Chapter Thirteen
Priest
"You want to do what?" Riley practically shouts, her eyes bugging out of her head as she paces back and forth across her office, her heels clicking against the hardwood.
"I want to—"
She whirls on me, cutting me off. "I heard you the first time," she mutters, exasperated. "I just wanted to be wrong."
"Yeah, well, you aren't." I strum my fingers against my leg, staring at her. "Can you make it happen or not?"
She plants her hands on her hips, scowling down at me. "Of course I can make it happen, Priest. But are you sure? I mean, once you do this, there's no going back." Her gaze flits to Mina, who is seated beside me, her fingers laced through mine. "It'll change everything."
"We're aware," I say, answering for both of us. We've discussed it at length over the last week, considering it carefully from every angle. We've even talked it through with a goddamn shrink, trying to make sure we know exactly what the fuck we're about to get ourselves into. And despite all of that…we still want to do this.
Back is the last goddamn place we want to go. I've spent the last six years chasing my past. She's spent them clinging to the ghosts of hers. Now, we finally have a chance to move forward.
We're ready. Christ, we're more than ready.
"Let's do it then," Riley mutters, throwing her hands up, seeming frazzled in a way she never has before now. She's always been unflappable to me, completely cool no matter what we've thrown at her since I joined Winter's band. But I guess even she has her limits. "Let's just pretend you died in Mexico, and she's marrying Priest Alcalde, Winter's crazy new guitarist. Why not?"
"It's the best way to protect our daughter," I murmur, earning a nod from Mina. If we tell the world the truth, we'll start a media frenzy unlike anything we've ever seen before. They'll be camped outside the goddamn door morning, noon, and night, hounding us for every little detail about our lives and what we went through. We'll be forced to face it over and over again whether we want to face it or not. And so will Brinley.
There are things she shouldn't have to know, things she shouldn't have to go through just so our family ends up together. If we can protect her from that, we owe it to her to do that.
One day, when she's old enough, we'll tell her everything. She deserves the truth. But right now, she's a five-year-old little girl. And she also deserves every chance to be a little girl. If I have to be Priest Alcalde so my daughter has the opportunity to live her life without cameras being thrust into her face while she's asked intrusive fucking questions about what it's like to have her daddy come back from the dead, then that's what the fuck I'll do. I was him for six years. I can be him as long as it takes to keep my wife and daughter safe.
The people who matter will know the truth. At the end of the day, that's all I need. It's all Mina needs, too. We know who we are. We know what we want. Doesn't matter what name the rest of the world calls me. Behind closed doors, I'll always be Grayson—her Grayson. And she and Brinley will be my fucking world, exactly the way they were meant to be all along.
Lionel Cordova has taken enough from us. He can keep the past and the pain. We have the future. And we get to make it together. He'll never get to take that from us, never get to interfere again. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what goddamn name the world calls me. I'll still belong to Mina and Brinley. They'll still belong to me. And that motherfucker will still be six feet under, unable to take a single goddamn thing from us ever again.
Riley's expression softens as she glances between the two of us. "I like the two of you together," she admits, her dimples popping out. "You're both insane, but it works for you. You look happy. Both of you."
"We are," I whisper, swallowing hard. For the first time in a long goddamn time, I actually know what happiness feels like. It's…peaceful. Easy. It's Mina's fingers laced with mine, our future stretching before us.
Goddamn, it feels good.
"Does this mean they're going on tour with you?"
I freeze at the question, my body going rigid. Fucking hell. I forgot all about the tour. For a minute, panic surges through me, turning my blood to ice. I can't go on tour. I can't leave. I need to be here with them. I just got them back. If I leave now…
"Yes," Mina says, her soft voice slicing through the panic.
I suck in a desperate breath, gripping her fingers tight as panic dissolves into bliss.
"Good." Riley smiles. "I'll start making calls then."
I exhale a grateful breath, relieved as hell she's in our corner.
"No!" Brinley screams, stomping her foot as tears well in her eyes. "No, Daddy!"
"Brinley baby," I croon, kneeling in front of her. "Easy, baby girl."
She shoves me away, screaming again.
"Brinley Grace, you stop that right now," Mina says.
"You promised!" Brinley yells, glaring at her mom and then at me. "You promised we were going to be a family again!"
"Baby girl." My heart clenches in my chest, threatening to shatter. Fucking hell, she's killing me. "Please, listen to me."
"I don't want to l-listen," she sobs. "You're leaving me again."
