Page 99 of Forget Me Not

“And another thing!” she yells, getting down in his face. “Alaric is TWICE the man you will ever be. So don’t you dare go insulting him in my presence.”

I clear my throat, loving how defensive she is of me now. Two weeks ago, she would have gone running from both of us, but when her head shoots up to see me standing there, she rushes toward me. Tears streaming down her beautiful face.

I move to her, closing the space between us even faster. Once she’s in my arms, I hold her tightly, stroking the back of her head. “Did he hurt you?”

She sobs into my shoulder and I hope like hell they’re happy tears. I can feel the anxiety and tension leaving her body as she lets it all out. “He didn’t hurt me.”

I relax a bit as tears of my own prick the corners of my eyes. I take a step back, hands on her hips as I look at her for any sign of injury. Then I take her hand and rub over where the too tight band had been sitting before she ripped it off. “I wasn’t too late?”

She shakes her head, sniffling. “They got here just in time.” She cracks a small smile. “Right after I kicked him in the balls mid-vows.”

A laugh rumbles in my throat. “That’s my girl.” I pull her into me and press my lips to hers. “I was so scared.”

“Alaric Banks, scared?” she teases.

“Nothing scares me more than the thought of losing you, Rhea. I hope you believe that now.” Her heat against me helps calm the anxiety that makes me want to fall to my knees. I didn’t lose her. She’s okay.

“I do. And…I don’t wanna lose you either, Alaric.” I let out the breath I’ve been holding since I saw this fierce woman for the first time. She wants to be mine.

“Alaric,” a man says, stepping out of the shadows while holding a large rifle across his chest. He looks around before his eyes land on mine. “You care to see this fucker before Duncan gets here?”

Sometime while we were talking, they must have removed Ian from the room.

I take Rhea's face in my hands, sweeping my thumbs under her eyes to wipe away her tears. “Are you okay for a minute?”

“Yes,” she says insistently. “I’ve given him a piece of my mind already. Go. Give him hell.”

I kiss her again, this time letting our mouths linger for a second. Then I walk away, knowing she’s finally safe.

I’ve waited a long time for the day I come face to face with the man who threatened my future. Sad thing is, if it weren’t for me, this guy wouldn’t even have a life to begin with.

I push open the door and find Ian tied to a chair, surrounded by men with guns pointed at him.

He lifts his head and I take notice of the bruises all over his face.

“Damn,” I scoff, “they really did a number on you.”

“Good to see you, too,Dad.Have you been enjoying yourself while you fuck my future wife?”

“So now I’m Dad,” I say to him, my finger tapping my chin. He won’t get a reaction out of me on this. “The one time I was able to reach you by phone, you told me I wasn’t and never would be your dad.”

“No, you’re not my fucking dad! I have a dad and he’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.” Spit falls from his bruised mouth as he speaks.

“Your ignorant stepfather corrupted you. I’d hardly call him a man.”

He leans forward, straining himself against the chains as he shouts, “My stepfather made me the man I am today! Which is more than I can say for the coward who never fought for me.”

I walk toward him slowly, keeping my tone low. “Your mother didn’t give me the opportunity to fight for you because she never told me you existed. It wasn’t until early this year I knew I even had a son. I called you, wanting to try and make it up to you, and you lost your shit like the spoiled brat you are. Then I learned of your deal with Rhea’s father, and I’ve been trying to hunt you down ever since.”

“Grayson fucking Thorn,” Ian sings as he shakes his head. “That man really fucked me. Made a deal with my mom and Lenny that I was to marry that girl one day and gain half of his fortune. Then the asshole died and never fucking paid up. I could take over a country with that kind of money.”

“That wasn’t the only deal, and you know it. Grayson helped hide your paternity from me. Never once gave me the slightest notion that I had a son. It’s the reason I didn’t save him when death came knocking at his door. It was the least he deserved.”

“I think it’s safe to say we’re all a little thankful for him hiding me from you, though.” Ian laughs. “I mean, I sure as fuck don’t want you as my dad, and I can guarantee you don’t want me for a son.”

“That’s not true. When I first found out about you, I did want that. It’s the reason you’re still alive right now. Once I learned Lenny and your mom were killed and you took over their legacy, I knew I would never get the chance to be the dad I could have been.” I bend down in front of him, so many of his features mirroring mine.

“Fucking right you won’t. You’re nothing to me. Never will be.”

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