Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
October 3 rd
8:28 P.M.
“Mommy?” Essie’s mostly asleep little voice mumbled.
“Yeah, my sweet cuddle bug?” Gabriella asked, running a hand over his daughter’s silky soft hair.
“You’ll be here when I wake up, right?” Essie asked. Even though she had already fallen half asleep there was still a thread of anxiousness in her voice.
It had been like this every night since Gabriella was released from the hospital five days ago. They’d had a discussion on whether or not she was going to come back home with him or stay in a hotel for a while. Cade would have done his best to accept her decision, but this was where he wanted her. At home with him and his daughter where he could keep her safe, take care of her, and make sure she didn't get sick again.
Thankfully, Gabriella had decided to come home, and it was perfect.
With her back where she belonged, things weren't just back to how they used to be, they were so much better. She wasn't there as Essie’s nanny, his employee, she was there as his partner. She slept in his bed, and he wasn't holding back from being affectionate even though he wasn't usually that cuddly, snuggly, kissy guy. Essie was thrilled that he and Gabriella were dating and had already told both of them that she wanted to call Gabriella mom.
Gabriella had, of course, burst into tears at his daughter’s proclamation, but while he had panicked, Essie had merely pulled Gabriella into an embrace and told her she loved her and had always been her mommy.
But as wonderful as things were, it didn't mean they hadn't all walked away from the ordeal with scars. Physical and psychological. One of Essie’s scars was a fear that Gabriella wouldn't be there in the morning.
“I’ll be right here, cuddle bug,” Gabriella assured the little girl. “And you know if you wake up during the night and you're scared or sad, you can call out and your daddy and I will come, or you can come to our room and snuggle in the bed with us.”
“Okay,” Essie mumbled as she rolled over and drifted off, satisfied in her five-year-old way that everything would be okay so long as Gabriella was there in the morning.
Quietly they snuck out of Essie’s room and into the hall. While Gabriella was recovering well and regaining her strength, she was still a little weak and they’d been heading to bed after tucking Essie in. Expecting to do the same tonight, he was heading for the stairs to go down and make sure everything was locked up and all the lights were out when Gabriella caught his hand, stopping him.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “For letting me be here and for sharing her with me.”
Because she’d said those same exact words every night for the last five nights, and he’d told her every time that she didn't need to thank him for that. That Essie had been half hers pretty much from the moment she started the job and loved his daughter with the same ferocity that he did, he used her hold on his hand to his advantage.
With a tug, she came plastered up against him and he pressed their joined hands over his heart, wondering how he’d managed to hold off from acknowledging his feelings for this amazing woman for so long.
Now that he was no longer holding back, Cade found that loving Gabriella was so much easier than he’d thought it would be. There was no competition in his heart between Gretel and Gabriella, part of him would always love Gretel, but she was his past, and Gabriella was his future.
“You know,” he said slowly, dipping his head so that his lips hovered above hers, Gabriella drifted closer as his breath puffed against her plump lips. “I’ve already told you several times to stop thanking me and you don’t seem to be getting the message.”
His free hand landed on her spine and trailed its way slowly down her back until it cupped her backside. She was still too thin but was putting back on the weight she’d lost and she had a perfect little bottom, one he’d stared at a thousand times before.
Stroking the small curves, he felt her moan and shudder against his touch, pressing closer where she could no doubt feel the evidence of his arousal pressing into her stomach.
“Maybe a punishment would be a more effective method of teaching you a lesson,” he said huskily. Reading her body language, not wanting to do a single thing to trigger or upset her in any way, when all he got from her was need and an arousal echoing his own he lightly tapped his hand against her backside.
Another moan tumbled from her lips and the hand that was still entwined with his tightened its grip.
“Do. Not. Thank. Me. Again. For. Sharing. My. Daughter,” he said, a light smack accompanying each word. “Is she mine or ours?”
“Ours,” the word escaped on a breathy moan as she wriggled in his hold.
