She doesn’t react. That’s public knowledge. I’m sure she did a cursory Google search for me, and found that little tidbit out.
“After she died, I couldn’t face the world,” I say softly. “The truth is, I blamed myself.”
“Why?” she asks. “It was an accident.”
“I was supposed to be on that flight.”
She looks confused. “You were? I mean, I didn’t know that.”
“Nobody does,” I whisper, barely able to choke it out. “We were going to Ibiza for vacation. A last hurrah, I guess, before the baby. But something at work came up, and I told her to get on the plane, don’t wait for me, I’d meet her there the following evening. She said she didn’t feel like flying alone, but I convinced her to go anyway.” My voice is choked in my throat as the words spill out.
“She got on the plane. She never wanted to. She wanted to wait, to be with me, but work was more important to me back then. I pushed her away… to her death. She died, along with the baby she was carrying. After that, I came here, and I haven’t left since.”
Hazel stares at me. I can’t read her expression. I don’t want to read it. I’m a horrible man for what I did to Marla and my baby. I’m a horrible man for what I did to my brother. I’ve broken everything in my life. I’m a cancer, and Hazel should run away.
Instead, she cradles my head and pulls me against her. She hugs me tight. “It wasn’t your fault,” she says softly. “You poor, poor man.”
I hug her, and part of me thinks I should be crying, but I don’t have any more tears for the past. I feel light as she hugs me close and I realize that I’ve been holding on to that story for a long time now.
It’s been keeping me down, locked in this place. It’s the reason I can’t see the world beyond my own desk, my own bed. I can’t see the world past my own nose, because I’m too afraid I’ll kill someone else.
“It’s not your fault, Daddy,” she whispers. “I promise, it’s not your fault.”
I take a deep breath. I pull back and kiss her.
She kisses me back. It’s a sweet moment, nearly a perfect one. I feel all of my energy, my dismay, my horror, my fear, all of it evaporate into the air. It floats away, leaving me lighter, leaving me free.
Marla is gone. Her ghost is gone. I finally feel free.
I kiss Hazel one more time. “I love you,” I whisper to her. “I won’t ever leave you.”
“I love you too,” she whispers back.
My heart leaps in my chest. Joy slowly floods back into me.
I haven’t heard those words in a long time. I haven’t said those words, either. But now, it’s right.
I never felt like this with Marla. I never felt like this in my entire life.
Hazel is bringing me back from the edge, back from the dead.
“I love you,” I whisper again, kissing her. She laughs and kisses me back, and now the moment is complete.
Now, the moment is perfect.
21
Hazel
One Year Later
I walk into my bedroom and it takes my breath away.
It always does. I walk slowly around the perimeter, staring at the priceless paintings hanging all over the place. I’ve added a few over the last year, with Mason’s approval of course, but he’s been giving me more leeway.
Apparently, he trusts my taste.
I smile to myself and run my fingers down the front of a Jackson Pollock. I love touching a priceless piece of art like this, even though I know it’s damaging the work ever so slightly.
There’s something beautiful about that. Ruining it because you love it so much.
I adjust my dress and turn as the door opens. “Knew I’d find you here,” he grunts as he steps into the room.
Mason looks handsome in his tuxedo, perfectly tailored and fitted to his muscular, tall frame. I walk over to him and he kisses me with a little smile.
“You look good,” I say.
“You look better.”
“I know that.”
He smirks as I step away from him. “Are you ready for tonight?”
“Of course. Are you?”
“Always.” He stretches and flops down on the bed. “Although I’d rather stay here.”
“Oh, yeah?” I sidle up next to him and kiss his neck. “Why’s that?”
“You know why,” he says, and grabs me, pulling me on top of him.
I laugh as he kisses me and rolls over, pinning me to the bed.
“I’d rather stay here and fuck you in every way imaginable,” he says.
“Sounds very degrading.”
“It will be.”
“Promise?”
“Of course.” He smirks and kisses me before letting me go. He sighs and walks over to the mirror as I sit up and get to my feet. I adjust myself and make sure he didn’t ruin my hair.
“We might as well get going,” I say. “No use sitting around in here.”
“I know.”
“But you’d rather stay around here, brooding all night long?”
He glares at me, but smiles. “You know I don’t do that anymore. Haven’t for a while.”
“I know that. You just want to keep me all for yourself. Not that I blame you.”
He grins bigger and turns to come after me. I scamper away from him as he grabs for my hips and I hurry into the other room with him right behind me, laughing as I run. We tumble into his office together, well, our office now.
His desk is in the same spot, but there’s a second desk up toward the front where I do most of my work. I’m still his assistant technically, although I have more duties than just fetching him coffee.
Mainly though, I’m tasked with keeping my Daddy happy, and I’m happy to report that I’m very good at my job.
He catches me and drags me over to the little couch, pushing me down onto it. “Mason!” I say as he kisses me. I groan into his touch and wish we really didn’t have to leave at all.
Finally, though, he pulls away. “You know, I like to hear my real name on your lips sometimes.”
“Not as much as you like it when I call you Daddy.”
