We had a long day. My therapist agreed to interview my daughters, and he wrote a letter where it states that they’ve been neglected and abused by their mother. Judge Summers granted me full custody of the girls after Tess and Hannah relived the suicide attempt and told her about their mother’s outburst.

Once I helped them pack their things at their grandparents, we drove to Sadie’s, who said she expected us for dinner. I have no idea what to expect from her or this impromptu family reunion, but I am hopeful about it.

“Are you sure this is okay, Dad?” Tess stares at the house.

“He said it was, and I saw the text,” Hannah says, excitedly.

“What if she changed her mind?” Tess fidgets with her bracelet and looks at me.

“She won’t,” I assure her. “It’s just dinner.”

“Come on, Tess. You said she was cool today,” Hannah pats Tess’s hand lightly.

“Well yeah, but that doesn’t mean that she’s fine with me in the house.”

“It’s a step, Tess,” I encourage her. “She’s not mad at you if that’s what you’re thinking. Sadie cares about you two.”

“She said that earlier, but after everything I did … Mom would be livid and cruel.”

My poor daughter is finally opening up about her life with Alicia, and I feel like the worst fucking father ever. What do I do to make it better? There’s nothing I can say that will erase what she’s been going through. I scratch my forehead and take a deep breath.

“Sadie isn’t like your mother.” That’s the best I can come up with, without trashing Alicia.

“Mom’s a bitch,” Hannah concludes. “If I had to choose between the two …”

She drops her head. “Not that Sadie would want me anyway.”

“Stop this nonsense and let’s go down,” I suggest before they end up crying.

As we step into the house, the place feels more like home. It smells like chicken soup and grilled cheese.

“Cookies!” Hannah flies toward the kitchen.

“You know the rules,” Sadie calls her out from upstairs. “Dinner first, then you can have as many as you want.”

“She still has rules,” Hannah whispers, grinning at me.

We both broke a few from time to time. It was fun to have an accomplice when I stole sweets from the kitchen.

“And cookies.” Sadie walks into the kitchen. “Hannah, the plates are in that cupboard, the utensils in the drawer next to the stove.”

Hannah doesn’t say anything, but she gets to work.

“Kade, can you help her with the cups and placemats, please?”

“What can I do?” Tess swings her body back and forth watching us do our usual chores.

Sadie turns her attention to her and twists her mouth, then looks at me. I shrug because I’m at a loss. Tess has never offered to help.

“Why don’t you come over and help me?”

In no time, we have the food on the table, the places are set, and we all sit down. We have comfort food. The girls’ favorite. Chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches—oven made.

“Where is Kieran?” Hannah looks around the table as she eats.

“In bed, he should be waking up in an hour or two,” Sadie answers with a guarded voice.

“Do you think we can see him before we leave?” She smiles at Sadie. “Just from afar, I promise not to touch him.”

Sadie looks at me, then at the girls, and sighs.

“They should stay with us,” she proposes.

“What?” I perk up but hold my breath.

I study her because the offer is huge. What would make her change her mind?

“Only if you two want to,” she continues, looking at my daughters. That’s when I see it, the fear. What is she afraid of?

“I mean, I’m sure you don’t want to stay here, but it would be temporary.” Her voice is low, and she sounds rejected. “At least until your dad leaves. Soon, I’ll be well enough.”

“Leaving you isn’t an option,” I warn her, studying her closely. “You promised to give me time with Kieran.” …and you.

“It’s just a suggestion, but maybe they don’t want to stay here.”

“I want to stay here forever with you and Dad.” Hannah stands up and hugs Sadie around the neck. “Unless you don’t love me anymore.”

It hits me right in the chest. Sadie’s afraid of their rejection. They did it too many times for her not to feel the way she does. And one fine day I snatched everything that I had given her without looking back.

“Love doesn’t stop on command, Hannah,” Sadie sobs, hugging her back. “Of course, I love you. Everything just got so complicated and …”

“I love you too, Sadie,” Hannah is crying too.

Tess just watches them, tears streaming down her cheeks. I reach for her hand and squeeze it lightly.

“Can we stay here?” Tess asks timidly.

“You heard the lady, as long as you want to be here, she’ll be happy to have you.” I lean forward and whisper, “She’s nice, and I’m sure you two can become real friends.”

She nods a couple of times and wipes away her tears with her sleeves.

“I’m going to move the security from Raven’s house to here,” I alert them, rising from my seat. “Also, I need to update the address change with my lawyer—legalities are a pain in the ass, but I’d rather cover mine.”

“Don’t worry about us,” Sadie smiles at me. “We can start cleaning up the table while eating some cookies.”

“Are you sure you’ll be fine staying on the couch?”

“Unless you let me stay with you,” I say suggestively.

