24. Paisley

24

PAISLEY

" I came up with a name for the lipstick, but I'm not sure if you're going to like it."

Chloe, Scarlet, and Cali stare at me, eyes lit up as they wiggle with excitement. This is our last formal meeting before Fearless Beauty launches, and we're finalizing the names of each product so the factory can start the labeling process. I've spent the last couple of days researching to make sure no other makeup brand has the same name for any of their shades.

"If you don't hurry up and spit it out, I'm going to throttle you," Chloe squeals. "I already know it's going to be epic."

"Okay. So, hear me out. Petty Is My Favorite Color. Because there's no better time to be petty than when you're wearing red lipstick." I hold my breath, waiting for them to tell me I'm an idiot and that I suck at this. "The name is a stretch, but I wore it when I made Kieran fake-date me, I wore it when I put a staple in Chuck's forehead, and I wore it when I gave out my first death threat. All petty but so fucking fabulous at the same time."

Chloe jumps up from her spot on the couch and tackles me in a hug. "Best name for a lipstick, ever!"

I burst out giggling and hug her back. "Really? It's okay if you don't like it. It won't hurt my feelings."

Cali grins. "It's epic. This brand is going to be so amazing."

Scarlet claps her hands. "This calls for wine!"

While she pours four glasses, Chloe starts reading the list of shades.

"Okay, so for the eyeshadow palette, we have Irish for the dark green; Money Honey for the gold shimmer; Mafia Boss for the smoky brown; Daddy for the black; and Baby for the light shimmer. Blushes are Fish Bait for the pinkish one; Cheeto Dust for the peach color; and Girls' Night for the mauve one. Eyeliner is Switchblade. Lipsticks are Petty Is My Favorite Color for the red; Blow Me for the light pink; and Spanked for the hot pink. And, lastly, the highlighters are Jealous One for the light one and Cut Throat for the darker one. All of that sound right?"

Holding up my wineglass, I look around teary-eyed at my best friends. "To us and fearless, petty women everywhere."

We clink glasses and let out various squeals and screams of excitement before we start downing our wine.

"What kind of mischief are the four of you getting into?" Kieran asks.

My gaze shifts up to him as he looms in the doorway, but my attention quickly snaps to something small, black, and fuzzy in his arms.

I shoot up out of my seat and rush over to him. "What is that? Is that…Daddy, is that a Newfoundland?"

The corners of his lips lift slightly as he nods. "You never told me they get to be giants when they grow up."

He's trying to sound gruff, but the undertone is soft and affectionate. My giggles turn into coos as he hands me the puppy. "I don't remember telling you I liked Newfoundland's."

"You said you'd always wanted one, and you'd call him Buster. Meet Buster. He's ours."

I nearly drop the dog. Did I just hear him right? A dog? I've never had a dog. My throat closes, and tears fill my eyes. Kieran got me the puppy I've always dreamed of having. And he's even named him Buster. Not that long ago, he was talking crap about that name, but now for me, he's giving in.

Sniffling, I tip my head back and give Kieran a watery smile. "You really got him for me? To keep?"

"Yeah, baby. To keep."

"Aww!" Chloe says from behind me, and when I glance back, Scarlet and Cali are right there, too.

"You got her a dog! I always knew you'd be a soft Daddy. Declan owes me a hundred bucks." Cali does a little dance, and we all laugh. Well, everyone except Kieran. He scowls.

Buster wiggles in my arms, and his collar hits my finger. It feels odd. Like there's something metal on there. I squint and dig into his thick black fur, nearly dropping him for the second time in five minutes.

Attached to his collar is a white gold band with a brilliant black diamond solitaire practically the size of my fist. My gaze darts to Kieran, then to the ring, and back to him. I already know we're in this forever. He's told me explicitly that we are ‘til death do us part. What I didn't expect was this. A ring. A grand gesture. Holy fuck, he's getting down on one knee. A proposal!

"Daddy," I whisper, bringing my hand to my mouth.

"Yeah, baby. That's who I am and, that's who I always want to be to you. I want to be your Daddy, your man, your husband, your lover, your protector. You name it, I want to be it for you. I love you like I've never loved anyone else. You've fucking consumed every bit of me since the first night I met you. You drive me insane and argue with me over just about everything, but that only makes me love you more. You make me better. Whole. Most of all, you make me feel loved, and I didn't think I'd ever find someone who would want me for me. But you do. You're my everything, Paisley Mae. Will you please be my wife?"

Tears stream down my face, and I fumble with Buster as I hand him off to Chloe. When she has him securely, I turn and fall into Kieran's arms, sobbing.

"I love you. Yes. Of course I will," I cry.