"Baby, no." I drag her into my arms, holding her tight. "I'm not leaving you. You and your mama are coming with me. You hear me? You're coming with me."
Her little body shakes in my arms. "I'm c-coming with you?"
"Yeah, baby girl," I whisper, running my hands through her fiery hair. "You and your mommy are going to come on tour with me. It'll be a little adventure."
"Really?" She pulls back to look at me, her watery green eyes rife with suspicion. "I get to c-come?"
"You get to come." I bump my forehead gently against hers and smile. "You even get to go to school on the road."
Apparently, this is not good news to her. Her expression morphs into a scowl as she glances between me and her mom. "I have to do school on the road?"
"Yes, ma'am," Mina says, her voice firm. "You do if you want to go on tour with your daddy."
Brinley chews on her quivering bottom lip. "Do I have to do it all day?"
"You have to do it as long as it takes," Mina says.
Our daughter huffs. "But how long is that, Mommy?"
"As long as it takes, Brinley Grace."
I bite my lip, fighting a smile. Jesus Christ. She's just fucking like Mina. The two of them are going to be fire and ice when she's a teenager. I can already see it happening.
"Fine." Brinley looks at me with wide, innocent eyes. "Can I still meet Kasen, Daddy?"
A growl rumbles from my lips. "No."
Her bottom lip quivers again, a fresh wave of tears welling in her eyes.
Ah, fuck.
"I mean, maybe when we get back, princess."
"Promise?"
I glance up at Mina, only to find her fighting laughter. I narrow my eyes at her. This is her fault. She gave me a daughter. A perfect, priceless little angel. And that perfect, priceless little angel is already stressing me the fuck out. I'm supposed to be her hero. Not Kasen Alexander.
"Yeah," I sigh, rubbing her back. "Promise."
She squeals, throwing her arms around me. And damn if that doesn't make me feel fifty feet tall and bulletproof.
"Go brush your teeth, lovebug," Mina murmurs after a moment. "We'll be there in a minute to get you tucked in."
Brinley nods, hugs me again, and then scurries out of the room.
"You looked like you could use a minute," Mina says softly, resting her hand against my back.
"I'm jealous as hell that Kasen is her hero," I admit. "I never got to be that for her, and she's already outgrowing me."
"Hey." Mina cups my cheek, turning my face toward her. "You know why she wants to meet him so bad?"
"Because she's obsessed with him," I growl, scowling at the thought.
"No." She smiles gently. "He wrote that song Daddy's Little Girl. It's her favorite," she whispers. "She listens to it constantly, Grayson. You know why? Because even when you weren't here, she's always been your little girl. You've always been her hero. She loves that song because she loves you. Kasen gave her something that made her feel connected to you, that's why she adores him so much."
"Fuck," I whisper, swallowing the lump in my throat. I don't think I'm ever going to get used to the way my girls love me. I see it. I feel it. But fuck me, it's so good it hurts in the best way possible.
I pull myself together, haul myself to my feet, and drag Mina into my arm, awe and gratitude crashing together in the center of my chest. "Thank you," I breathe, my lips coming down on hers. "Thank you for giving me this. For giving me her. For letting me back in." I exhale a shaking breath against her lips, every fiber of my being straining toward this incredible woman. "Thank you for choosing me again and again."
She smiles up at me, her emerald eyes light. "Don't you remember, Grayson? I'll always choose you. Always."
Epilogue
Mina
One Month Later
"Grayson!" I moan, my back arching off the bed as his teeth close around my nipple, sending a jolt straight to my clit. "Oh, god, please…"
"Louder, baby," he breathes against my skin, grinding the root of his erection against my clit. "Scream for me if you want to come."
I whimper his name instead, dragging my nails down his shoulders. He grunts in response, his hips crashing against mine again and then again. Each thrust sends lava through my veins in a glorious rush.
"Come on, wife," he growls, nipping at the side of my breast. "I want to hear that sweet voice while you're gushing all over my cock. Give it to me."
Wife…
Oh, God. I'm his wife again.
The reminder does something to me. Sets me ablaze like a supernova.
I throw my head back, screaming as I shatter into pieces around him.
"That's it," he groans. "Just like that." He drives into me again and again as I shake and shiver beneath him, reeling through the aftershocks. His teeth in my skin as he grunts my name sends me catapulting over the edge into oblivion again. His cock twitches and jerks, his cum hot as he spills inside me over and over, chanting my name like it's his favorite song.
I fall limp beneath him, gasping for breath.
