Chapter Eleven

Priest

" W hat's your favorite movie?" Brinley asks, bouncing excitedly on the couch beside me after her bath.

" The Iron Giant ," I say. It's not technically my favorite, but it's the only one near the top of the list that's remotely suitable for a five-year-old. Mina will kick my ass if she starts asking to watch anything else on my list. And I already know she'll ask.

She's been relentless with her questions for the last four hours. Every time I answer, she demands every detail. Her mind is fascinating. It's like it never stops. The world is a vast, exciting place to her, and she wants to know everything, see everything, experience everything right now. She's so much like her mama, it's unreal.

"What's it about?" she asks, her nose scrunched up as she stares up at me, her eyes shining with curiosity. And Christ, those eyes are just like Mina's, too. She's like a tiny little replica of my wife, so fucking perfect my goddamn heart squeezes in a vise every time I look at her. I see little pieces of me in her, too. She has my smile, especially when she's feeling particularly mischievous, and my cheekbones. But everything else is Mina.

Especially that spirit. She's handling this like a champion. I was so goddamn terrified that she'd be afraid of me or clam up and not want to talk to me. But she hasn't stopped talking since she leaped into my arms and told me she missed me her whole life.

Hearing that shit broke me. Seeing her cry killed me.

I'll never be the reason my wife and daughter cry ever again. Don't give a fuck what it takes to keep that promise to myself, I'll do it.

"It's about a little boy who finds a giant alien robot and decides to become his friend," I murmur. "Bad guys try to hurt the little boy and all of his friends, so the Giant rescues them, even though it means he gets hurt."

"Oh no," she whispers, her eyes wide as she reaches for my hand.

"It's okay, baby girl," I promise, squeezing her little fingers. "He's a special robot. He comes back."

"Really?"

"Yep."

She beams up at me. "He's like you then, Daddy. You came back. That makes you special."

I glance over her head at Mina, who smiles sweetly as she steps into the room from the kitchen. "He is special," she murmurs to our daughter, leaning up against the doorframe. "But not even he can keep you up two hours past your bedtime, lovebug."

"But, Mommy."

"She's right," I say gently. "It's late, sweetheart. And you've already been up later than you should be."

Brinley's little face falls, breaking my heart. Christ, telling her no is going to be hard as hell. I don't fucking like it at all. But Mina already let her stay up an hour and a half later than usual to give us this time. I can't be greedy and ask for more when she has school tomorrow. She'll be exhausted.

"Will you spend the night, Daddy?" she asks, her bottom lip poking out. "Please?"

My gaze flies to Mina, gauging her reaction to the request. Frankly, wild horses couldn't drag me away. But I don't know if she's ready for Brinley to know the ins and outs of our relationship yet. We didn't talk about that. This situation is so fucking complicated. We don't just have our own feelings and desires to navigate. We have Brinley and what she needs to consider.

Is it best for her for me to just barge into their lives and create a space for myself? Is it the worst possible thing for her? I don't fucking know. All I know is that my daughter wants me here, I want to be here…and judging by the look on my wife's face, so does she.

"You want him to spend the night?" Mina asks, far more adept at navigating through this than I am. She picks her way through carefully, letting Brinley lead the way.

"Yes!" Our daughter bounces again, her little head bobbing rapidly. "He should always stay here so we can be a real family."

"Is that what you want, baby girl? You want us to be a real family?"

Brinley cocks her head to the side, staring at Mina. "Aren't we a real family, Mommy? Now that he's back?"

Mina glances at me, sorrow shifting through her emerald eyes. I know exactly what she's thinking about—the fact that, legally, I don't even exist anymore. That we aren't even married anymore. As far as the world is concerned, we aren't a family. I'm not even supposed to be here.

I fucking hate that look on her face. Doesn't matter what the rest of the world believes. What matters is what we think and how we feel. If she needs me to unravel the legal shit to make this real to her, I'll find a way to do it. I need my ring on her finger again.

