Page 106 of Stay Little Fighter

And I want to tell all three of them about how we burned it all to the ground. Or in the compound’s case, blew it sky-high.

It was satisfying as hell watching that place be reduced to ash, and I wasn’t the only one that felt it. Getting to do it together just made it all the sweeter.

I kneel and carefully place the bouquets by the headstones. By the time I lean back on my heels, Chloe is kneeling beside me, her fingers moving over the lush grass.

There’s a reason the Lombardis have been buried here for as long as the family has been in Miami. They take care of the grounds better than any other cemetery I’ve ever visited.

She takes my hand and squeezes, giving me as much comfort as she’s seeking for herself.

“They’d be so proud of you, Mama,” I murmur.

“I know.”

“And they would be happy that you’re finally living for yourself again.”

She looks up at me through watery eyes with a wobbly smile. “I wish they could see the life we’re building. I wish Dad was here to be freaked out about me being with four men only to accept it when he realized how happy it made me. I wish Mom was here to help me through whatever comes next. The idea of a wedding or kids or whatever else is in our future terrifies me to not have her guidance. And I wish Caroline was here to see her sons finally out from under Salvatore’s thumb.”

Tears roll down her cheeks, and I brush them away with my thumb as I cup her jaw. “They’re here. They’re always with us, and they’ll always be by your side through those scary moments and all the ones in between.”

Damon sits behind her, tugging her into his lap, while Ronan takes her other side and Ryker sits behind us, a quiet support as we grieve together.

Through the tears and the quiet memories we share between moments of silence, I thank whoever smiled down on us the day they decided we would end up together.

Four men who couldn’t stand one another and the woman that their lives orbited around.

Unconventional? Sure.

But I’ve never felt anything quite so right in my life and I won’t take a second of this life for granted.

CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

RYKER

NOW

Everyone was exhausted by the time we made it back to the jet to head home, and we were barely in the air when they fell asleep, but I can’t close my eyes.

Although I didn’t have the same emotional connection to this trip, I can’t help but feel like it shifted something in our dynamic.

We worked together at every turn. We didn’t bicker the way we would have a few weeks ago, and when someone needed support, we gave it to them without hesitation.

I’ve also realized how difficult it is going to be for me moving forward to let Chloe out of my sight.

Those hours when she was traveling to and from Miami were pure fucking torture, and I need a much more permanent solution to tracking her if I’m ever going to let her go anywhere without me.

Thankfully Corbin had a spare tracker like the ones Kingston insists on his men having in his kit. It tracks heart rate and body temperature, and he was kind enough to give it to me. Or more accurately, decided it wasn’t worth getting shot over.

Glancing across the aisle, I meet icy blue eyes, and none of the annoyance I used to feel when I looked at him shows itself.

I can’t believe I’m starting to like this asshole.

Chloe’s curled up on Kingston’s lap, her head resting on his shoulder as they both get some much-needed rest, but I’m desperate to have my hands on her.

There’s something about blowing shit up that makes me horny as hell.

“Thanks for everything you did today, man,” Damon says quietly.

I blink a few times, certain I’m asleep and this is a dream or I’m hallucinating, but when an irritated look crosses his face, I surmise that I am awake and hell doesn’t appear to have frozen over. “You’re welcome,” I reply, swallowing every asshole retort that forces its way to the surface. “How do you feel?”