He turned then, striding toward me before stopping at my feet and plunging his hands into my hair, eyes steering mine as he growled. “That wasn’t for you to decide.”
My heart beat painfully against my ribs. “I loved you too much to stop you.”
“You let me think we were over. That I’d ruined your life. That you hated me.” His eyes were tortured.
“I had to, or you wouldn't leave!” I finally succumbed to the pain throbbing in my heart and fell to my knees. I pushed my hands into my hair and sobbed. “I’m so sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing, and now… I don't know. I don’t know.”
He dropped to his knees beside me, hands holding my cheeks and pulling my gaze to meet his.
“I was never good enough for you, Hawk. You came from something, you are going places. A girl like me only holds a guy like you back, and I couldn't live with myself if I’d—”
“Shut up. Fuck, woman, please just shut up.” He covered my lips in a soft kiss. Kissing me slowly, he slid his tongue in and out, tasting me like he was savoring me. “I don’t know what the fuck I'm going to do with you,” he murmured, nose circling the shell of my ear. “But I want to get to know my daughter.”
I hunched there stock-still, frozen in his arms as the realization there was no going back took over me.
Hawk knew now.
Hawk knew Emerson was his, and now I would have to split custody, share my daughter, make decisions for her with him.
With him.
Oh God, what had I done?
Chapter 6
Hawk
She was mine.
I couldn’t fucking believe it. After all these years, all this time, my girl had a little girl, my little girl.
“We're gonna have to get your stuff moved out of here tomorrow,” I muttered, brain suddenly swirling with all the shit I had to do.
“Excuse me, what?” She looked up at me, eyes still wet with salty tears.
“Not leaving you and my little girl in this place. Not when there’s something I can do about it.”
“Hawk, we don’t need you to do anything. Between my mom and Mrs. Frisk and me, we’re getting along just fine with Emerson.”
“My girl deserves a fuck of a lot more than just fine.” I cupped her cheek, smoothing the pad of my thumb across her cheek. “Both of my girls do.”
She tightened her jaw, standing up and brushing herself off. “Listen, Hawk Larson, I don’t need your handout. I don’t need anything from you.”
“You need a daddy for that little girl,” I said plainly.
The words must have hit their mark because Morgan narrowed her eyes. “Don’t start. You can see Emerson. You’re welcome to come over for dinners and school functions, but—”
“But my ass, Morgan.” I pulled her close to me, chest to chest, breath to breath. “I want all the fucking dinners with that little girl, and I want them with you too. Don’t bother tellin’ me you mind sharing a dinner with me because the way you just screamed my name back at my place proves otherwise. I can still make you come, Morgan. My skin against yours makes you mine. This—” I hammered my cock against her pelvis, making sure she felt every hard inch “—this belongs to you.”
“Hawk…” She sucked in a breath, head landing against my chest as her body relaxed against mine.
“I’m here, baby, and I’m not leaving. God himself couldn’t keep me away now.”
Tears welled in her eyes, but I was determined to make this a good moment. I licked her tearstained cheeks, swallowing the pain, dragging her down to the grass with me. Kissing her was like being teenagers again, my hands crawling up her shirt, her luscious body grinding out a rhythm against mine. Cloaked in darkness, surrounded by the scent of lilacs and my girl, I came alive again.
“Come inside,” she whispered.
“Been waiting for those words for too fucking long.” I snaked my arms around her waist and hauled her against me, pounding up the rickety steps and through the door of her home.
“Can’t wait to show you our new house.”
“Our new house? You’re a dog with a bone about this, aren’t you?”
“About taking care of what’s mine? Fuck yeah, I am.” I pushed her through the door of her bedroom after she pointed the way. Our lips clung together the entire time as we crashed into her room, silver moonlight careening across her bed, her hair, her body, making her look good enough to eat.
“You’re a fucking angel, precious. You’ve grown into a woman,” I murmured, lifting the shirt over her head and then unclasping her bra. Her heavy tits fell free, and I caught them with my palms, sucking and biting at the nipples until they were pink and hard.