Page 59 of Smooth As Whiskey

And there was no cure or treatment for it.

The doctor had given us options.

From having a surrogate to adopting.

But my woman, who was just as protective of me as I was of her, said, “I will be damned if another woman has any part of my man inside of her. One was fucking enough. And the possibility of other women is more than I could handle. Besides, I’m already a mother. Sure, I didn’t give birth to her. But I’ve beenin her life ever since she was five years old. That girl is mine. We don’t need another child.”

Then she looked at me, “Are you okay with that?”

“Made you a promise, baby. Give me all of your hopes and dreams, and I’ll shelter you through any storm.”

“But it’s...” I placed my fingers over her lips.

“Long as I have you, then I’m golden. Went half of my life not having you and realized I wasn’t living. Had you, I really lived. Then I lost you; I don’t ever want to go through that again. So, what I’m trying to say is that I want what you want. And I always fucking will.”

“Do I have you wrapped around my little pinky?” she asked in a teasing tone.

But I wasn’t teasing when I nodded.

Because she did.

With her eyes.

Her cute little button nose.

The freckle on the side of her cheek.

The body she was gifted with.

That incredible brain of hers.

But most of all, it was her heart.

Her heart had ensnared my own. And made me forever hers.

And with the doctor dabbing at the corner of her eyes, we walked out of the office, her hand held tightly in mine, a smile on both of our faces.

We already had one hell of a family.

And it was perfect.

Sutton

Nine Years Later

I looked at Maisie and smiled, “If a man doesn’t cut the balls off of any man that dares to do you harm, then he’s not a man.”

“Ew, Mom, why would you ever say that to me.”

I smiled, “Because your father is that kind of man.”

It took her a moment, and then she gasped, “No. No, he didn’t.”

I shrugged, “I can neither confirm or deny.”

She was silent for a moment until she asked, “Who was it?”

I locked eyes with my gorgeous girl, who had boys panting after her already, and she was only fifteen years old, dropped my tone and said, “The man who ordered me to be raped and then sat there and watched it happen.”