"Yeah," she whispers, licking her lips. "We are a real family."

Brinley beams again, clapping her little hands. "Then can he spend the night, Mommy? Please, please, please?"

"It's up to him, baby girl."

Brinley immediately whips her head in my direction, a plea in her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby girl," I promise, not giving her time to voice it. "I'm staying right here with my girls."

Judging by the looks on both of their faces, it's the right answer.

Our daughter squeals, jumping up onto the cushion to throw her arms around me. Mina meets my gaze over her head, her emerald eyes dark with unspoken desire. But she doesn't need to voice it. I feel the same goddamn need pounding through me with every beat of my heart.

"Let's get you in bed, baby girl," I murmur, lifting Brinley in my arms to carry her to bed.

She doesn't fight or utter a single complaint this time. She just rests her little head against my shoulder with a happy sigh, allowing me to carry her up to her room behind Mina.

She's already brushed her teeth, so I deposit her in the center of her unicorn bed amidst a sea of stuffed animals. She snuggles right in, her eyes locked on my face.

"I'm glad you aren't lost anymore," she whispers as I kneel beside her bed, pulling the covers up over her.

"Me too, baby girl," I whisper, trying not to fucking cry again. "Me too."

She touches my cheek and smiles. "I love you forever, Daddy."

Goddamn, I never knew something so sweet could hurt this good. I've been saying the same shit to Mina since the first time she told me that she loves me. It's never I love you. It's always I love you forever. Hearing our daughter say it now, knowing she passed that to her…Christ. It's perfect in a way I don't deserve.

"I love you forever, too, baby girl," I rasp.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Brinley grabs an old, worn teddy bear, thrusting it out toward me. "This is for you."

I glance between the little fuzzy bear and her, confused. "You're giving me a teddy bear?" I ask, amused.

"Uh-huh," she whispers. "Mommy says that you gave me your special pick. This is my special bear. I want you to have it."

I glance over at Mina for an explanation.

"When I told her you were back, she thought you might be lonely when you weren't here," she murmurs. "So she wanted you to have her bear so you had something to keep with you so you weren't sad."

Ah, hell. There's no way I'm going to survive loving this little girl and my wife at the same time. They've only just let me in, and I already feel the man I've had to be for the last six years falling away. He fought and bled and did ruthless, vicious shit. And this tiny little girl is smothering every painful, raw place those things left festering inside. She's smoothing them over, filling in the cracks and forming something new.

And my God, it's beautiful. Exactly like coming home. Only…this time, home is bigger and brighter and so goddamn perfect it hurts.

"Tell you what." I swallow the lump in my throat as I stroke my finger down her teddy bear's nose. "Why don't you watch over him for me at night? That way, I know he's safe and protected. He might get lonely otherwise."

"Okay," she agrees, pulling him up against her chest to snuggle him as her eyes flutter.

I dip my head, resting my lips against her forehead. "Sweet dreams, little princess."

"Sweet dreams, Daddy."

I watch her for a long moment before shifting out of the way so Mina can tell her goodnight. My wife settles onto the edge of the bed, running her hand down the side of Brinley's face.

"Love you forever, baby girl," she whispers, her voice soft.

"I love you forever, too," Brinley says around a yawn. And then she blinks at Mina. "Hey, Mommy?"

"Yeah, lovebug?"

"Is it still comblicated?"

Mina chuckles, tapping her on the nose. "It's still complicated, but we're figuring it out, Brinley baby."

"But daddy gets to stay here while you figure it out, right?"

"Yeah, baby girl. Your daddy is going to stay here," she whispers. "Remember what I told you today?"

"Uh-huh." Brinley's gaze darts to me before sliding back to Mina. "I don't think he's very scared anymore," she stage-whispers. "I taught him a lot today."

Christ. I rub my hand over my heart, trying to imprint that sweet ache into my skin.

"Yeah, you did." The smile in Mina's voice is unmistakable. "You did good, baby girl. Real good."

