Page 79 of Always Yours

I have a private room. It’s fancier than any other place I have been before.

I know I will have to thank Stitch and his brothers when I see them. I heard how much that family has done for the club, including letting us take over their mansion. They didn’t have to do that; we could have had everyone share their homes or move into a motel for the time being, but I think they knew how much better we would feel being together after everything we had all been through.

Torch and Steal had kept us informed on how much work was being done to the club now that they had gotten the green light from the police and insurance that we could start rebuilding.

Thankfully, a lot of it was still intact. I demanded to see the pictures of the front where the main room and kitchen took most of the hit. A couple rooms were destroyed also, but I don’t think Ink will be too upset his room was destroyed, considering its history.

When I am finally settled in my room, the doctor finally allows me to have visitors other than Lily. They didn’t really want Lily in there either, but she refused to leave. They decided not to make a big deal of it as long as she stayed out of the way.

Ella is the first one in the room. Nick had come in before everyone else and hid in the washroom. I wanted to be there when Sophie saw him for the first time.

“Dad!” Ella says running up to me and gently putting her arms around me before crying softly into my chest.

“I thought I wasn’t going to see you again,” she cries.

“Shhh, it’s okay. Nothing can keep me away from you. We haven’t had enough time together yet,” I tell her, kissing her on the head softly.

“There will never be enough time,” she says, and her voice cracks.

It takes her a few minutes before she pulls away. In a matter of seconds, my grandkids are climbing up to give me hugs of their own.

Tears fall as I hold them a little bit tighter, thinking that I could have lost them. I’ll be forever grateful that I didn’t lose any of them.

“You have a very long line of visitors,” a nurse says when coming to check on me, since shift change is coming.

“He’s the heart of our family. We would fall apart without him,” Ella says, looking at me and smiling softly.

My eyes mist over at her words. The love I have for my daughter is stronger than it ever was. I had always wished for this kind of relationship. I almost didn’t have it. I missed most of her life, and she could have turned me away and not bothered to get to know me. I was a stranger until a few years ago.

Hearing her words proves to me how much our relationship had fully morphed into the father/ daughter one I had always dreamed of.

“There is a lot we need to catch you up on. Once everyone has seen you,” Ella says with excitement in her eyes.

I raise an eyebrow at her and there are a few chuckles around the room.

“She’s talking about Ink and Shield,” someone says.

I chuckle and shake my head. “You finally know.”

“Took forever, but I would have gotten to Shield eventually. I just didn’t guess him because he’s wayyyyy to good for Ink,” she says with a wink.

“Hey!” Ink shouts, causing everyone to laugh.

When Bear and Trigger come in with Sophie being pushed in a wheelchair, my eyes well with a different type of tears. This is going to be a hard thing to do.

“Sophie,” I say softly.

“Hey Prez. So glad they found you and you are getting better,” she says.

“I would have brought muffins, but I haven’t been allowed to do much since I can’t stand yet.”

“I can wait for muffins. There’s something I need to talk to you about,” I say in a serious voice.

Everyone in the room goes quiet at my words and the tone of my voice.

“What is it?” she asks, looking nervous.

“I had discovered something when I was taken. Something else was taken from you. I’m so very sorry,” I tell her with my voice cracking.

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