“That’s right. Ours. Who does she call mommy?”
“Me.”
“Who’s going to marry me one day and adopt her, making it official?” Already he was starting to plan out the perfect proposal. When he was young and even less romantic than he was now, he’d asked Gretel to marry him when he’d gotten back from basic training, no fanfare, nothing, just a ring and a question on her doorstep. This time he was going to do it right.
“I am,” Gabriella said, her voice hitching with emotion.
Bringing his hand down one more time, a little harder, he then grabbed her hips and lifted her. Immediately Gabriella wrapped her legs around his waist, pinning his hard length between them, and her arms around his shoulders.
Wanting to be certain she was okay with this, they’d talked in more depth about her time being held captive and he was sure she wasn't holding back any more secrets, but he didn't want the fact that she’d had sex with him before he fired her to mean she was okay with this now.
“Sweetheart, can I?—”
“You better,” she said before he could even get the question out and ground her hot center against his erection.
Chuckling, he quickly carried her down the hall to their bedroom, a room Gabriella was already beginning to make her own. Her clothes now hung in the walk-in wardrobe, and her bedding and curtains had replaced his. The ragdoll that he’d continued to cling to after throwing her out once again sat on the bed, only now it sat on their bed rather than hers.
Tossing her onto said bed, Gabriella landed with a bounce and a giggle, and his heart broke wide open at the carefree sound. This was the Gabriella he wanted back, the one who was open and confident, bright and bubbly, and lit up his world.
But he was aware it would take time for her to recover from her ordeal, so moments like this were ones to cherish.
“Hurry up, Cade. You're wearing too many clothes, and I'm wearing too many clothes, and I want you to hurry up and get inside me. I've missed you and dreamed about you being mine for so long.”
Unable to deny her anything, especially pleasure when she deserved all the good things in the world, he stripped out of his clothes in what had to be record time and then climbed on the bed. Taking his time removing Gabriella’s clothes, he enjoyed each brush of his fingertips against her petal-soft skin, each frustrated huff she made because he wasn't moving quickly enough for her liking.
By the time he had her naked and spread out before him, he licked his lips as he appreciated every inch of her body. Even the healing wound on her left breast because it spoke of her strength and bravery.
How could she ever think that she was garbage?
She was a treasure.
His treasure.
Leaning down, he touched his lips to the bite mark.
“Cade,” she whispered, her voice wavering with emotion, and when he looked at her, he saw tears shimmering in her eyes, making them appear an almost ethereal shade of green.
“You're so strong, sweetheart, so brave. I'm so in awe of you and love you so much.”
A half sob escaped and then she reached up and framed his face, pulling it down so their lips met. Both poured all their feelings into that kiss and he could feel them building, filling the room with their intensity.
Without breaking the kiss, he shifted so he was spread out above her, then balanced his weight on one hand and his knees which found their place between her spread legs and swirled the pad of a finger over her bundle of nerves. Her responsive body squirmed and writhed as he alternated between teasing her entrance and then her bud.
Somehow, their kiss only deepened the more it went on, and he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have this woman for his own. To belong to her in every way.
“Cade, hurry up and get inside me, I want us to come together,” Gabriella said, her voice husky with arousal as she reached between them and grabbed his length, guiding it to her center.
One thrust was all it took to bury himself deep inside her. Hooking her ankles around his hips, she drew him deeper still, and then they both began to move together. He was close but she was, too, and when he touched her where their bodies joined, she came on a scream that was swallowed by his lips.
Her internal muscles clamped around him, setting off his orgasm, and it rushed through him like a tsunami, shoving away everything else in its path until all that was left was crystal clear love. Pure and complete. Perfect.
When all that was left were the last aftershocks of pleasure, he pulled out of her and headed for the bathroom. Returning with a warm washcloth, he cleaned Gabriella up, then lifted her so he could pull back the covers and lay her down again. Tossing the cloth into the sink, he climbed into the bed and curled himself around his girl, cocooning her in an embrace, making sure she knew she was safe.