Since we don’t have enough beds, Tess and Hannah are staying in my bed while I take the couch.

“In your dreams, Hades.” She chuckles, turning off the kitchen light and heading up the stairs.

“Thank you for accepting them.” I walk right behind her. “And sorry.”

She stops, looking over her shoulder. “What are you sorry for?”

“When we broke up, I didn’t think about your relationship with the girls.”

“It was too rocky,” she says quietly as she enters her room.

“Yes, but you cared about them. You were like a mother to them.”

“But I wasn’t. I’m not.” She sighs, the sadness lingering between us. “Is there a point to this discussion?”

“The point is that I’m sorry for how I reacted,” I begin my apology.

She lifts her hand, nodding her head. “And I’m going to stop you right there. Tess and Hannah are safe. That’s all that matters.”

“How about us?”

She rolls her eyes. “For now, we are two adults who happen to live under the same roof and share a baby.”

“I get it. You’re not at a place where we can discuss our relationship. But since you’re not closed to the possibility, I’d like to argue that this time we’re all in.”

“We?” Her brows furrow.

“Hannah, Tess and I want to be a part of you. We want to become a real family. We are sorry for the way we handled things in the past. This time we promise not to push you aside. I’m sorry for not knowing how to handle it before.”

“That’s a lot to absorb for one day,” she murmurs, checking on Kieran.

My phone buzzes at that moment, when I pull it, I read a text from my lawyer.

“Who is it?” she whispers, walking silently toward the door.

“They’ve served Alicia with the restraining order and the custody agreement,” I announce, closing the door behind us.

“What do you think she’ll do?” She closes her eyes, hugging herself. “I just don’t want her close to our girls.”

“She won’t get close, I promise.” I wrap her in my arms. “We’ll be fine.”

“I trust you,” she whispers, leaning her head on my chest.

Progress, I think as I assimilate her words and breathe her scent.

It’s been a day and two nights since my daughters moved in with us. The first night they stayed in my bedroom. This morning, we bought the furniture and paid extra to have it delivered the same day. Both are happy, and Tess is starting to be more open with Sadie. Baby steps, Sadie told me when I asked Tess to empty the dishwasher, and she made a little drama.

We have to be patient, but as long as we work with them—as a family—she should change little by little. I tried not to change Sadie’s or Kieran’s schedule. Tess helped me driving Hannah to her ballet classes since I no longer go to the studio across the street anymore. Tonight, I decided to cut practice early and send the guys home with the promise that they can stay here on Sunday for dinner after practice.

As I walk toward the main house, I see one of the security guys running toward me.

“What’s going on?”

“Someone is breaking into the pool house.” He continues his way, and I follow him.

As we get closer, I spot the other security guard tackling someone to the floor. When I reach Andrew’s home, I recognize her. Alicia.

I fire up a text to Sadie.

Kade: Alicia’s here. Make sure you lock the door.

Sadie: I will. Be safe.

“What the fuck are you doing in Sadie’s house?”

“My daughters are here, I want you to hand them back to me, fucker,” she growls. “You owe me a month of child support too.”

“Tess and Hannah won’t be going with you.” I use a stern voice with her. I have to be careful before she makes up shit to say to her lawyer. “After hearing their case, the judge granted me permanent custody.”

“I won’t allow it, you fucking drunk. You and that fucking bitch are going to pay for this. I’m going to kill that bitch.”

“Alicia, give it up,” I suggest. “They already told us what you did to them. I will never let you near them again.”

The guard helps her stand up, and she jumps on top of me, choking me. I push her away.

“Sorry,” the guy apologizes, pushing her against the floor and putting the handcuffs on her.

“Tell them to release me, fucker!” Alicia, who is in no position to make demands, orders.

“You were served with a restraining order. The paper explains that you’re not to even contact our daughters—you texted them.” I had Duncan cancel their numbers and get them new ones right away. A police officer was even sent to her house to warn her about what could happen if she tried to violate the order again.

“You can’t go anywhere near them either. And yet, here you are breaking and entering, threatening us, and trying to attack me.”

“That’s a lie. I never touched you or threatened you.”

“‘I’ll kill that bitch,’ sounded like a threat to Sadie.” I cross my arms, staring at her in pity. “Things shouldn’t be this hard, Alicia.”

“This is supposed to be the kind of house you bought me, not that hut I live in. I was supposed to give you a boy—not her. Everything I did meant nothing to you. Now you’re taking my kids away from me.”

“I’m keeping them safe from you. They need a safe home, and love. If you want a relationship with them, I suggest you work on yourself first.”

“The cops are almost here, sir,” the private security agent says before picking Alicia up from the floor.

