Chapter Fifteen
Gideon
"I'm never letting you go again, Sparrow," I murmur, crawling over Kenna in the bed. It's been two days since Clive kidnapped her. It's been a fucking whirlwind. We spent most of that night in the police station, going through every fucking detail.
Stalking charges may not always hold a lot of weight, but the same can't be said for kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, and the litany of other charges the two of them face. It'll be a long fucking time before they see the light of day. Clive confessed to everything. I don't know if he did it for leniency or a guilty conscience. Kenna thinks it's the latter. She says she could tell he didn't want to be doing what they were doing.
I don't really fucking care. He's a grown man, and he chose to do it anyway. He had a choice. He made it. He can rot with John for all I care. It'll be a few days before John sees the inside of a jail cell, unfortunately. He's in the hospital.
I'm not sorry about it. The only thing I regret is that I didn't do more damage.
Kenna refused to pull out of the event yesterday. I'm not surprised. Nothing stops her. By the time news broke about what happened, she was already on stage. No one knew until she was done. It's what she wanted. Thousands of people got to fall in love with her, not because she was nearly a victim. Not because she's a survivor. But because she's got the voice of a fucking angel.
They haven't stopped talking about her since. Now that everyone knows what happened, I think they're in awe of the fact that she was up there at all, giving it everything she had. She won a lot of people over yesterday.
Riley released the only statement Kenna intends to make. She thanked everyone for their support, assured everyone that she was okay, and directed everyone to the charity they supported yesterday, as well as to one that supports and advocates for people who have gone through similar things.
Now, she's all mine. For the next week, I don't have to share her with anyone. I might not even let her leave the bed. Well, that's not entirely true. I'm taking her to meet Ma tomorrow. I promised, after all.
But today? She's all mine, and I'm not sharing.
"Good," she says, wrapping her legs around my waist. "Don't let me go, Gideon. Keep me right here in your arms for eternity."
"Eternity, huh?" I run my lips down the side of her throat, brushing my hands in languid strokes up and down her thighs. She trembles beneath me, so soft and sweet. So eager. Even now, after everything, she's wet and ready, eager to reconnect.
"Eternity," she breathes, her back bowing from the bed when I slip my hand between her thighs. "Nothing shorter, Gideon. I won't accept it."
"Well, then. I guess it's a good thing I fucking love giving you what you want, isn't it, Sparrow?" I croon, watching her face as I play between her legs, unraveling her one perfect touch at a time.
"Yes," she moans. "God, yes."
I smile, more in love with this woman than ever. Happier than ever. And so fucking hard I can't breathe.
"I love you, Kenna Carmichael."
Her eyes flutter open. "That's not my name, Gideon."
"No? You're wearing my ring."
Her brows furrow in confusion, and then she lifts her hand in front of her face. Her eyes go wide when she sees the ring I slipped onto her finger when she was sleeping earlier. She's so fucking cute when she realizes it's there.
"Gideon. How? When? What?" She gapes at me. "Is this real?"
"Damn right, it's real, Sparrow. You're marrying me."
"You didn't ask."
"I know. You already accepted." Zayne told me what she said about marrying me. I'm not asking because I'm not giving her a chance to take it back. It's a done deal as far as I'm concerned. If she didn't want to marry me, she shouldn't have said it. No takebacks.
"Gideon." She smiles up at me. "I did not accept."
"You did." I press my lips to hers in a soft kiss. "You just don't remember right now, Kenna. Let me refresh your memory," I croon, stroking between her legs again. My cock nudges at her entrance. I slip inside slowly, watching the pleasure roll over her in waves.
"Gideon," she moans.
"You remember now, Sparrow?" I ask, pumping into her in torturously slow glides as my fingers roll over her clit. "You do, don't you?"
"Yes. Yes. I remember!"
"I thought so." I claim her mouth, pouring my soul into her as we move together, lost in the rhythm. Bodies entwined.
Just like her song.
"Oh!" Ma cries, rushing forward to wrap Kenna up in a big hug. "You're so beautiful, sweetheart. I can't believe this big jerk has been hiding you from me."
Kenna laughs, returning my Ma's embrace. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Carmichael. I've heard a lot about you."
"None of it is true, dear. He's a wicked boy. Don't believe a word he says."
"Ma!" I protest, laughing. "Stop lying to her. You know damn well that you're a menace. And let her up for air before you scare her off."
My dad smacks me over the back of the head. "Don't talk to your Ma that way, boy."
"Shit. Sorry," I grumble, ducking out of the line of fire before he smacks me over the head again. He's got good aim. He's had a lot of years of practice.
