Page 191 of Damaged Protector

“Got a date with Marina,” he said, his cheeks turning pink like they always did when he spoke about her. They were still in the beginning stages of their relationship, but I liked his lady friend. She was a widowed Hispanic woman who doted on him and loved keeping him fed.

“Good luck, man. We’ll see you next week.”

Daya chattered happily in my arms, and I opened the front door so she could give Mallori a hug and kiss. Then I pulled open the back door, and she let out a high-pitched squeal at the sight of my sister. “Aunt Jenn!”

I handed her over, and my sister began the process of buckling her in. “You want to stay at Aunt Jenn’s house tonight?” she asked, flashing me a look and wiggling her eyebrows. “I think your mommy and daddy have plans.”

“Yes!” she agreed with the kind of enthusiasm only a toddler about to be spoiled to within an inch of her life could muster. “You paint my toesies?”

“I will paint your toes. What color do you want?”

“Pupple!”

“Alrighty, purple it is,” Jennifer said, nodding at me to let me know my daughter was secure in her car seat.

We entered the arena and instantly found our people. We were by far the biggest group. The Broxtons were still the largest family, with their five children, but Taz and Woody were quickly catching up. Two years after having their son, Mario Junior, Taz gave birth to twin boys. And now she was pregnant… again. With twin boys… again.

We edged into the row with Tank’s crew, and he reached for Daya. “Hey, pretty girl. Come sit with me and Henry.”

Henry was his and Bristol’s third child, and he’d been named after Tank’s grandfather. He was the same age as my little girl, and the two adored each other, despite fighting like cats and dogs.

Glancing to the row behind me, I was surprised to see Blaire and Shark’s family from New York had made the trip down for the occasion. The Bouvier siblings—all of them— and their kids looked like a million bucks, which was to be expected since their family owned a fashion house.

I waved at Kassie and her husband Monty, the only two I’d met in person, and nodded at the others. That poor family had been through some shit. Turning back to the front, I noticed Blaire was sitting directly in front of me.

“Hey, Mama,” I said, laying my hands on her shoulders. “How are you?”

She pivoted around, and I saw that her eyes were red-rimmed. “Oh, I’m a fucking mess. I can’t believe my baby is graduating from high school.”

“I know,” I said, kissing her temple. “How are we old enough for this?”

Blaire laughed and shook her head. “I have no idea. Are y’all coming to dinner afterward? Axel rented out the entire restaurant since there’s so damn many of us.”

I did a mental headcount. With our crew and all our kids, plus the Bouviers and Axel’s family, there would be over fifty people.

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Glancing down the row, I saw Bode, Woody, and their families. Bode’s mother, India, was at the very end, and as she always did when she saw me, she smirked and did heart hands at me.

The woman had been right six-and-a-half years ago about me finding love, and I’ve never been happier to be wrong about something in my life. I flashed her a grin and a wink as I put my arm around my wife and kissed her temple. I loved her more with every passing day.

“Pomp and Circumstance” began playing over the basketball arena’s sound system, and I craned my neck for a view of the graduates.

My heart swelled with pride when Carrie Broxton came out of the doors first. She was valedictorian of her class, so she was right in front. Our entire section screamed, and she looked up and waved, joy on her beautiful face at the sight of her family.

In addition to being a rock star in the classroom, Carrie was also a beast on the basketball court and had earned a scholarship to play in college. At six-foot-three, with long, dark-brown hair, she stood out among the other graduates.

Or maybe that was just an uncle’s pride talking.

Mallori reached for my hand and leaned toward me. “Are you okay?”

That’s when I realized a tear had escaped and was trailing down my face. I nodded as I watched Carrie mount the steps and take her place on the erected stage.

“Yeah, I think someone just sat us in the onion-cutting section,” I murmured, swiping the tear away. Luckily, I wasn’t the only one. I could hear Tank sniffling beside me, and I was sure all of my buddies were experiencing similar emotions. Shark and Cam were in the front row with their wives and kids, and I noticed both of them swiping at their eyes.

Carrie’s valedictory speech managed to be inspirational, funny, and poignant, all rolled into one. I was so fucking proud of that kid. When she mentioned her family and pointed up at us, we acted like damn fools, standing, barking, and whooping until she gestured good-naturedly for us to sit the hell down.

Then she walked across that stage to receive her diploma, and my wife handed me a wad of tissues to mop up my face.

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