Page 86 of Owen (Storm Enterprises)

I won’t tell our son any of that; I refuse to lie to him. Carlos may have wanted those things, and deep in his heart, I know he did, but they never happened. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Too consumed with the power that possessed him. The unraveling of his demise turned him into the man he was always destined to be.

Only now do I see it.

Carlos Andreas was never my everything.

He wasn’t even my beginning.

FORTY-THREE

OWEN

“Are you sure that you can manage? We don’t mind staying another day.” Ava sighs, and my lip twitches. Anyone would think she doesn’t want to go home.

“They’re fine.” Tate waves his hand toward me and Romeo. The dark circles under his eyes are testament to the past twenty-four hours.

“We’re fine,” I parrot, gifting my boy with a kiss to his soft hair.

Ava scoffs. “They’re not fine. Need I remind you they’ve just been through hell?”

Tate rolls his eyes, and for the first time since his self-imposed sleepover, I want to punch him in the balls.

“Morning,” Laya declares from the doorway, and I scan over her face to gauge how she truly feels. I take note of the way her cheeks redden, then latch onto the makeup that covers my marks, and my cock twitches hungrily.

Tate steps forward, and my spine straightens, preparing for battle. “Laya—”

Laya holds her hand up. “Whatever is about to come out of your mouth, save it and listen.”

“I…”

Her eyes drill holes into his, and he steps back.

“Me and Owen…” She slides her hand into mine, and the racing of my pulse lessens under her touch. “We’re getting married.”

Tate’s eyes dart from me to Laya, then she elaborates.

“We’re having the wedding I always wanted.” She turns to face me. “Marrying the man I always wanted.”

My lip curls into a smile. “Yeah?”

She bites on her lip, and I swear I almost combust.

“Congratulations!” Ava declares, rushing toward Laya like she’s not heavily pregnant. She almost knocks Laya off her feet.

Tate clears his throat, and I pull my attention away from Laya as he holds out his hand. “Congratulations, brother.”

His words cause my heart to skip a beat, and when I slide my hand into his and he pulls me against his chest in a tight embrace, finally having the acceptance I so desperately craved, I have to clear my throat to hide the emotion begging to escape.

He saves me from doing so. In typical Tate fashion, he pulls back, then narrows his eyes. “You need sound proofing, just so you know.” Laya tenses on his words. “You sound like wounded animals begging for help after being torn apart.”

Holy shit, he did not just call out my wife like that. Anger sends my temple pulsating as my muscles coil tight.

I’m snapped from my death glare when an awkward laugh erupts from Ava. “Time for us to leave.” She pats him on his chest, and they make a quick exit, my eyes not leaving the door they exit out of.

“Your brother is a dick.”

“I know.” She smiles up at me like I hung the moon and stars in the sky.

“You want to marry me again, huh?”

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