“Not nearly as much.” He grins and pulls me up to my feet, his arm around my waist. “Come on, little Hazel.”
“Yes, Daddy,” I whisper, kissing his neck.
We walk out of the office together and take the elevator downstairs. Rogers is waiting in the car for us, smiling as we climb into the back.
“Ready, you two?” he asks.
“Take us away, Rogers,” Mason says.
We ride together and I put my head on his shoulder as we glide through the city. Mason stares out the window, and I bet it’s still a little hard for him.
Ever since we made this official between us, he’s been getting out more and more. It was little stuff at first, just around the office, attending board meetings, that sort of thing.
Then it was going to meetings outside of the office. Then it was movies, dinner, dancing, all that stuff, until here we are. One year later, going to some big, fancy charity thing together.
I never pictured this in a million years. I intertwine my fingers with his, holding his hand tightly in mine. He smiles at me, kisses my lips gently.
We don’t have to talk. Sometimes, we spend all day without saying a word, although we rarely go more than an hour without touching. It’s little touches, a hand on a shoulder, lips brushing a neck. They say more than anything else.
It reminds me that he loves me and I love him.
We pull up out front of the hotel where the event is being held. Rogers nods as we leave, joining the throngs of well-dressed people.
Several men greet Mason as he moves through the crowd. It’s almost like he didn’t disappear from society for five years, although of course nobody can ignore that. There are whispers, comments, rumors, that sort of thing.
None of it matters. He’s my Daddy and we love each other. That’s all I need.
He squeezes my hand and smiles. We find a little corner of the roo
m and he sips some champagne. I decline a glass, which makes him raise an eyebrow.
“I want to tell you something,” I say.
“What’s wrong?”
I glare. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s a good thing.”
“Is that why you dragged me out tonight?”
“Maybe. I wanted an excuse to get dressed up.”
“You wanted an excuse to see me in a tux.”
“That too.”
He laughs. “Okay, what do you want to tell me?”
“I’m pregnant.”
He stares at me. For a second, I think he’s going to be upset. I know he lost a baby when his first wife died, when she was pregnant.
I know that still haunts him sometimes, but less every day.
But his face breaks out into a huge smile. “You’re joking.”
“No, I found out this morning.”
“You’re pregnant!”
He scoops me up in his arms and hugs me tight. He doesn’t seem to care that everyone’s staring at us.
I don’t care, either.
Let them stare. I couldn’t be happier than I am in this moment.
I’m pregnant with his baby. We’re going to be together, raising a child together. This is more than I ever dreamed of.
“I guess we’ll have to get married now,” he says, grinning huge.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“Seriously,” he says, kissing me softly, holding me close. “We’re getting married.”
“Okay,” I say, giggling like an idiot.
“You’ll be my wife, and I’ll be your Daddy,” he whispers in my ear. “Can you do that, forever?”
“Yes, Daddy,” I whisper back, and kiss him slowly and deep.
My Daddy, my husband. Father of my child. This is what I’ve always wanted from my life, what I didn’t even know I could have.
It’s perfection. I have no other way of putting it. Sheer, absolute perfection.
I stay in his arms as he holds me close and I don’t want to go anywhere ever again. I can be a recluse in his arms for the rest of my life and always be happy.
THE END
* * *
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Dark Daddies
Yes Daddy
Please Daddy - Coming Soon!
Hate Love
Hating My New Boss
Hating the Rich Bastard
Rock Hard
Hating the Rock Star
Marrying the Rock Star
Miracle Babies
His Miracle Baby
His Dream Baby
His Perfect Baby
His Wonder Baby
His Amazing Baby
Big Daddies
Possessive Daddy
Small Town Daddy
Your Daddy
Virgin’s Daddy
Man of the House
Second Chance
Best Friends with Benefits
Second Chance Husband
Hating the Rock Star
My Brother’s Bad Best Friend
Barone Mafia Family
Step Bride – Book 1
Bastard’s Baby – Book 2
Kissing the Killer – Book 3
Packing Heat – Book 4
Bow Down – Book 5
Big Daddies
Big Stranger’s Baby
Big Mountain Daddy
Single Dad Billionaire
Virgin Bride
Dark and Filthy
Summer Loving
Intense
Bend
Ruined
Bind
Daddy Dom
Daddy’s Baby
Reverse Harem
My Five Daddies
My Brother’s Five Friends
Five Mountain Daddies
Alphaholes
Baby Maker
Lovemaker
Filthy Beast
Hard Bastard
Steamy Sports
Long
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Go Hard
Raunchy Royals
Royal Rock
Prince Player
Prince Billionaire
Sexy SEALs
Second Chance SEAL
One Night SEAL
Raging Hard
SEALed Bride
Bastard SEAL
Stepbrothers
Rock Hard
Stiff
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Based
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Undersold
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Filmed
Honored
Jerked
Bad Boy Bikers
Biker’s Claim
Biker’s Bride
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About the Author
I’m from a little suburb just north of Philadelphia. I love black labs, stupid jokes, and dirty, filthy stories. As an Indie author, your support means everything. Thank you so much for reading!
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