Page 114 of His Greatest Treasure

“Good thing he isn’t here, then.”

I snort. “Fair enough.”

“She told me she wants to get Nova’s father sorted out before we can focus on us again.”

“Alright. So, let her.”

“That’s your advice?” he asks with a roll of his eyes.

“No, you shithead. It isn’t. My advice is to use the time apart to prove to her that you’re not going to bail out. You said you thought she was worrying about that, right?” His chin tips in answer. “So, make a statement and prove to her that you’re serious about her and Nova.”

I’ve never pictured my son taking in a daughter who wasn’t his in blood, but it feels pretty damn right to think of him with Avery and Nova. Gracie’s been raving about that girl since she met her, and I should have known from that very first moment that she was going to be family.

If there was ever a man who could take in a daughter and make her feel like the most precious person in the universe, it would be my son.

“And if she decides afterward that they’d be better off without me?”

“We don’t make pointless metaphorical guesses in this house, Oliver. They’re your family. No doubt about it.”

An hour later,Gracie slides onto my lap and winds her arms behind my neck, burying her fingers in my hair. With a soft, upward gaze, she drags her mouth across mine and hums.

“Did you ever think that there would come a day when Matthew Miller would demand a FaceTime call from Sweden so he can scold us for our son dating his daughter?”

I scowl at the mention of that fucker while she’s on my lap and grip her thighs to pull her closer. “He can demand plenty of things right now, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give them to him.”

“Don’t be an ass, Ty,” she coos.

“I could be way fucking worse, and you know it.”

She smirks and tugs on my hair, shifting to settle herself higher on my thighs. Too high for a FaceTime call with Matt.

“Aren’t you a little too old for the caveman act?”

I nip at her lips and soothe the sting with a kiss. “When it comes to you? Never, Gray.”

Light beams in her bright blue eyes, making my pulse race. I stare at her and breathe softly, afraid that if I move even slightly, she’ll slip free of my grasp.

It’s been this way for years. From the moment I robbed heaven and stole an angel, I’ve been looking over my shoulder out of fear of someone taking her back. But somehow, she’s still here two decades later, sitting on my lap with a smile on her face that I’d kill to keep from faltering.

“Call Matthew, Tyler. Then you can take me to our room.”

“Oh, how you bribe me without fear, wife,” I tease lowly.

“It’s the only way to get you to do what I want.”

“That’s a lie. I’d do anything for you at any time.”

She grins. “I know. It’s just fun to rile you a little. Keeps you young.”

I kiss her again, unable to help myself. She melts in my arms, kissing me back with ease and excitement.

Her hands shift and fall between us before I hear the sound of a dial tone and open my eyes to find her with her phone held beside my head.

I slap a hand down over her ass and narrow my eyes when she gasps at the sting.

“You didn’t just spank me!”

“You kissed me to distract me so you could call that fuckface. So, yes, I did.”

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