She was mine.

I couldn’t fucking believe it. After all these years, all this time, my girl had a little girl, my little girl.

“We're gonna have to get your stuff moved out of here tomorrow,” I muttered, brain suddenly swirling with all the shit I had to do.

“Excuse me, what?” She looked up at me, eyes still wet with salty tears.

“Not leaving you and my little girl in this place. Not when there’s something I can do about it.”

“Hawk, we don’t need you to do anything. Between my mom and Mrs. Frisk and me, we’re getting along just fine with Emerson.”

“My girl deserves a fuck of a lot more than just fine.” I cupped her cheek, smoothing the pad of my thumb across her cheek. “Both of my girls do.”

She tightened her jaw, standing up and brushing herself off. “Listen, Hawk Larson, I don’t need your handout. I don’t need anything from you.”

“You need a daddy for that little girl,” I said plainly.

The words must have hit their mark because Morgan narrowed her eyes. “Don’t start. You can see Emerson. You’re welcome to come over for dinners and school functions, but—”

“But my ass, Morgan.” I pulled her close to me, chest to chest, breath to breath. “I want all the fucking dinners with that little girl, and I want them with you too. Don’t bother tellin’ me you mind sharing a dinner with me because the way you just screamed my name back at my place proves otherwise. I can still make you come, Morgan. My skin against yours makes you mine. This—” I hammered my cock against her pelvis, making sure she felt every hard inch “—this belongs to you.”

“Hawk…” She sucked in a breath, head landing against my chest as her body relaxed against mine.

“I’m here, baby, and I’m not leaving. God himself couldn’t keep me away now.”

Tears welled in her eyes, but I was determined to make this a good moment. I licked her tearstained cheeks, swallowing the pain, dragging her down to the grass with me. Kissing her was like being teenagers again, my hands crawling up her shirt, her luscious body grinding out a rhythm against mine. Cloaked in darkness, surrounded by the scent of lilacs and my girl, I came alive again.

“Come inside,” she whispered.

“Been waiting for those words for too fucking long.” I snaked my arms around her waist and hauled her against me, pounding up the rickety steps and through the door of her home.

“Can’t wait to show you our new house.”

“Our new house? You’re a dog with a bone about this, aren’t you?”

“About taking care of what’s mine? Fuck yeah, I am.” I pushed her through the door of her bedroom after she pointed the way. Our lips clung together the entire time as we crashed into her room, silver moonlight careening across her bed, her hair, her body, making her look good enough to eat.

“You’re a fucking angel, precious. You’ve grown into a woman,” I murmured, lifting the shirt over her head and then unclasping her bra. Her heavy tits fell free, and I caught them with my palms, sucking and biting at the nipples until they were pink and hard.

Soft sighs slipped past her lips as her hands pushed into my hair, her legs naked and cradling my waist.

I nestled my cock between her thighs, rubbing against the hot, slick heat of her pussy.

My fucking heaven and my hell.

The very thing I’d drowned in, the thing I couldn't live without.

We were connected, Morgan and I. Had been from the start, even all those years ago when we shared our first kiss under the oak tree in my parents’ yard.

That tree was still there.

Maybe I would marry her under that tree someday.

She groaned when my cock filled her, my fingers working at her back entrance as I whispered in her ear. “Missed you so much, baby. Can't even tell you how much.”

“There was a time I didn’t think I could live without you, Hawk,” she said softly.

“Never have to worry about that again. Marrying you, baby girl. Going to make you my wife, move you and my little girl home, where you both belong. With me.” Her nails bit into my back, and my fingers sped between her legs as an orgasm rushed through her.

“Fuck, baby.” I kissed her, pumping harder, faster, chasing dreams I hadn’t dared to dream in too fucking long.

“Love you more than I ever have.” I sucked in a breath, my muscles burning as an orgasm rained down on me. Like a wave crashing, I pumped everything I had into my perfect, beautiful girl, getting lost in all the love we always created together.

We were still creating.

“Guess it’s a little late to ask if you’re on the pill or anything.” I grinned, curling her into my body and tucking us both under the covers of her double bed.

“Well…” She averted her eyes. “I’m not on anything. I didn’t think there was a reason for it. I haven’t been with anyone since—”

“Since…?” I growled.

“Since you. You’re the last person I was with, Hawk.”

“Good. Hate to break any filthy bastard’s fingers that put his hands on you.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I saved my virtue, then.”

“Hell, Morgan. I saw you and Emerson at the park, and I lost my mind. All I could think was that you’d been with someone else.”

“Never. No one was…” She smiled softly. “No one was like you.”

I sucked in a deep breath of air, pulling her closer, enjoying the sound of her soft breaths against my chest again. Hell, I think that’s what I’d missed most, having her with me at night to hold on to. Waking up to face every morning with her.

Every hour in between.

“Morgan?” I began, tracing a fingertip around the dimple of her navel.

“Yeah?” She yawned.

“Love you and Emerson more than my life. You’re mine now.”

“Mmm,” she breathed, tucking closer under my shoulder. “Yours, Hawk.”