Page 188 of Possession

He shakes his head. “I called Tim and told him what you told me. We decided to bring your mother in for questioning.”

My face falls. “What did she say?”

“She was angry and hung over. I think she’d been passed out for a while, but she was coherent enough to talk. At first, she denied everything and said you were a liar. Then we explained that if she has information about a murder and says nothing, she’s an accessory. When I detailed what would happen to her, she let loose. And once she started, she didn’t stop.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah,” he agrees. “It’s been a long night. Let’s just say, your dad is racking up the charges. He needs to get comfortable in a jumpsuit, because he’s not getting out on bail, and he’ll live out the rest of his days in prison.”

“Good. But it isn’t what you wanted or what you planned.”

“No, it’s not. For years, there was nothing more I wanted to do than dispense revenge in the same way they killed my brother. And it’s not that I couldn’t do it. I was fucking thrilled to take out Damian and Nic to protect you. But when I was sitting at the shore, staring out at the waves, I realized something.”

My heart skips a beat in anticipation. “What?”

“I don’t need that kind of revenge. Not anymore. I’m content with letting your dad rot in prison for the rest of this life and watching your mom lose everything they ever had.”

“But why? I didn’t even know Brian, and I can’t help but want the worst for my father for what he did. Prison seems like summer camp compared to what he deserves.”

“Maybe. But I’m okay with it.” He frames my face and presses his lips softly to mine—softer than he ever has. “I have you. I’ve never believed in this shit, but who the hell knows, maybe Brian knew what I needed. He sent you in a bloody wedding dress and threw you at my feet.”

I close my eyes and plant my face into his neck. “Did Brian have a dark sense of humor?”

He wraps his arms around me, and I relish in his embrace. I thought I lost this forever. “Brian knew I was hard headed. He knew me better than anyone. If this was him, he sure did a bang-up job getting my attention.”

“I thought you were going to leave me,” I admit.

He gives my hair a tug and kisses me again. This one is familiar. It’s my Brax. “You’re going to have to try harder than that to get rid of me, baby.”

Relief floods my soul. “What’s your phone number?”

He leans back and frowns. “Why do you want to know my phone number? You don’t even have a phone.”

“The moment we land in New York, I’m getting a phone, Brax Cruz.”

He slides a thick thigh between my legs and closes his eyes. “Whatever you say, Mrs. Cruz.”

I sink into him. “You’re going to make me cry again.”

“We have a couple hours before we need to check out. I’m wiped.”

I settle into him, because I’m exhausted from the rollercoaster of a day. “Thank you for coming back to me.”

“I’ll always come back to you. Love you too much to live without you.”

47

MORNING PERSON

Brax

Ifeel it before I have a chance to open my eyes.

I usually wake up hard.

But not like this.

All the blood in my body has traveled south and settled red-hot in my dick.

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