Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“How about over waffles?” Gael suggested.
Dean frowned. “But it’s closed.”
Gael giggled. “Silly Daddy, I’m the boss!”
I grinned. “You hear that, honey? Our boy’s the boss.”
Dean chuckled. “I’ll allow it just this once.”
“And then he said—what was it you said, peach?” Dean stabbed another piece of waffle. “Oh! ‘You forgot a few.’”
I cracked up and pressed a kiss to Gael’s temple. My God, he wasn’t leaving my side for a while. This Daddy was fucking traumatized. But spending a couple hours alone with Dean and Gael at Waffled, long past closing time, with a table filled with waffles, toppings, and coffee, was a good start.
“I wasn’t trying to provoke him, I swear!” Gael defended, laughing. “I was just so fed up with his bullcrap, and I wasn’t afraid anymore. I was like, I will never freaking hide again.”
“You know who was afraid?” I asked and reached for my coffee cup. “Me. On the way over—Christ. When Dean called and said Caleb was here—and you fucking hung up on me.” I grabbed a piece of plain waffle and tossed it at Dean. “You realize I lost ten years of my damn life there?”
“Hey, hey, hey, let’s not waste the food.” He found the piece on his lap and stuck it in his mouth. “Well, I didn’t have time for your questions—I had to get to Gael and save the day. Let an old fuck feel good about that.”
Gael snorted softly. “That’s what Caleb called him,” he explained.
Ah.
I reached across the table and pinched his cheek. “You’re our old fuck, and we love you.”
“We sure do!” Gael beamed. “Our hero.”
Absolutely.
Dean sat a little straighter and adjusted the napkin he’d tucked into his shirt. “It’s okay if you wish to use that term.”
Yeah, no doubt. He was too funny. How he managed to be endearing, I didn’t know. I mean, he had the charisma, the sexy experience, the dark looks of promise, and the authority. He oozed quiet confidence and strength. But every now and then, usually when food was involved, he could get huffy and petulant and…just plain cute.
I hugged Gael to me, not for the first time tonight, and pressed my lips to his hair. This one—I had a feeling he would need to process what’d happened today, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it hit him in bursts. He was still riding a wave of relief, and who could blame him.
Dean and I would be here every step of the way.
Our boy was strong as fuck, and he’d come so far.
Like he’d said, he was never going to freaking hide again.
EPILOGUE 3
Gael Grimes
Another few months later
“You ruined my life, you fat pig!”
“You ruined it yourself, asshole!” I yelled, boiling with anger. “You’re so pathetic!”
“Baby… Gael, wake up.”
I snarled and pushed away the arm covering me, and I… I blinked, my heart beating too fast, and I sat up. In bed. Oh crap, another nightmare. Daddy flicked on the light, and Master sat up next to me and rubbed my back.
“Fuck.” I blew out a breath and scrubbed at my face.
Dean squeezed me to him but said nothing, and it was just as well. Progress was progress, and progress was slow sometimes. Gosh fucking darn it. Deep breaths. I breathed him in and reminded myself I’d come far on yet another part of the journey of pushing Caleb out of my life. My fear was gone. These days, the nightmares just pissed me off. And, like, I was pissed off in the nightmares too. Never afraid. Never hiding. Never backing down.
Santiago had warned me the bad dreams might come back now for a while since we’d just learned Caleb had received his sentence. Three years in prison. After a quite lengthy trial—because the douchebag’s parents had money.
“I’m okay,” I mumbled.
Daddy kissed my hair and leaned against me and Master. “You’re more than okay, baby. We’re so proud of you.”
“Mm.” Master squeezed me a bit more, and I let out a long breath. “But in case that’s not clear, I think we should spoil him a bit tomorrow.”
A giggle burst out; I couldn’t help it. They already spoiled me so much!
“Excellent idea,” Daddy agreed.
They pulled me back down against the pillows and cocooned me the way I preferred, and I yawned and stretched out between them. Exhaustion crept back in, killing the last of my anger, and the next breath I let out was full of contentment.
“You ready to get more sleep, peach?” Master murmured. “Big day tomorrow.”
I nodded against his chest and slipped my leg between his. Meanwhile, Daddy cuddled up behind me and rubbed my thigh. This is the stuff. Another deep breath. A calm washed over me, and I yawned again. Caleb was rotting in prison, and I was cozying it up with my Daddies, and we had a big day tomorrow.