Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
In the days that had followed, Micah and I had talked about where we wanted to ultimately settle down and had both agreed that Vegas wasn’t it. When Micah had learned that both Vaughn and Luca lived in Seattle, he’d suggested we make our home near our family.
Our home.
Our family.
The kids had been excited about the move, especially Christopher who’d become fast friends with Gio.
We’d flown to Seattle with Luca and Vaughn and their families and had spent a week finding a house to rent until we could shop for the perfect one. Right after we’d found the rental, I’d surprised Micah and the kids with a trip to Alaska. We’d spent nearly three weeks exploring the state by every means possible and on our last night there, Micah and I had asked Christopher and Rory if they would be okay with us legally adopting them once we were married.
The answer had been an easy one to anticipate and when Rory had shrieked in excitement, I’d had enough sense to cover my ears.
While our little family had been celebrating what was to come, my new extended family had been busy. Even though Ricky was going to be spending a lot of time behind bars, there’d been others who’d needed to be held accountable for their actions. As much as I’d wanted to inflict some much-needed justice myself, it had been more important for me to focus on my husband-to-be and our children, so I’d ask Ronan to work one of his miracles. Within a matter of weeks, his team had found several of the men who’d abused Micah. Nearly all had had a lengthy history of hurting kids so it had been easy to find evidence of their crimes which had been handed directly to the cops.
But the icing on the cake had been Barry.
Ronan’s men had found more than enough evidence on the sick fuck’s computer to put him behind bars for life. Instead of sending the man directly to jail, they’d taken the time to give Barry a personal message from me. By the time they’d been done with him, Barry had to be arrested from a hospital bed. I’d debated whether or not to tell Micah for fear that it would just bring back bad memories, but in the end I‘d known I couldn’t keep it from him. After taking some time to process the news, Micah had merely wrapped his arms around me and thanked me.
And that was it. From there, we’d both started the work we’d need to do to move on from the past. Today was another step in that direction.
Micah and I took our time walking up the small hill. I still carried a lot of guilt for my role in what had happened to Brady, but I knew it was something I’d have to work through. Micah and I had already talked about meeting with a counselor to help us sort through our feelings when it came to how we’d met and ultimately come together. But I was going a step further and planning on private sessions to deal with the trauma of what had happened in that alley so long ago. With Micah’s understanding and patience, I’d been able to give myself to him completely, and I’d loved every second of it when he and I had finally been joined in that final way, but the emotional scars were still there.
Just like they were for Micah.
So between us, we were likely going to add a nice little chunk of change to our therapist’s coffers, but we weren’t naïve enough to assume that just because we’d accepted what had happened to us that it meant we would get over it.
There was no getting over it.
There was only learning to live with it.
As we cleared the hill, Micah came to a dead stop. “What did you do?” he gasped. He turned to look at me, his eyes shimmering with tears.
“He was and always will be more than just a number,” I said softly as I gave Micah a little tug to get him moving again. His eyes stayed on the headstone I’d had placed at Brady’s grave. I waited nervously as he read the epithet I’d had inscribed in the pretty marble.
Brady Fox, loving father, husband, and big brother.
Micah cried and leaned into me. “Thank you.”
I wanted to tell him that I was the one who needed to be thanking him. He’d saved my life, he’d made me feel safe, he’d given me a future I hadn’t even dared dream of.
But I didn’t say any of that.
I would. And I’d do more than just tell him. I’d show him. I’d spend the rest of my life showing him what he meant to me.
But for now, I needed to give thanks to Brady for protecting Micah for as long as he had. There was no doubt in my mind that Micah was still alive today because his big brother had loved him enough to give up his own future.