We hold each other for several minutes while the girls scream and squeal behind me. Chloe hands Kieran the ring. When he slides it onto my finger, it's the perfect fit. Of course it is. Because, as he told me before, we're the perfect fit.

T wo weeks later

P aisley,

It's me, Daniel. There hasn't been a day that's gone by that I haven't thought of you the past few years since I've been clean. I've started dozens of letters to you but could never find the guts to finish them. I didn't want to tarnish the beautiful life I'd always hoped you'd made for yourself. After meeting Kieran Roche, those hopes were confirmed. It was obvious that he loves you, and I'm so glad you've found happiness.

I want you to know how sorry I am. I failed you as a brother, and I hurt you because of my addiction. Losing you has been my biggest regret. I don't deserve your forgiveness, and I'll never ask for it.

I'm not sure if Kieran told you anything, but I've been clean for a long time. I spent two years in prison, and while I was there, I started taking classes. When I was released, I finished my degree and am now an addiction recovery counselor.

Even if I never hear back from you, I just want you to know that I love you, and I'm so sorry I hurt you. There's no excuse for what I did. You deserved so much more, and I'm proud of you for going after it.

Love, Daniel

I 've read the letter three times, and each time, it brings a fresh set of tears. I don't know what to think. He could have found me before now. Especially if he's been clean for so long. He didn't. He waited until Kieran found him to contact me.

Bringing my knees to my chin, I sigh and ruffle Buster's fur. Then, his ears perk up, and he jumps down from the couch, running toward the front door. A few seconds later, Kieran walks in with Buster trotting behind him. The moment he sees me, he rushes over and kneels on the floor.

"What's wrong, baby? Are you okay?" He glances at the paper beside me, and his worried expression turns to a murderous one. "What did he say? I'll fucking kill him."

Warmth spreads through me, and I launch myself into Kieran's arms. Like he always does, he catches me and holds me against him as he rises to sit on the couch. I used to feel like I was missing out on something by not having a family, but not anymore. Because my family is right here, holding me like I'm the most precious thing in the world to him.

"Don't kill him. He didn't say anything bad. Mostly just apologized and told me what he's doing now."

I let out a shaky breath and rest my head on his shoulder. "Thank you for reaching out to him. I'm glad he's better. I was always too scared to search for him because of what I might find."

"I'd do anything for you, baby. I know you love your brother, and I want you to be happy. I told him he could send a letter, and if you didn't respond, he wasn't to keep contacting you."

My protector. Always shielding me.

"I don't know if I want to respond. I'm happy that he's sober, but my feelings are so complicated surrounding him. I do love him, but he really hurt me. I don't know if I can move on from that. It sounds terrible that I'm not jumping to forgive him."

He gently leans me back and cups my chin, pinning me with his gaze. "It's not terrible at all. You never have to forgive someone who hurt you. Your feelings and emotions are perfectly valid, and I support and back you with whatever you decide."

Tears start leaking from my eyes again. Using his thumb, he gently wipes them away, then leans down and kisses the damp spots.

"How did I get so lucky to get you to fall in love with me?" I ask.

His green eyes sparkle as his lips twitch. "It's not luck, baby. It's just you. You're so fucking easy to love."

I stroke his cheek. "You are too, Daddy. Loving you is like breathing. It comes so naturally."

Wrapping me in his arms, he leans back against the couch and runs his fingers through my hair. For the first time in my life, I'm complete. I've found my happiness. I've found where I belong, and it's right here on this mafia estate with Kieran Roche and our dog Buster.

O ne Month Later

"If you think I'm promising to obey you in our vows, you've seriously smoked something."

Kieran pinches his eyebrows. "I still think you should say it. Either way, you're obeying me for the rest of our lives."

I burst out laughing, loud and obnoxiously. When I settle down, I gently pat his chin over and over. "You're so cute that you think that, Daddy. At least I know you're delusional before we get married instead of finding out afterward."

He narrows his eyes and tries to look stern, but it doesn't work on me. The man knows exactly who he's marrying, and he knows I'm not going to obey shit. And he wouldn't want it any other way, no matter how much he says differently.

"Are you sure you want to marry me?"

The vulnerability in his voice hurts my heart. I reach up and cup his cheeks, then lift to my tiptoes to press a gentle kiss to his lips. My stubborn, grumpy, pain-in-the-ass man is one of the sweetest and most sensitive people I've ever met. He likes to pretend he doesn't have feelings, but I see them, and I will spend the rest of my life nurturing his vulnerabilities.

"I've never wanted anything more in my life. You're my love, my best friend, my Daddy, my everything. I can hardly wait to walk down the aisle tomorrow and become Mrs. Kieran Roche." I press my hand to his heart.

He swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing as he stares down at me. He clenches his jaw several times before he finally relaxes and gives a slow nod. "I was a shell of a man before I met you, Little one. You've made me whole again."

My throat tightens, and my love for him grows more. "Well," I say, smiling coyly. "I am pretty amazing."

"Little girl," he growls with no heat behind it.

I giggle and kiss him again. "Yes, Daddy?"

"Do you want to walk down the aisle with a sore ass?"

Shrugging, I wrap my arms around his waist and snuggle against his chest. "Will you cuddle me after you spank me?"

When he squeezes me against him, his heart races in my ear, and my entire world is complete.

"I will always snuggle you any time you want, but especially after I spank you."

My butt tingles, and my pussy clenches. Despite the stinging pain when he spanks me, the connection I feel with him during is so worth it. My mind is always so clear afterward, too. "Then yes, I think a spanking might be in order, Daddy."

"Good girl for telling me what you need. I'm so proud of you. Come on, let's put Buster in his crate and go to our room so we don't scare him."

I grin up at him. For a man who acts like he doesn't care for the puppy, he sure fusses over him a lot. My big softie. And tomorrow, I get to become his wife.

" W hat do you think the guys are doing tonight?" Cali asks.

I shrug. "Kieran said they were going to drink an expensive bottle of whiskey around the fire."

Chloe's eyes light up. "That means they're outside… and the Nerf guns I ordered came yesterday."

"Not happening, girls," Patrick says, glaring from his post outside the living room.

Cali raises an eyebrow. "Why do you have to be such a stick in the mud? You know it would be hilarious to do a sneak attack on them."

He puts his hands on his hips, looming in the doorway. "Oh, yeah? And what am I going to tell them when they ask why I didn't stop you?"

"Tell them we said we were just going to visit them because we missed them, and you believed us," Scarlet answers innocently.

Shaking his head, he sighs. "I swear, before you brats came along, I was next in line to join the top ranks. Now, because you all run circles around me, your men think I'm incompetent."

We giggle at him, the wine we've already drunk coursing heavily through our veins.

"Patty," Scarlet says.

Patrick growls. "Do not call me that. If I have to tell you one more time, I'm telling Killian to spank your ass."

My mouth drops open. Wow, Patrick can be scary when he wants to be. And all this time, I thought he was a gentle giant.

"Rude." Scarlet rolls her eyes. "As I was saying, you took a bullet for me and Cali, so no matter what you do, you're safe from our Daddies."

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Jesus Christ, I'm going to regret this."

Without waiting for him to change his mind, the four of us leap off the couch and run out of the front door, across our lawn to Bash and Chloe's lawn and into their house. We knew there were Nerf guns on the way, but we didn't know if we would have them before tonight. Seeing how the men are sitting out on the patio, it's the perfect sneak attack because we can come from several different angles.

It takes way too long for us to dig out the loot from Chloe's hiding spots under several of the guest room beds, and then it takes even longer to unpackage them.

As soon as we have them strapped around us with extra foam ammo, we leave Chloe's house laughing and shushing each other.If we don't get ourselves under control, we're going to blow our cover.

"Two of us should go around one side of the pool house while the other two go around the other. Use the walkie-talkie app on your phone to tell us when you're in place so we can attack at the same time," Scarlet whispers.

We nod, and Chloe and I take off together, tiptoeing in the grass. The glow of the flames in the gas fire pit illuminates the space along with the strings of patio lights. Kieran laughs, and my heart goes wild. I love hearing that sound from him. It's rare that he lets go and relaxes like that, but I hope with me by his side, he'll be able to do it more.

Chloe pulls out her phone. "We're in place. Ready?" she murmurs into the speaker.

I wrap my hands around the enormous play gun and lick my lips. This is going to be so worth the spanking I'm going to get. Which I'm definitely going to get for doing this because Kieran's last words to me before he left were, "Be a good girl and no funny business." But he didn't specify what funny business is, so there is that. Plus, I'm not really being bad; I'm being playful. Yep. That's it. I should have been a lawyer because I'm good at this.

"In three, two, one, go!" Cali replies.

Chloe and I take off and start shooting before we even see the men, but as soon as we turn the corner of the pool house, we scream. All six men, plus Patrick, have guns of their own in hand, but they aren't Nerf guns. They are water soakers.

"Oh my God!" I scream as Kieran drenches me.

"Ah! What the hell?" Cali squeals.

The four of us fire back, pelting the men with foam darts while they continue to yell and shout while spraying us with cold water.

"You're so mean!" I shoot at Kieran several times.

