Page 20 of Bringing Home the Bad Boy

His silence is answer enough.

“Trace…”

“I know. I screwed up. Left things… unclear.” He catches my hand, pressing it to his chest. “I’ll fix it. Make her understand that you’re not taking her place. You’ll both have roles in Jelena’s life. You’ll be her mom too, different from Rosa, but just as important.”

Mom. The word hits me like a punch to the gut. Beautiful and terrifying all at once. “Can we really do this? Make it work without anyone getting hurt?”

“Not even a question.” He pulls me into his arms, and I go willingly. Needing his strength, his certainty. “We’ll figure it out together. Every day.”

His lips find mine, and this time, there is no more talking. No more worries about Rosa or family dynamics. Just us, coming together like we are made for each other. Like we’ve never been apart.

Afterwards, I snuggle into his side, feeling boneless and satisfied. His fingers trace lazy patterns on my shoulder. “Tell me about yesterday,” he says softly. “Your father showed up at the school?”

I tense. “News travels fast.”

“Small town.”

“Yeah.” I sigh, pressing closer to his warmth. “He cornered me after the last bell. Said he wanted to apologize. That he was wrong about you.” A bitter laugh escapes. “Kept going on about how well Arrow Trucking is doing. How you’re ‘bringing jobs to the community.’ Like that somehow makes up for what he did.”

“And what did you say?”

“I lost it. I told him he only values people for what they can give him. Money. Status. Property. That he wouldn’t know real love if it bit him in his pompous ass.”

Trace’s chest ripples with a laugh. “Bet he loved that.”

“Oh, he had plenty to say. He started by saying that it’s a father’s job to want the best for his daughter.” My voice cracks. “I asked him when he’d ever cared about what was best for me. When he’d ever asked what made me happy.”

“Sunshine…” His arms tighten around me.

“You know what the worst part is? He seemed surprised that I was angry. Like he genuinely couldn’t understand why his approval of you now, when you’re successful, makes everything worse.”

Trace is quiet for a long moment, his heart beating steady under my ear. “The thing is,” he says finally, “I get it now. The letting go part.”

I push up on my elbow to look at him. “What do you mean?”

“After your father forced me to leave… that anger ate me alive. Every decision I made was filtered through hate. But becoming Jelena’s father changed everything. Made me realize I couldn’t let that darkness control my life anymore.”

“Are you saying I should forgive him?”

“I’m saying I’m willing to coexist with him. For you.For us.” His thumb traces my cheek. “Families come in packages, sunshine. Even if part of that package are people we don't always like.”

I think about that. About forgiveness and second chances. About the way my father’s eyes had looked yesterday - desperate and afraid in a way I’ve never seen before. “Maybe,” I say slowly, “we could try. Baby steps.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I lay my head back on his chest. “But not today. Today I just want this. Us.”

The single word “Us” has barely left my lips when Trace’s phone buzzes. He reaches for it absently, probably planning to ignore it again, but his whole body goes rigid when he reads the screen.

“Rosa.” His voice cracks. “God, no…”

I sit up, clutching the sheet to my chest. His face has gone pale, and his jaw is clenched so tight I can see his muscles jumping. “What is it?”

He thrusts the phone at me. Rosa’s message fills the screen:

I’m sorry. So sorry. I can’t watch everything change. Can’t lose anyone else I love.

My blood runs cold. “Call her.”

---