Chapter 50
Aaron
“I should’ve never let you pull me out of that office,” I say, bursting through the front door of our house.
My wife whirls on me, fuming. “I can’t believe you just pulled that stunt.” She laughs maniacally and then throws her hands up. “What am I saying? Of course I can believe it.”
“I should’ve taken him outside,” I grumble.
“Aaron, put the gun away,” Patience insists.
I don’t. I peer down at the weapon in my hand, instead debating on whether to tie my wife to the bed, before I go back to my baby girl’s place to finish what I started with that man. I know he’s still there, hovering over her.
“Don’t even think about it,” she says because she knows exactly what I’m thinking.
I curl my top lip and snarl.
“Now.”
I push out a deep breath before sauntering off to my office downstairs, where I keep my lock safe. I put the damn thing away, then head back upstairs. A weapon isn’t the only way to kill a man.
I’ve had my weapon on me since the moment I watched the security footage of our home when Kennedy burst into the house in tears. I knew then something wasn’t right. And I knew exactly who caused it.
Which is why I grabbed my gun and went directly to Dae Kim’s condo to take care of him. However, as I entered the lobby, he was coming out. I wanted to point my gun at his temple, but his words stopped me.
“Kennedy’s missing,” he said before I uttered a word.
That’s when he told me about finding her cell phone in the garage of her apartment through the tracker he placed on it months ago. From there, we obtained security footage of her building, showing her being taken.
Getting her back obviously took priority over everything. But I never forgot the look of devastation and tears on her face when she burst through the front door of my house.
“He’s not good enough for her,” I tell my wife as soon as I return to the living room.
She stands there, arms folded, glaring at me. “You don’t think anyone’s good enough for her.”
“Because there’s not a soul on this planet good enough for my baby girl. For either of them,” I add.
Patience rolls her eyes. “He’s responsible for helping get her back safely,” she reminds me.
“That’s the only reason he’s still breathing.”
She tosses up her hands. “You owe him an apology.”
“Hell will be covered in ice sculptures and snowmen before I do such a thing.”
She tosses her head back. “You’re impossible.”
“He made her cry,” I say because that should say enough.
“Yes,” my wife says with that telltale empathy. “Because sometimes love hurts.”
I clamp my teeth so hard my jaw aches. Patience moves forward, using her hand to massage my jaw, making me unclench.
“Our girl is safe. That’s what matters.”
“She’s still my baby.”
“And no one or nothing will ever change that. But sometimes you have to let her fall or fly on her own.” She pins me with a glare. “Without threatening to kill the person who hurt her.”
“It wasn’t a threat,” I reply, meeting her stare for stare in the eyes that always cause my heartbeat to quicken. “Threats are for liars. I would kill him.”
She shakes her head. “But you’ll hurt her in the process. Is that what you want?”
She always knows what to say, to send the arrow straight to my heart.
I turn my head and stare at nothing.
“Did you see her face?” I ask, looking at my wife again.
She nods. “I did.”
I push out a heavy breath. “She’s going to marry him.”
“Probably,” Patience agrees. We both know there’s probably nothing about it. “Just like that night we first met him, he can’t take his eyes off her.”
I saw that, too.
“I still don’t like the fucker,” I grunt.
Patience lets out a laugh while wrapping her arms around me. The tightness in my chest lessens.
My wife lays her head on my chest, and for the first time since I saw Kennedy crying, my anger subsides.
I grunt because Dae Kim isn’t done winning me over, yet. If he wants to marry my daughter, there’s one thing left he has to prove.
I sigh. “I still have Stasi.”
Patience’s head pops up, and she gives me a confused look before her eyes narrow.
“I don’t want to hear it,” I tell her. “I have a signed contract from Anastasia that says she’ll never get married and leave us.”
She sucks her teeth. “You do remember she was seven when she wrote that, don’t you?”
I wave her off with one hand while keeping my other arm around her waist. “Doesn’t matter. It’s legally binding. I have lawyers who’ll see that it’s upheld.”
“You’re fucking insane,” she gripes. “My poor babies.”
I pin her with a look, but the front door opens.
“Anyone home?” Stasi, our youngest, yells as soon as she enters. It’s a normal ritual for her.
She spent the night at a friend’s and has no idea what happened with Kennedy, so we choose to keep it that way for the time being.
“Hi, baby.” Patience pulls out of my hold to meet our seventeen-year-old at the entranceway.
“Hey, Mommy. Daddy, you’re home today?” she asks, kicking off her shoes while her hair, with bright pink highlights, whips around as she moves.
“I am.” I pull her into my arms. “And you’re never leaving the house again.”
“What?”
“Aaron!”
They say in unison. I ignore them and hold onto my youngest baby girl.
“What did I do?” she asks, her words coming out muffled since I have her face pressed against my chest.
“You didn’t do anything.” Patience swats my arms away to release Stasi. “Your father’s being ridiculous.”
Stasi’s eyes widen. “Oh, is this because Kennedy fell in love?”
I narrow my eyes on her. “You knew?”
She shrugs. “Everyone knows. I saw it when he took us horseback riding. He’s really cute.”
I growl, but Stasi keeps going.
“But I probably shouldn’t say that since he’ll likely become my brother-in-law soon.”
“Stasi,” my voice turns into a warning.
My little girl bursts out laughing before wrapping her arms around my waist. “Don’t worry, Daddy. I won’t ever leave you.”
Her words soothe my bruised heart.
“I told you,” I tell Patience.
She rolls her eyes.
Stasi pulls back. “Oh, Mom, can you braid my hair for tonight? I’m going to go up and wash and blow dry it now.”
“Of course,” Patience answers.
“What’s tonight?” I ask.
“Movie with friends.”
“You just got home,” I tell her. “Will boys be there?”
“You should go get started on your hair.” Patience pushes Stasi toward the stairs.
“What happened to she’ll never leave me?” I gripe as she rushes up the stairs.
“She said that because our daughter has had you wrapped around her finger since birth.”
I open and close my mouth, the protest I had dying on my lips. It’s true.
“Aaron,” Patience screeches when I yank her into my chest.
One hand binds her by the waist to me while my other hand cups her face. “I can’t trust our daughters, but you’re never going anywhere.”
A smile touches her lips, and my heart does its usual somersault at the sight.
“I’ll always be right here with you.”
Exactly what I needed to hear. She gasps when I lift her by the legs to circle my waist.
“Aaron,” she scolds on a whisper-yell. “Stasi is upstairs.”
“Which is why I’m taking you downstairs.” She won’t hear us from down there. And I need to be inside of my wife right now.
“You better make it quick,” she says as I descend the stairs.
“I’m never quick with you.”
And I never will be.