He laughs deeply. "The meanest. You better run, Little demon, because once I get you, you're in trouble."

Letting out a shriek, I take off running, but I don't even make it five steps before he wraps his thick arm around my waist and yanks me back against him.

"Caught you, baby," he growls in my ear.

I giggle and struggle against him, soaked from head to toe.

"Mercy! Mercy!" I cry out.

"There's no mercy in the mafia, Little demon. Not even from your Daddy." He nips at my ear, though, and releases me. Cali is flipped over Declan's shoulder while Scarlet is being tickled by Killian on the grass, and Chloe is making out with Bash. Lord, those two really need to get a room.

"Patrick!" I yell, glaring at him. "You snitch!"

Patrick laughs evilly. "You girls aren't as sneaky as you think you are."

Furrowing my brows, I tilt my head. "Huh?"

Bash pulls away from Chloe but keeps an arm around her. "Our gate guards scan every box that is delivered to this estate. They gave me a heads-up that a box full of Nerf guns had arrived under Patrick's name. When I asked him about it, he was confused because why would he order something like that? But then we found out Chloe was the one who picked up the box from the gate. So, we've been expecting an attack and had a feeling it would happen tonight."

My mouth drops open, and Chloe gasps. Cali puts her hands on her hips while Scarlet shakes her head in disbelief.

Cali takes a step toward Patrick. "You sold us out!"

Patrick grins. "You brats tried to use me for your prank, so I decided a little payback was needed."

Well, that's just rude. Who knew Patrick was such a savage?

Kieran pulls me against him again and nuzzles my neck with his beard. Goosebumps rise on my flesh.

"You're getting your ass spanked tomorrow night for this little shenanigan. For now, you need to go change into your pajamas and go to bed so you're rested for tomorrow."

Turning, I wrap my arms around him and snuggle into his chest. "I can't wait to marry you, Daddy."

His breath catches for a second as he brings his hand to the back of my head. "I can't wait to marry you either, Little one."

T he minister stands before us, but I barely notice him or the small audience of people watching our beautiful union. Everything feels surreal, but also, it's the best day of my life, and I never want it to end.

"The two of you have prepared your own vows. Paisley, you may go first."

I give the officiant a quick smile before I return my gaze to my handsome Daddy. A lump forms in my throat, and I hope I can get the words out without bursting into happy tears.

"Kieran, I love you so much. I never thought I'd find someone who would love me so unconditionally, and then you stormed into my life, providing me the safety to be myself. You're the best man I've ever known, and I can't wait to spend all of my days with you.

"I promise to love, honor, and cherish you. I promise to be faithful, honest, and to protect your heart. Lastly, I promise I'll occasionally obey you, but not without argument first, because it's up to me to keep you grounded."

Everyone laughs, including Kieran, even though he shakes his head. I wink at him before I continue.

"Being your wife and loving you will be my greatest honor. I choose you today and every day from here on out."

His eyes grow wet, and he swallows several times before he speaks.

"Paisley Mae, you're my everything. You've flipped my world upside down, and I've loved every second of it. You're brilliant, beautiful, sassy, and best of all, you're mine. I promise to love, honor, and cherish you as well as protect and guide you. I promise to always have your back. I also promise to put up with your smart mouth and continue to love you unconditionally for the rest of our lives. I will stay faithful and true. And lastly, I will always put you first above all else. I love you, baby girl."

Tears stream down my cheeks, and he reaches out to gently wipe the wetness away.

"You have made your vows, which are promises for the married life that you are beginning right now, in this moment," the minister says. "We witness and bless your vows for the lifetime of your marriage . And so, we come to the rings. The final ritual in a wedding ceremony is to make your commitment tangible—your rings are the physical representation of the promises you have made to one another today. They symbolize the sanctity of your marriage and are a constant reminder of your love."

Bash hands Kieran my ring while Chloe hands me Kieran's.

"Kieran, please place the ring on Paisley's finger."

As he slides the diamond band against my engagement ring, excitement explodes low in my belly.

"Kieran, do you take Paisley to be your wife for the rest of your life? If you agree, say I do."

As Kieran stares into my eyes, his are full of nothing but love. "I do."

"Very good. Paisley, please put the ring on Kieran's finger."

I slide the thick band onto his finger and meet his gaze again.

"Paisley, do you take Kieran to be your husband for the rest of your life? If you agree, say I do."

"I do."

Kieran and I grin as the minister finalizes his speech.

"By the power vested in me by the State of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Kieran, you may kiss your wife."

Pulling me into his arms, he lowers his face to mine. "My wife," he murmurs before he kisses me deeply and thoroughly while everyone around us cheers.

Definitely the best day of my life.