I text Sadie about the incident and to check on the girls while we wait for the cops. It doesn’t take long for them to arrive and to haul her into their car. I watch the red light of the police car disappear as they drive away. This wasn’t how I wanted to confront her.

“I’m fucking exhausted!”

“It’s been a long couple of days, Mr. Hades,” Sadie comes out of the kitchen holding a mug. “Here. Drink some tea.”

“Did they wake up?”

I grab the cup and drink from it. The tea is slightly bitter.

“No. I’m glad they caught her outside. Tess and Hannah are still asleep.”

It’s a blessing that the girls didn’t witness their mother’s show.

“How are you feeling?” Sadie goes to the staircase and sits on the second step and looks at me.

“I’m still upset at myself for letting things go too far,” I say, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“You shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened. They hid it well, plus neither one of them was sure if talking would help them at all. One of the adults they trusted the most was hurting them. What if you turned out to be the same? Not that you would, but that’s how it can be interpreted from their point of view.”

“You’re back,” I say taking a seat next to her.

“Back?” she rests her crossed arms on top of her knees and yawns.

“The happy, take action, kick ass woman that I love.”

“It’s a slow process,” she sighs. “I wasn’t myself for several reasons.”

“Care to share?”

“There’s this part where I lost my family. One day I was pushed away and not only lost you, but the girls too.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think about it until it was already too late.”

“Then, there’s the accident. When I woke up, I was afraid of everything. I couldn’t see the bright side and didn’t believe that I could get back to myself. There’s so much I should be thankful for. I’m alive. My father is changing. We have an amazing son. I forgot that life is a sequence of beads of many sizes, colors, and textures. Just because I encounter a few ugly ones, doesn’t mean that it’s over.”

“You can’t predict what happens next.” I caress her jaw, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “But you can always make the best of every situation.”

“We should never lose hope, and we should never live in fear.”

“She still remembers her vows,” I mumble resting my chin on top of her back.

“I can’t remember why we wrote them together.”

“You said I was great at writing love lines, and I told you that you knew a lot more about life. Mixing them and saying them together seemed like an original way to promise each other that no matter what, we would always be together.”

“Even after ‘death do us part.’” The words are muffled since her mouth is resting on her arm.

“I was too afraid of life. Of you,” she confesses.

“After what happened between us, even without the accident, it’s logical to feel the way you did. That’s why I didn’t fight you. I know that you don’t leave family behind, and for that, I’ll always be sorry. That day in the hospital I should’ve demanded more answers, I should’ve let you take the lead because I was crumbling.”

“It was scary to think we could have lost her.”

“She’s here, and Hannah too,” I breathe the words and finally relax. “I’m sorry for the pain I created. You didn’t deserve that.”

“Are you happy?” She brushes away my words.

“Almost, Hummingbird. Do you forgive me?”

“Of course, I forgive you. Because I love you.”

Her words, coupled with everything that’s happened today and in the past weeks we’ve spent together heal something inside me. It’s like my entire existence was dormant and suddenly something is blooming. Spring is finally here, and a long summer is ahead of us.

“I love you too, with all my heart and all of my being.”

I lean in a little closer, our foreheads touching, our lips brushing. I take her mouth, kissing her for the first time in months, and the world falls away. The kiss is slow and soft, comforting and healing in ways that words could never be. I slide her body on top of my lap, hugging her close to me. She wraps her arms around my shoulders. She runs her hands down my spine, pulling me closer until there’s no space left between us. I feel the beating of her heart synchronized with mine.

Carefully, I pull her ring from my pocket and break the kiss.

Sadie gasps, her eyes open wide.

“Do you always carry that with you?”

“All the time. That’s the only way I feel you close when you’re not around.”

I set her aside, rising from the sitting position and then drop down to one knee in front of her.

“The first time I saw you, something inside me knew that we were meant to be together. Every time we are together, the world stops, leaving just the two of us to wander—as one. Being with you can’t be described, only felt. We have a story that I never want to end. It was hard to survive without you, and I can't bear losing you again because only you make me feel complete.”

Tears stream down her cheeks, just like the first time I proposed. Her eyes are filled with love and whatever I broke inside her has been repaired. What we have now is different, mature, and so much more.

“Sadie Bell, would you be my wife, my lover, my eternal companion, and the mother of my children?”

“I would,” she sobs, as I slip on the ring that shouldn’t have come off and that should stay with her forever.

My hands drift to her hips, I pull her toward me, and slam my lips to hers. She inhales sharply as I thrust my tongue into her mouth. Sadie splays her hands against my chest, running them up and wrapping them around the back of my neck. The entire world disappears as I lose myself in the sweetness of her taste. Her hands roam over my body, while mine can’t stop touching every inch of hers.

Our flame ignites, running like wildfire and burning us from the inside. My heart restarts, and I see her light.

I’m back into her world.

