“But why? If I was his kid, why would he do that to me?” Thoughts of Raven penetrate my mind. She was his daughter and look what he did to her.
Dizziness socks me hard and I drop back to the bed. “Holy shit.”
“Your eyes. They’re blue, but they’re like no blue I’ve ever seen. And have you ever really looked at Raven? Noticed the similarities in your faces?”
“Holy shit.” No, I never had, but now that she mentions it . . . “Holy shit.”
What does all this mean? That I have a half-sister? One of my best friends is my brother-in-law? Heat pricks the backs of my eyes. I’m an uncle.
I never had a family. Growing up in foster care and then a group home, I didn’t have anyone I could really rely on until I started fighting for the UFL. The organization, my fighting camp, they’ve been the only family I’ve ever had.
And now she’s telling me I have a family.
I gaze up at Gia and study her, curled in on herself, eyes bloodshot, still so fragile and now scared.
It had to be hard to tell me that, after everything we’ve been through and how I treated her the last time she exposed my past. But she braved through it regardless of the consequences, and it looks as if she’s expecting me to lash out and attack.
“You’re scared.”
Her eyes lift to mine. “More than I’ve ever been in my entire life.”
My chest cramps. She was locked up as a child, made to feel as if she were losing her mind, all because she fell in love with me. She’s the bravest woman I’ve ever met, but the thought of me pushing her away has her terrified. Fuck. I’m a stupid prick.
“I’m the son of Dominick Morretti.” The words are like gravel in my mouth.
“I believe you are.”
As horrible as that should be, and as many questions as the idea implies, it somehow feels like good news. What Gia gave me with her confession outweighs the ugly blood that runs through my veins.
She gave me her loyalty.
Her faith.
And I got a family.
But above all of those things, she gave me the ultimate sacrifice, risking our love for the sake of the truth.
“I love you, Georgia McIntyre.”
She squints through her tears and tilts her head. “You do?”
I grin. I can’t help it; she looks so damn worried and cute as hell. “I really do.”
She launches herself into my arms, and I wrap her up as tightly as I can. I bury my nose into her hair and breathe in deep, immersed in her soothing tropical scent.
Her body quakes with emotion. “I thought you’d hate me.”
“I could never hate you. Pushing you away was the worst thing I’ve ever done. I’m not the smartest man, but I learn from my mistakes. I’ll never let you walk away again.”
“Please, I couldn’t bear to lose you.”
I kiss her head and rub her back. “Everything I put you through . . . God, Gia, I had no idea. I have so much to apologize for, so much to make up for.”
“No, you don’t.” She pulls back and wipes her cheeks. “Just promise to love me.”
“That’s easy, baby.” I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I promise.”
With whatever I have left, the scraps of a man that she’s brought back together, resurrected with her dedication, I promise to love Gia McIntyre.
I hold her until her sobs quiet to tears. Curiosity stirs thoughts about my mom and the story behind how I ended up with the McIntyre’s. I make a mental note to talk to Raven. Blood work should prove whether or not what Dominick told Gia was true or if he was just trying to make her crazy. I’m buying Raven whatever the hell she wants as a thank you for ending the pathetic life of that motherfucker Dominick.
Her cheek rests against my heart, my arm draped over her torso as it expands with every breath. She’s alive and I absorb every one of her breaths, thankful that she survived her parents, Dominick, and my pushing her away.
For the last six months, I’ve played the victim, the one to suffer a hideous crime. But I lived nightmares in the place of memories, while she had vivid memories that gave her nightmares. Her entire life she felt responsible, fought for justice, and brought herself to the brink of murder in my name for the sake of revenge.
What kind of life is that?
The doorbell rings and Gia jerks in my arms.
I kiss her head. “Shh, it’s okay. Food’s here.” Unwinding our bodies, I leave her in bed and pull on a pair of track pants. She’s watches me, and I glance at her naked beneath my dark gray sheets, the color playing off her perfect skin. I reach down and grab the comforter from the foot of the bed and pull it up to her neck. She snuggles into the warmth but looks at me with questioning eyes.
“No walls. Not givin’ Mr. Delivery Boy an eye-full of my girl.”
She giggles and the sound knocks the breath from my lungs. It’s the first glimpse I’ve gotten of Mac since before she left. Butterflies explode in my chest.
The doorbell rings again.
“Stay put.”
She nods. “I will.”