Ma lets Kenna up for air, cupping her cheeks between her palms to get a good look at her. "I just adore you already," she whispers to my girl, over the moon with excitement. "It's about time I've got some girls around here to help keep these boys in line."
"You've done a great job, Mrs. Carmichael," Kenna says to my mom. "He's a good boy wicked and annoyingly bossy but good."
"Hey!" I protest, narrowing my eyes on her.
She shoots me a mischievous look, completely unrepentant. I should have known she and my Ma would be on the same side. They're going to be thick as thieves.
"He is bossy," Ma agrees. "He gets it from his father."
"Hey now," Dad grumbles like he doesn't know what she's talking about. As if we aren't just like him. "Don't bring me into this shit. I didn't do anything."
Ma huffs at him before looping her arm through Kenna's to drag her into the house. "I want to hear all about you, Kenna. My son hasn't told me anything." She shoots me a baleful look over her shoulder. "He's a cruel boy."
"Ma!" I say, laughing. "I brought her to meet you, didn't I?"
"That was rude of him, wasn't it?" Kenna says, taking her side. She pats Ma's hand, encouraging her. As if she needs any of that. The woman is already a menace. Clearly. And Kenna is loving every fucking minute of it.
I watch the two of them, shaking my head and grinning ear to ear. If this is what my future looks like, I'm fucked. And I can't fucking wait.
Dad pats me on the back. "Never come between a Southern woman and the future daughter-in-law she's been praying for, son. She'll be reminding you of it for the rest of your life."
"Uh, Zion and Zayne did the same thing," I complain. "Why isn't she giving them hell?"
Dad arches a brow. "What? You think she can't give all three of you hell at the same time? She's been doing it your whole life."
"Jesus." I shake my head and then laugh. He's not wrong about that.
"How's she doing?" Dad asks me. He knows what happened. So does Ma, but Ma won't bring it up to Kenna unless Kenna brings it up first. She may be hell on wheels, but she's got a gentle soul.
"Good. She's good."
He jerks his chin in a nod. "Good. You make sure she stays that way. That's your job now."
"Yes, sir."
I turn to head into the house, determined to keep Ma from telling Kenna any of the embarrassing shit I did as a kid and let's be honest, there's a lot of that but Zayne's truck pulls up at the curb.
Dad and I wait as he hops out. A few seconds later, Zion climbs out of the back, his arm still in a sling. He's mad as hell about that, but Makenzie is making sure he wears it.
They circle around the truck, opening the doors.
"Well, shit," I mutter as they help Emma and Makenzie out of the truck. "Guess we're all meeting Ma today."
"Jesus Christ," Dad grumbles. "She's not going to stop talking about this shit for the next six years."
I chuckle, shooting him a look that says don't bullshit me. "We both know seeing her happy is your favorite fucking thing in the world. It always has been."
He grins, not denying it. "Doesn't mean I can't bitch at you boys for fucking up my plans for her. We could be in bed right now."
"Dad, gross!"
He laughs, the same evil laugh he's been giving us for years.
I shake my head and walk away to go find my girl.
"How the fuck did I get born into this family? I'm the only normal one in the whole fucking bunch."
Zayne hears my complaint. "That's a damn lie!"
"You weren't born into the family," Zion calls, letting me know he heard me too. "Ma found you in an alley and felt sorry for you, so she brought you home. She just didn't know you were an idiot at the time. By the time she realized, it was too late to put you back."
I turn a dirty glare on them. "I hate you both."
"That's not hate, Gideon. That's burning jealousy," Zayne says, deadpan. "You're jealous we're Ma's favorites, and you were found in an alley."
Emma and Makenzie laugh.
I hug them both, ignoring my idiot brothers. It's the only way to deal with them. Ignore them. Eventually, they go away right?
I leave them to introduce Emma to my dad. He met Makenzie at the hospital the other day. And I go in search of my girl.
I find her and Ma huddled together at the table, their heads bent close as they both talk a mile a minute. I stand in the doorway, watching them in silence, a lump in my throat.
For a motherfucker who never wanted this before Kenna, I've never seen anything more beautiful than my future wife arm in arm with my Ma, gossiping like old friends.
Kenna senses me standing there and turns to glance at me over her shoulder. She gives me that fucking smile that makes my knees weak. There isn't a single shadow in her eyes. Not a single trace of the last weeks lingering in their depths. They're clear and bright. And I know in the depths of my soul that she's going to be okay.
Our family hers, mine, and the one we forge together will make sure of it.