Gabriella was his to love, protect, and cherish.
His to guard and ensure she never again felt like garbage that could be thrown away.
And he intended to spend the rest of his life doing just that.
October 9 th
11:20 A.M.
“I don’t see why I have to wear this,” Cade grumbled. The pout on his face was so adorable and so unlike the old Cade that Gabriella couldn’t not giggle as she looked up from the sewing machine she was running like crazy. She’d lost over a month so she had a whole lot of sewing to do if she was going to be ready in time.
“What else would you wear, Daddy?” Essie asked, looking at her father like he was crazy.
“Literally anything else,” Cade answered as though it were obvious.
Essie just giggled indulgently. “Silly Daddy. You have to wear this.”
“I honestly don’t see that I do.”
“Course you do. We gots to all match because we’re a family.” Essie said it like she dared either of them to disagree with her.
It wasn't really the reason they were wearing these costumes for Halloween. Alice in Wonderland was Essie’s favorite book since she was three. For the last two years, she’d wanted them all to dress up as characters from the book, but both of those last two years Cade had been away for Halloween, so they’d scrapped the idea. The year Essie was three, they’d gone as Cruella de Vil and a Dalmatian puppy, then last year they’d gone trick or treating with her as a witch and Essie as a black cat.
Cade would be home this year, and they were making Essie’s dreams come true.
She deserved it.
Which meant Cade wasn't getting out of wearing that costume.
“I could wear something else, there are other characters in Alice in Wonderland,” Cade suggested, shooting her a look that was clearly asking for her help.
Gabriella just grinned back at him.
The sooner he accepted this as his fate the happier he’d be.
“Well, I'm being Alice,” Essie said, planting her hands on her hips and going full sass mode. “Did you want to be Alice, Daddy?”
Reaching out, Cade plucked up his little girl and set her on his lap, tickling her until she squealed with delight and wriggled like a little worm. “No, my princess, I don’t want to go as Alice.”
“Did you want to go as the Queen of Hearts?” Essie continued, in full-on sass mode today. “Cos Mommy is being the Queen.”
Like it did every time the little girl called her mommy, Gabriella’s heart did a little flip in her chest. Honestly, she wasn't sure which was better, Essie calling her mommy or Cade telling her he loved her.
A tie.
Definitely a tie.
How could she feel like garbage that would one day be thrown away when she had these two loving on her every second?
It would take time, but they were healing her old wounds a little more each day.
“I think Daddy would make a great queen,” she teased, making Cade roll his eyes. “Well, if you don’t want to be Alice, and you don’t want to be the Queen of Hearts, then pray tell us what you do want to be.”
“Anything but the White Rabbit,” Cade said with an exaggerated shudder that made both her and Essie laugh.
“I guess you could be one of the singing flowers?” Gabriella suggested, and the aghast look Cade shot her way made her laugh again. It felt so good to laugh. So freeing.
“I don’t think so,” Cade said firmly.
“What about the King of Hearts then?” she suggested, enjoying needling Cade in a way she wouldn't have when she was just the nanny. Not that she’d ever let him walk all over her, not that he ever would have done that either, but while she was always open and honest with him, she also did her best not to blur the lines between employer and employee too much. She’d been doing her best to protect her heart, thinking she could never have Cade.
Only now she did, and she didn't have to worry about her heart any longer. It was safe with Cade.
“Ha-ha, very funny,” Cade said with a roll of his eyes.
“Daddy, you could be the caterpillar, or Tweedledee,” Essie suggested.
“Or Tweedledum,” Gabriella added with a smirk.
“Yeah, I'm not going as Tweedledee or Tweedledum.” The look Cade shot her had her pressing her legs together, it was one that said she was going to pay for this teasing tonight, in bed, after they tucked Essie in.
And she couldn’t wait.
