come into the living room.
Royce runs a finger along Anderson’s face and then sits next to me. I lean into him and answer Derik. “I was just saying I wanted to get married in your backyard because it was where Royce and I met.”
“That’d be great.” He sits next to Polly and puts his arm around her. When she leans into him, he kisses the top of her head and I can’t help but smile.
There was a part of me that envied what they had because I thought I’d never have it. But the truth of the matter is, I have more than I ever thought possible.
I like to think my birth parents would be proud of me. I’m pretty sure they would. The older I get, the less I remember about them, and it sucks. I do know they were great parents, but they would have been amazing grandparents.
The sensor from the driveway goes off, and since I’m tucked into Royce, Erik gets up to open the door for Mitch and Kim and their little girl Mercy.
“Hi!” She hurries over and stops in front of Polly. “Can I hold him?”
“Sure.” She pats the cushion next to her. “Hop up here.”
She climbs up on the couch, puts some pillows around her, then holds her arms out. As gently as she can, she hand him over and makes sure he’s supported before she fully lets go.
Mitch and Kim walk over, hand in hand, and look down at their daughter and grandson. “That is so cute. Here,” She holds out her phone. “Mercy, smile.” After snapping a shot, she tucks her phone back in her jeans.
“Text that to me.” I say. “I always forget to take pictures. I’m so bad at it.”
“I used to be too, but when I realized how quickly Mercy was growing up, I became a little obsessed.”
Mitch chuckles beside her. “Just a little?”
As they’re bantering, I lean into Royce and tilt my head up. He’s smiling at his dad but must feel my gaze on him, because he looks down and kisses my forehead. “Are you happy?” I ask him.
“Unbelievably.” He answers immediately.
“Me, too.”
I’m so glad he and his father have moved past their differences and have a strong relationship again. I love that I have this great big extended family. And I am so grateful that I get to experience what it really, truly means to be given a second chance in life.
The moment Polly and Erik walked through those doors, I had no idea what my new life would look like. I hoped it’d be better. I wanted it to be happy. But I never thought in a million years it would be what it is right now… absolutely perfect.
Royce
Anderson sleeps on my chest, and Paisley relaxes next to me with my arm around her shoulder. Everything that I love, all the things I hold close to my heart and would die to protect are in my arms right now.
I seem like I’ve got my shit together, but the truth is, I’ve never been more on edge than I am right now. Fear like I’ve never felt keeps me up at night and unease causes me to look over my shoulder constantly.
Being a bodyguard has always made me be cautious, but the precious cargo I hold tight makes me paranoid. I’m like a caged lion just ready to maim.
“Royce?”
“Have we talked about all the things?”
“What were they again?”
She puts a finger to her lip as she thinks. “I can’t remember all of them, but I know one was how things were going to be when we came back here from New York.”
I smile. “Yeah. That was one of them. I didn’t see it playing out this way, but I think it’s better than anything I could have imagined.”
She gives me more than what my dreams were. And by giving me my son… she doesn’t even know. Waiting for her was torture, but finally having her and having a family with her is the absolute sweetest prize in the world.
“Royce?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I want to add something to the list?”
I raise a brow. “You do?”
“Yeah. You need to relax.” She sits up and runs her finger along my jaw. “I know on the surface you’re putting on a good show, but don’t forget I know you. And I know deep down you’re freaking out and being even more overprotective than normal.”
This is why I love her. Because she’s right. She does know me. “I’m tryin’ to keep my cool, but I can’t even imagine this world without you two, and… precious, we both know loss. And it scares the shit out of me that now that I have everything I’ve ever wanted, something is going to take it away.”
“If there’s anything we can learn from that loss, though, it’s to live for today. We can’t worry about everything that could happen.”
“You might not, but I will.”
“Royce.” She breathes my name.
I kiss her soft lips and hold her face in my palm. “Paisley.”
She sighs, knowing it’s not something I’ll ever be able to budge on. Not their safety. Ever.
“You’re gonna give yourself an ulcer or something with how much you worry. It’s like having another full-time job.”
“Taking care of you, making sure you and my son are safe and happy and loved is my responsibility as your man and his father. That will never change. But my job, precious, my job is to love you for the rest of my life.”
She turns her head and kisses my palm. “I’m just a job to you?” She teases.
“You never were a job and you never will be. What you are, is my life. My world.” I rest my forehead on hers and look deep into her eyes. “You’re my everything.”
I could tell this girl was lost.
She was also scared and alone. This life was going to destroy her… If I let it.
She refuses my help and protection until she realizes the audition she’s attending isn’t an audition at all.
It’s an auction. And she’s about to be sold to the highest bidder.
I’ve got the money to buy her, but better than that, I’ve got the power to save her.