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Chapter Ten

Mina

" A re you sure about this?" Grayson asks, his fingers strumming against the side of his leg like he's plucking at the strings of his guitar. It's an old habit, one that tells me he's nervous as hell.

I slip my hand into his and smile, nodding. "I'm sure, Grayson," I say softly, meeting his gaze. "It's time for you to meet your daughter."

"Fuck." A sharp breath explodes from his lips. His hand shakes beneath mine. "What if she hates me, Mina? What if she fucking wishes I never came back?"

The torment in his eyes, in his voice, breaks my heart.

"She's waited for this day her whole life," I whisper, placing my palm against his cheek. "Even though you were legally dead, I still had hope. Maybe it was wrong to let her have it too, but I couldn't take it from her. So when she asked why she didn't have a daddy, I told her…" I lick my lips, dipping my head. "I told her that you got lost. I told her that you probably wouldn't ever come back, that you could be in heaven, but that no one really knew for sure."

"Jesus," he rasps, squeezing his eyes closed.

"She was mad as hell when I gave her that guitar pick and told her she had to wait to meet you. She wanted to know why you weren't here now." I bite my lip ruefully. "She's just like you, you know."

He watches me silently, absorbing every word.

"She never takes no for an answer. And she has so many freaking questions about everything. They're never appropriate either, Grayson. Like, ever. She sees far more than she should and understands way more than a five-year-old should understand. She's bossy as hell and never sits still. She's either going to rule the world one day or destroy it."

A sly grin cracks his lips.

"You're smiling now, but I'm serious. She has so much energy, and she's always up to something. She's a tiny little you, only she's already boy-crazy."

His eyes narrow into slits, his body going rigid. "What the fuck? She's five!"

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure she's trying to figure out how to convince Kasen Alexander to leave his wife so she can marry him in twenty years," I huff, exasperated. "She's been hounding me to meet him since we got to town."

"Hell no," Grayson growls, sitting upright. "Not happening."

I bite my lip, fighting a smile as my heart melts. Of course he's already overprotective. God, I love that so much. "She's five, Grayson. I'm pretty sure he'll give her a high-five, sign her album, and send her on her way. It's her you need to be worried about. Because sooner or later, it'll be boys her age she's all gaga over instead of country music superstars. Then, it'll be a real problem." I eye him pointedly. "Because she's just like me, too."

"Fuck," he mutters, passing a hand over his eyes. He knows exactly what I'm talking about. Hell itself couldn't have kept me away from him once I set my sights on him. My dad certainly couldn't. He couldn't, either. He tried like hell at first to keep his distance and keep things professional because he didn't feel like he deserved me, but I refused to let that happen. I knew he was meant for me, and nothing was going to stop me.

I dread the day Brinley grows up and falls in love for real because there's not going to be any stopping her either. She's the best of both of us. And the best of both of us? Well, it's stubborn and unrelenting. And it leaps first and asks questions later. And it loves hard. Really freaking hard, no matter what.

"She's ready, Grayson," I say softly. "She needs her daddy. She needs you to show her what it means to love and how she deserves to be loved. She needs you to teach her how to be strong and fight for what she believes and what she needs." I stroke his back. "She needs you to protect her heart the same way you always protected mine."

"Fuck," he groans, twisting to pluck me up from the bed. He drags me into his arms, burying his face in my throat. "Are you sure, Mina? Really fucking sure? Because I want it so goddamn badly. I need you and her more than I need air. If I meet her and then we realize she wasn't ready…" He exhales a shuddering breath. "I don't know if I'm going to have the strength to keep my distance. It'll fucking destroy me."

"Hey." I cup his cheeks between my palms, forcing him to meet my gaze. "I trusted you. Now, it's your turn to trust me, okay? She's ready. And we'll continue to make sure that's she ready."

"Therapy," he growls. "We need therapy. A shrink or someone who knows how the fuck to deal with all of this."

"Yeah," I whisper. "We'll find her a therapist."

"No." He shakes his head. "Not just her. Us, baby. All of us."

My gaze flies to his.

"We fucking need it, Mina. After everything we've been through…we could all use a professional to help us sort this shit out." His eyes flutter. "Especially once the media gets ahold of this. It's going to get bad when that happens."

He's right. I know he's right. But the thought of talking to a complete stranger about my life is…overwhelming. There are so many things I've never said out loud to anyone, not even to myself. But…if it means we survive this—that we make it out the other side as a family—then isn't that what I have to do?

Is that even a question? If it means we make it through this together, there's not a lot I won't do. I need him in my life. Brinley needs him. And he needs us the same way. I'll do whatever I have to do, talk to whoever I have to talk with, to ensure we get the future that was stolen from us.

"Let's do it," I agree, taking a breath.

"Yeah?" he asks, scrutinizing my expression.

"Yeah." I nod, meeting his gaze. "Let's do it. Whatever it takes, Grayson. I'm in."

He presses his forehead to mine, exhaling a breath. "Fuck, I love you forever."

"Love you forever."

He brushes his lips against mine, lingering for a moment, before he pulls back. "I'm ready, Mina. Let's go get our girl."

We decide that it's probably better for me to pick her up by myself instead of ambushing her at school. But as soon as she's in the car, she knows something is up. Like I told him, there's no getting anything past her.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" she asks, her little eyes narrowed on me as I buckle her into her seat. Worry flows through her eyes. "Did…did my daddy leave?"