I’m alive.

At this moment, I want to give her everything, take everything.

Fuse our bodies and become one.

I kiss her deeper absorbing all the pain I inflicted on her and replacing it with love.

“Love, I need you,” I gasp.

“Take me upstairs,” she says with longing and need.

I lift her, and automatically she wraps her legs around me.

“You know I can walk,” Sadie protests as I carry her toward my bedroom.

“Be quiet, Little Minx, or you’ll wake up the troops,” I squeeze her butt cheek.

“Stop manhandling me.” She wiggles her ass.

“That’s why I carry you, so I can play with your perfect butt.” I close the door of my room behind us, pushing her against it. “I believe you owe me a good fuck.”

“The dirty talk is about to start.”

She unwraps her legs from my waist, setting her feet on the floor. She stares at me, her chocolate eyes melting with lust. Slowly, she unties her robe and lets the silk fabric slide over her shoulders. A smile is painted across her face while she pulls down her tank top and the shorts she’s wearing.

No underwear.

“I fucking died and went to heaven,” I mutter staring at her.

She’s always been so fucking hot, but now she’s fuller, curvier.

“You’re wearing too many clothes, Mr. Hades,” she says with a sultry voice.

My dick hardens with her tone and those sexy eyes she’s giving me. I want her. Not only her body, but her heart and soul. I need to lose myself inside her before I take my next breath. I pull off my shirt, push down my pants, and lick my lips.

“I can see what you’re planning, but I can’t wait that long. Tomorrow or after the next feeding you can taste me. Right now, I need you,” she begs.

“Sorry, can’t accommodate you,” I push her lightly toward the bed and kneel right in front of her. “You know the rules.”

“We have rules again?” She gasps when I trace a line with my tongue parting her labia.

“Of course: I please, you enjoy. That’s our only rule, Hummingbird.”

I push her knees lightly, parting her thighs. I inhale the musky scent of her arousal that drives me to the edge. For a second, I toy with the idea of thrusting myself inside her and fucking her until she can’t walk. She was wet, ready, and waiting for me. But I refuse to give in to the urge. We both needed to savor each other, make it count as a first, even when we’ve made love a hundred times.

Taking my time, I trail my fingers up her soft thighs until I find her clit. I tease it a couple of times making her jerk with a loud moan. Fuck, she’s so ready. I press my tongue flat on her bud, dipping two fingers into her channel.

“Yes, like that,” she orders, pushing her hips toward me, moving them to the same rhythm as my head.

Sadie tries to thread her fingers through my hair, but she’s having a hard time.

“Focus on the feeling, forget about my fucking head, Sadie, or I’ll tie you up.”

“I like you bossy, but I’m not in the mood for bondage. Just give me more fingers. Your big cock. I need you.”

She moans when I thrust my thumb into her back entrance.

“Stop, or I’ll gag you,” I order and return to her pussy swiping my tongue along her slit.

God, I missed her taste, her scent. This fucking body. Nothing has ever tasted like her. She was made for me. My tongue swirls around her labia while I continue fucking her with my fingers. Her whimpers work me up, and I keep flicking, nipping, and licking until she clenches around my fingers and her body trembles.

Sadie’s moans are a melody I’ve never been able to replicate with an instrument. Her spasms and the chant coming from her beautiful mouth fuel me with desire.

“You’re so beautiful, love,” I say holding the base of my dick. “Are you sure you want this?”

“More than anything, Hades.”

I lean down and start sliding through her soft wetness.

“Fuck,” I groan as her pussy suctions me slowly inside her.

It’s all perfect once again. The world makes sense as I push myself in and out of her entrance. We remain still for a few seconds, staring into each other’s eyes. And I see it—what she’s been hiding from me since she woke up from the coma—her love for me and our deep connection. We fuse as I continue making love to my other half. My heart. Thoughts of her and our future together swirl around my mind. Lowering myself closer, I take her lips, kissing her delicious mouth.

The tenderness of the moment never leaves. However, her hips begin to move faster demanding more from me. She wants to come, she needs to come. I match her pace. Our breathing becomes shallow. The pace, the moans, and the slap of our sweaty bodies become all that there is. I can hardly breathe, but I don’t stop. Instead, I push harder and deeper when her fingers dig into my back, and her pussy convulses around my dick.

Every muscle in my body tightens as I reach the peak … I spiral out of control as my cum spills inside of Sadie. My heart beats at a fast tempo, thundering inside my ribcage, and it’s all for her. It’s because of her.

“I love you, Kaden Hades,” she whispers, a tear falling down from the corner of her eye.

“I love you, future Mrs. Hades.” I kiss the wetness on her face away.

“Are you happy, Hummingbird?”

“Your love makes me the happiest woman on earth, Nightingale.”