Page 148 of Melt For Us, Daddy
“Then that’s what you’ll have, baby boy.” Placing a finger under his chin, Cordelia forced his head back, forced him to look up into her emerald gaze. “As for everything else… we have the rest of our lives to figure that out.”
The rest of his life, with the women he loved. Cordelia was right. They had plenty of time to figure out the details. All that mattered just then was that they had each other.
And for the first time in his memory, forever didn’t feel like a death sentence.
It felt like a promise.
Epilogue
Cordelia
December
Seated at the table their group had claimed near the railing that looked out over the pit, Cordelia ran her hand over her boy’s hair. Even on his knees beside her, he was still ridiculously tall, and it brought her no end of joy that no matter his size she could still easily put him in his place.
Ivy was perched on her lap, plucking daintily at the spread of appetizers on the table, splitting bites between the three of them and looking happier than Cordelia could ever remember seeing her. Being a caregiver came so naturally to her, and being able to indulge that innate need as both a submissive and a top was working out beautifully.
The club wouldn’t officially open for another hour, but with Braden and Lottie’s wedding right around the corner, he’d wanted to give his anxious babygirl a chance to relax with the people she loved best around. So he’d opened the club early, just for them, and they’d been enjoying a fun, laid-back dinner together.
Jacob, for the most part, was finally feeling comfortable, both in their everyday lives and at the club. He still had rough moments, and he still struggled at times with his role as her and Ivy’s baby boy. But Shane and a few other of the male subs at the club had taken him under their wing, and he always seemed lighter after a night out with them.
It helped too that the men in their group did their best to make him feel welcome. Though that did occasionally include teasing him the way they teased each other, and Cordelia often had to keep herself from growling at them when they poked at her boy. Jacob enjoyed the camaraderie, even if he did get embarrassed at times, so she did her best to hold her protective side at bay.
Outside of the club, Jacob and his sisters were all settling into their lives outside the cult. Hannah had balked at the idea of Sarabeth coming to live with them, adamantly refusing to give up custody of her baby sister. But they came to visit often, along with Ruthie and some of their other sisters who had all been very deliberately placed with people Holden trusted. This was their first Christmas ever, and Ivy had gone out of her way to make it the best Christmas ever not just for their boy, but for their newly extended family as well. Cordelia knew for a fact that every penny of her tips from the club had gone toward presents for Jacob’s sisters, especially little Sarabeth.
Movement from her right caught her eye and she turned to find Killian O’Rourke striding up to the table, his usual easy smile on his face. There was a tightness at the edges of his mouth she wasn’t used to seeing, and bags under his eyes that had her wondering if he’d slept at all recently.
“Evening, friends. Sorry I’m late, I had a… business meeting that ran late.”
Judging by the worried frown Braden sent his friend’s way, he’d noticed the same things Cordelia had. “Everything okay?”
“It’s been handled. Hopefully I didn’t miss anything important."
“No. We’re just chatting. Sit, grab yourself something to eat.”
Grabbing a chair, he pulled it up beside Jacob and dropped into it, pausing to ruffle her boy’s hair. “Jacob. Nice to see you again. Have you been behaving yourself?”
A mischievous smile spread across Jacob’s face. “Yes. But not too much.”
Killian grinned. “That’s my boy.”
Cordelia still wasn’t sure how she felt about the odd friendship that had bloomed between the mafia boss and her baby boy. But it made Jacob happy, and she’d made it clear to Killian that if anything—and she meant anything—happened to Jacob under his watch, he’d have her to answer to. Ivy had apparently had a similar conversation with him, and he’d promised both of them he’d never let any harm come to their boy, so they’d reluctantly allowed the friendship to continue.
To his credit, he’d kept his word. And he’d done just as much as anyone to help Jacob accept his submissive desires. She’d tried not to pry too much into their conversations, but Jacob was always so excited to talk about his visits with Killian she didn’t really have to. They often talked about religion, which was a relief to her since she was still processing her own trauma. Even with her reservations about Killian as a role model, she was glad Jacob had someone to talk to about such things outside of his weekly therapy sessions and their monthly family therapy.
All in all, life was… good. The media frenzy that had exploded after Harlan’s arrest had finally calmed down, though she imagined it would ramp up again soon once the jury reached their verdict.
Which was the other reason they’d gotten together earlier than usual today. Waiting at home for news of a verdict was slowly driving her and Jacob insane, and she desperately needed something to distract all of them. They’d both had some hard moments during the trial, especially the days they’d been called to testify, and the thought that there was even a chance she’d dragged herself and her boy through all that pain for nothing…
Soft lips pressed against her cheek, distracting her. And when she shifted her gaze, she found Ivy watching her with those dark, worried eyes.
“You okay?” she asked, softly enough the others couldn't hear.
“Yeah. Just thinking.”
A sly smile curved Ivy’s lips. “About what we’re going to do to our boy when we get him down to the pit?”
She hadn’t been, of course, but the distraction was more than welcome. “We? Who says I’m not planning to tie you both up and have my way with you?”