"Yeah," Brinley breathes, her eyes fluttering closed.

Mina leans down, brushing a kiss to her cheek, before tucking her the rest of the way in. And then she rises to her feet, crossing to my side. I tug her up into my arms. For a long moment, I just hold her, her head tucked against my chest, as we watch our daughter drift off to sleep. It's a simple moment…one so fucking ordinary. And yet, it feels goddamn magical to me.

When Brinley's breath evens out, her face going slack, I tug Mina from the room, my heart in my throat. We don't speak as we make our way down the hall. I don't say a word as we cross into her room. But as soon as the bedroom door closes behind us, I've got her pinned against it, my body against hers.

"You taught her," I rasp, breathing hard as I stare down at her.

"Taught her?" She frowns at me, confusion swirling through her eyes.

"I love you forever."

Her expression softens with understanding. "It was a piece of you she deserved to have," she says simply. "It was a piece of you I couldn't let go of. Of course I taught her."

Jesus.

I crash my lips down on hers, gratitude coursing through me in a tsunami. She whimpers into my mouth, kissing me back just as fiercely, just as passionately.

But it isn't enough for me. I need my hands on her bare skin. I need to fucking drown in her again. Christ, I'll never stop needing her in that way.

Apparently, she feels the same way. Because the minute I have her shirt off, she's got her hands between our bodies, stroking me through my jeans.

I tug her skirt and panties down in one swift motion, baring her dripping pussy. She kicks them off impatiently and reaches for my zipper, her fingers trembling with need as she frees my aching cock.

"Grayson," she moans, wrapping her hand around my shaft.

I groan at her touch, thrusting into her perfect grip. She strokes and squeezes, her emerald eyes locked on mine, as she drives me right out of my goddamn mind.

But I'm not coming in her hand. Fuck that.

I grab her wrist, pulling her hand away. She pouts at me, pissed I stopped her…until I drop to my knees, spreading her thighs wide. Her heady scent is like a fucking drug drawing me in, demanding I take and taste and claim all over again.

I bury my face between her legs, lapping at her dripping cunt. She cries out, sinking her hands into my hair as I devour her, licking and sucking at her swollen clit.

"Oh god, please!" she begs, writhing against my tongue.

"You need more, baby?" I slide two fingers deep inside her tight cunt, curling them to hit that sweet spot. Her pussy clenches around me, and she shatters with a soft cy, flooding my tongue with her release.

Fuck, I'll never get enough of her like this—wild and free, coming alive under my touch.

I rise to my feet, lifting her up and wrapping her legs around my waist. My lips find her skin, pressing my devotion into her throat.

"Hold on tight, baby," I order.

She clutches my shoulders as I yank her down on my cock, burying myself to the hilt in her perfect cunt. We both groan at the intense feeling of our bodies joining, finally complete again after hours apart.

"Never going to get enough of this," I rasp against her ear. "Christ, Mina. I want to live right here between your fucking thighs."

"Yes," she whispers, her nails scoring my shoulders.

I set a furious pace, pounding into her over and over. She meets every powerful thrust, her soft cries of ecstasy urging me on. It's heaven and hell, pleasure and pain, a homecoming to end all homecomings.

I latch onto the column of her throat, sucking and biting, leaving another mark. She's mine, only ever mine. Just like I'm hers, body and soul.

"Fuck, I'm gonna come," I grunt, my rhythm faltering as the tight grip of her perfect body sends me hurtling toward the edge.

"Yes, come for me," she demands, writhing all over my cock. "Give it to me, Grayson."

I can't resist her. I never could.

I shout her name as her demand tips me over the edge into oblivion, wave after wave of ecstasy crashing over me. She pulses and spasms around my spurting cock, milking me dry as she joins me in bliss.

I bury my face in her hair, inhaling deeply as we gasp for air. It's strawberries and sex and Mina. The scent of home, of everything I've been missing for six long years.

And it's finally mine again.