My heart aches that I’ve got answers and Anton and his family may not, but I’ll follow up on that tomorrow. Tonight, I’m focusing on my girls.
Bryan moves beside me and silently hands over a box of tissues. Macie takes them, and we dissolve into laughter through our ugly, snotty tears.
I turn to him, still trembling, and throw my arms around his neck. He wraps his arms around my ribs in a tight hug, lifting me off the ground.
I bury my face in the crook of his neck and take my first deep breath in months. “Thank you.”
He cups the back of my head, and the warmth of his breath brushes my ear. “Ye never have to thank me for feeding yer soul, trouble. That’s my job now—my absolute honor. But besides that, there’s nothing to thank me for. Them being here isn’t my doing—it’s yers.”
I ease back to drown in those deep green eyes and see him to the depths of his soul—the fighter, the killer, the protector, the lover, the friend —and know that it was definitelynotall my doing.
He was behind me in my search, supporting me, assisting me, getting me access to people within his world through men in the MC.
It was a true team effort—a partnership.
I thought I did my best work while going it alone—turns out, I just hadn’t found the right partner yet.
I brush my lips over his. “I love you, Bryan Quinn. I see who you are from the beast to the big protective bear and I’m all-in. Whatever happens, it’s you and I against the world.”
He gives me a wink. “Aye, fucking right.”