"Mommy! Mommy!"
"Fuck," he growls, dragging the blankets up over us half a second before the door bursts open and Brinley comes racing into the room, her hair all wild around her face.
She doesn't even stop before she dives on top of the bed, curling up beside me. "We're going on tour today!" she says, flailing her little hands.
"Yeah, baby girl," I whisper as Grayson carefully slides out of me, rolling to the side. "We are."
"Is that why you were screaming? Cause you're excited?"
I nearly choke on my tongue.
"That's exactly why she was screaming," Grayson says, his voice a wicked rumble. "She's very excited."
I elbow him in the ribcage.
"Cool," Brinley whispers.
"Why don't you go get dressed, baby girl? We'll be up in a minute, okay?" he suggests, trying to get her out of the room before she sees things she shouldn't or realizes that we're naked under the covers. I am not prepared to have that discussion with her right now. Actually, I'm not prepared to ever have that discussion with her.
I had all the other milestones. He can have the sex talk when the time comes. It's only fair, right?
I kind of doubt he's going to agree, but I can dream.
"Okay, Daddy." She bounds off the bed, racing for the door. Only to stumble to a stop halfway there, distracted by something. "Mommy, how come your clothes are on the floor?"
"I…" I grasp for an explanation.
"She was packing," Grayson lies. He lies like the freaking wind. And I love him for it.
"Oh." Brinley nods, scurrying from the room.
I turn wide eyes on Grayson. "Um, we're going to need a lock on our door on the bus," I whisper.
"Yep," he agrees, his eyes equally as wide. "We definitely need a fucking lock."
I bury my face in his shoulder, laughing uncontrollably. Three months on the road with a five-year-old is going to be a disaster. But, God, I can't wait to cherish every crazy moment of it.
Five Years Later
"It's time," Grayson says, running his hands down my side. "You know it is."
"Yeah, but…" I shiver beneath his touch, arching against him as my argument unravels, unable to stand up to the heat he sends coursing through me.
"But what?" He blows a hot breath across my belly, and I sob his name. "Tell me, baby."
"But are you sure?" There it is; the question I meant to ask. The only one that matters right now.
"Hell yes," he breathes, dipping his tongue into my navel. His teeth rake down my abdomen, leaving a trail of fire. "I want to get you pregnant." His gorgeous gray eyes rise to lock with mine. "I want to see this belly grow with my baby. I want it all, Mina. I know you do too."
He's right. I want another baby so damn badly. Every time Brinley asks when we're going to give her a sibling, my arms physically ache with longing. But he lost so much time with her. She lost so much time with him. We both did. We needed time to just be the three of us before we brought another baby into the mix.
We've had five years. Five amazing, perfect years. Every damn day I feel like I'm living a fairytale. I wake up in heaven and go to sleep lost in bliss. Every moment in between is so full it hurts in the best way possible.
I'm afraid to mess up a good thing. What if we do this and it all goes to hell again? That's what happened last time, right? As soon as I was pregnant, the world crashed down around us. Pieces of it didn't stop raining down on us for years.
Even now, despite the perfection of our lives, we still stumble across the wreckage of the past more often than we'd like. In ways, I think we always will. Grayson will always carry the scars of what he endured. I'll always carry the memories of what I went through without him. Brinley will never truly get back the time she lost. There are a thousand little moments and memories we never got to share. It's a bittersweet kind of pain every time we discover something new.
We've made so much progress, undone so much pain, and forged something new. Something lasting. I'm scared to change the status quo now…afraid of the unknown. And I guess that's a little bit more wreckage of the past. It made me…hesitant. Afraid to leap.
But I find strength in Grayson's arms. That hasn't ever changed. To the world, he's Priest, a simple guitarist. To me, he's my fortress, my salvation. My forever.
And if he thinks we're ready for this, who am I to deny him? I never could. I never will.
"I do want it," I whisper, melting beneath him. "So bad, Grayson."
He rests his forehead against my stomach, his body trembling, before he crawls up to press a fervent kiss to my lips. "Then let me give this to you, baby. Let me get you pregnant right here, right now."
I tip my face up to him and smile. "Right here, right now?"
"Fuck, yeah," he breathes, hitching my leg around his hip as he slips inside me.
I throw my head back, moaning the only thing that matters. "Love you forever."
His beautiful eyes lock on my face as he begins to move, surging inside me again and again. "Forever isn't long enough, Mina," he whispers. "Not even close."
He's right. It's not long enough by half. But it's a start.