Gabriella had had no idea that she would enjoy a little bit of light spanking, but each tap of Cade’s hand against her backside had sent a jolt of heat straight to her core.
“You could go as both , Daddy,” Essie offered with an excited squirm like she thought her idea was fabulous, making them both laugh.
“Tell us what you were thinking then,” she told Cade.
“I could be the Mad Hatter or the Cheshire Cat,” Cade said hopefully.
“But I like the White Rabbit better, Daddy,” Essie said on an almost whine. “He leads Alice into Wonderland, and he’s so cute and fluffy.”
“Cute and fluffy. This is what my world has been reduced to?” he said with a dramatic sigh, but deep affection was in his eyes as he looked indulgently at his daughter. While Cade didn't spoil his only child, he would go to the ends of the earth to ensure she was happy and protected.
Their lives were still uncertain, one more rapist was out there who was still a threat to the entire Charleston Holloway family, and they didn't know when the next strike would come. Although they were making costumes, they wouldn't do the usual neighborhood trick-or-treat since Cade thought it was too dangerous. Instead, they were going to go to a local nursing home that was putting on an entire Halloween experience. It would be fun, and according to Cade and the guys, an easier security job.
Still, even though she hated living in constant danger, Gabriella would much prefer to be there with Cade and Essie than off on her own.
Security had been doubled at the house, and one more hint of a plot to go after them and Cade was sending her and Essie off to join Cassandra with Delta Team. So far, the pattern had been if targeting one of them didn't pan out these men moved onto the next member of the family, which suggested either Jake or Jax were going to be next.
“Daddy! Mommy!” Essie suddenly squealed, her voice dripping excitement.
“What, cuddle bug?”
“We could go as a wedding.” Essie clapped her hands and bounced on her father’s lap, overcome with enthusiasm for her new idea.
“A wedding?” Gabriella asked.
“You can be the bride and daddy can be the groom because you're going to gets married someday anyway. Daddy said you were going to bes my new mommy and you said I could call you mommy, so that means you're going to get married and we’re going to be a family for reals,” Essie challenged, daring them to disagree.
It was true. Cade had made his intentions about their future clear, and it wasn't like they had to get to know each other or find out if they could live together without tearing each other’s hair out, they’d been doing that for the last four years. She just needed some time to heal, begin recovering from her ordeal, and for the sting of Cade’s rejection to soothe away. Understanding why he’d done it, agreeing to forgive and move forward, didn't automatically erase all the pain.
There was still some lingering, but Gabriella knew it was only a matter of time until she was ready to give Essie the locket, which in her mind meant agreeing to marry Cade.
Whether that was days, weeks, or months away it didn't matter.
The two people sitting beside her, looking at her with such love and adoration were everything she had ever dreamed of, everything she had ever wished for, and everything she could ever want. They were already her family, and they would be her future.
Nothing could change that.
At least she hoped not.
Because she was keeping a secret.
One that could potentially tear Cade and Essie out of her life.
“Maybe we can be that next year,” she suggested, hoping the thread of worry she felt inside didn't seep out into her voice. “After your daddy and I are married for real.”
Shooting her a look that said he knew something was running through her mind, Cade gave his daughter a smile. “And what would you be, pumpkin?”
Essie thought for a moment. “I can be the mini-t.”
“Mini-t?” Cade asked.
“You know the person that makes them married, that says you can now kiss the bride,” Essie explained.
“You mean the minister,” Cade said, pronouncing the word clearly.
His daughter just shrugged. “Okay. I for sure want to do that next year,” she said with all the confidence of a five-year-old who couldn’t imagine changing her mind a dozen times in the next twelve months.
“Alice in Wonderland it is, guess you better keep sewing that White Rabbit costume,” Cade said with a pretend sigh, then tickled his daughter again, making her squeal in delight.
As she started up the sewing machine again and watched the happy father daughter duo, Gabriella sent up another prayer, begging not to have the future and the family she longed for snatched away from her all over again.
That was something she didn't think she could survive.