"What? No, of course not, baby girl," I hurry to reassure her, cupping her little cheek. "There's nothing wrong at all. In fact, I have a surprise for you."

"Is it Kasen?" she asks hopefully.

Lord have mercy. Grayson is going to kill that poor man. I should seriously start making her listen to little kid radio.

"It's better than Kasen."

"We're moving back to San Biego?"

Okay, maybe I set myself up for that one.

"No, we're not moving back," I say, laughing quietly. "What do you want more than anything?"

She scrunches up her nose, thinking about it. "Right now? A unicorn. But you said they only exist in heaven. So I don't think I can have one of those. I don't want to go to heaven yet. I'd miss my stuff. And you."

"Oh, so you'd miss your stuff more than me?"

She giggles, bouncing her shoulders in a shrug.

I tap her on the nose. "It's not a unicorn, silly. It's a person."

Her eyes grow wide as saucers. "A person?" she whispers. "My daddy?" She cranes her head around, looking every which way. "I get to see him, Mommy? Now?"

"Yeah, lovebug. You get to see him now."

I should have covered my ears before I told her that because she squeals so loud everyone on the sidewalk stops to peer in our direction.

"Let's go!" she cries, clapping her little hands. "Hurry, Mommy!"

"In a minute," I say, trying to settle her back down. "We need to talk first."

She growls at me…actually freaking growls like a feral cat. But she flings herself back against her seat, waiting impatiently for me to get on with it.

"Your daddy is at the house right now," I say quietly. "He's very excited to meet you, but he's nervous, too, lovebug. He's never been a daddy before, and he's scared he's going to mess it up, or you won't like him very much. He might not get everything exactly right all the time. So I want you to be patient with him, okay?"

"He's scared?" she whispers.

"A little bit. We've had each other, but he's been alone for a long time. He has to learn all about you now. He doesn't know how you like your eggs, what your favorite toys are, or what clothes you like to wear. You're going to have to teach him," I say gently. "It may make you sad that he doesn't know, but I don't want you to get mad at him for not knowing. It's not his fault that he was lost, okay?"

"Okay," she says, her eyes locked on my face like she's really listening.

"He got hurt, and it hurt his brain, made him forget everything. He didn't know who he was or what happened to him for a really long time. That's how he got lost. We have to help him remember the good stuff now, okay?"

"Are we the good stuff?"

"Yeah, baby girl," I whisper, my throat tight. "We're the good stuff."

"Mommy?"

"Yeah, Brinley?"

"What if he doesn't like me?"

"Oh, baby girl," I breathe, tears springing to my eyes. "He could never not like you. He already loves you so, so much. All he wants to do is make you happy."

"I want him to be happy too." She chews on her bottom lip. "Do you think he'll like my teddy bear, Mommy? He gave me a special present. My teddy bear is the most special thing I have."

Lord have mercy. I knew today was going to wreck my emotions, but I did not anticipate my daughter doing it in the parking lot of her school while asking if her daddy would like the gift of her most prized possession. And yet…here we are. Because that's the little girl we created. Together. We created her together. The best of both of us.

"Yeah," I whisper, my throat so tight the word cracks. "I think he'll love it, baby girl."

When we pull into the driveway half an hour later, Grayson is standing on the porch, waiting for us with his hands shoved into his pockets. He looks nervous as hell.

Brinley gasps quietly from the backseat, her eyes locked on him. "Mommy," she breathes. "He's just like my dreams."

I cover my mouth with my hand, choking back a sob.

Grayson strides toward us as Brinley fidgets with the buckles for her seat, trying to unlatch herself, already straining toward him, too eager to wait. Already obsessed with her daddy.

He meets my gaze through the windshield, a question in his eyes.

I give him a subtle nod of encouragement as I climb out, reaching for his hand. "Come on," I whisper. "She's so ready to meet you."

His hand shakes in mine as we circle around to the passenger side together to find her little face pressed to the window, her eyes locked on him.

"Should I…?"

"Go to her," I whisper, stepping out of the way so they can have this moment. "Hold your daughter, Grayson."

"Daddy!" Brinley cries, lifting her hand in a little wave.

Her sweet voice breaks the spell he's under.

He inhales a sharp breath, rushing forward like she just screamed for help. His hand lands against the handle, wrenching the door open. As they come face to face for the first time, they both go completely still. Neither moves. Neither speaks. They just…stare at each other for the longest time.

And then Grayson kneels beside the car, holding his arms out. "Hi, baby girl," he whispers, his voice a rough rasp of sound. "I'm your daddy."

"Daddy!" Brinley sobs, flinging herself out of the car directly into his arms.

He catches her, his shoulders shaking as he pulls her up against his chest. She burrows in, clinging to him the same damn way I do. Her little head nestles against his shoulder, her hands fisted in his shirt…and she cries.

"I m-missed you my w-whole life," she says.

"I missed you for your whole life too, sweetheart," he whispers, the pain in his voice breaking me all over again. "But I'm here now. And I promise you, I'm never going to miss another minute of time with you." He glances over his shoulder, his eyes wet as they meet mine. "With either of you."

I break down, sobbing.

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