56

Air rushed into my lungs, the mysterious woman who’d nearly killed me pitched backward with extreme force, her body hitting the wall. Grasping my throat, I rolled over, gasping for air as I struggled to figure out what the hell was going on. There were additional savage thuds, and there was no doubt the growl I heard was coming from the depths of the man I loved.

“You fucking bitch.”

I managed to turn over, reaching out to him. Mikey and two other men rushed into the room, Joshua barking orders that were garbled in my muddled mind.

My handsome man pummeled his fists into the woman’s face before yanking out his weapon, pressing the barrel against her temple as he wrapped his other hand around her shirt, yanking her off the floor.

“No!” I managed. “Joshua. You’re… not a… killer.”

He slowly turned his head, his chest heaving, his eyes turning from venomous to concerned. Then to something else. Love. I could see love in his eyes. “Baby. Oh, my baby. Take this bitchdownstairs. Tie her up and shove her into the vehicle. I’ll deal with her later.”

“You got it, boss. Come on, Erica.” Mikey grabbed her arm, yanking her away from Joshua.

Erica. Who the hell was that?

I collapsed back onto the floor, coughing several times.

He dropped beside me, pulling my body into his arms. “I almost lost you. My God.”

I clung to him, fighting tears but losing the battle. “You came for me. You came for us.”

“I got your text.” He laughed bitterly, lifting and cupping my face.

“Then what took you so long?”

“You know how I am.”

“Yeah, I guess I do.” As he pulled me even closer, the warmth of his body was the best thing I’d felt in a long time.

Of course, then he had to top that by capturing my mouth, holding our lips together for what seemed like the longest time. Long enough that every nerve ending was on fire, my pulse racing. The kiss was passionate but there was more than lust behind the moment, something so intense and loving that I was blown away.

As he swept his tongue inside, I scooted closer, enjoying the moment a little too much. When he finally allowed our lips to part, I pressed my hand against his face. “You need a shave.”

“I thought you like the rough and rugged look.”

“Yeah, well. You need to look clean cut in the courtroom.” My throat was scratchy, but I was alive and so was he.

He laughed. “I will be, baby. I will be.”

“Where’s Christopher?”

I suddenly heard little feet and the man I loved shifted out of the way. “There’s my little cookie monster.”

Giggling, his little eyes opening wide, he raced toward his daddy, leaping into Joshua’s arms.

There wasn’t a chance in hell I could stop the tears. As they rolled down my face, I thanked God and every other deity that the little boy was safe.

As Joshua held Christopher close, he reached out for my hand. I crawled onto my knees, wrapping my arms around both of them.

“Didn’t I tell you that your daddy was a superhero?” I asked. “Invisible cape and everything.”

Christopher pulled away, grinning like only a kid could do, his resilience something to admire and cherish. He’d been through far too much in his young life. I planned on helping Joshua ensure he’d never need to face a monster again.

He nodded in an exaggerated way, turning his attention to his father, pressing his finger against Joshua’s chest.

I’d never believed in miracles. I’d never really believed in Santa Claus, even though my mother and father had done everything in their power to make every Christmas festive, my father going to extremes in trying to allow me to believe in the fairytale as long as possible.

But after today, I might stop being the curmudgeon that I’d been called more than once.

Because after everything I’d been through, that Joshua had been through, the horrors that I’d thought would never end…

It was all worth it for this single moment.

The moment when Christopher spoke.

“My daddy is Superman.”

And in the few seconds that passed, I wasn’t the only one crying. The man I’d fallen bizarrely and desperately in love with, the powerful hunk who’d captured my heart and had been called dozens of things, changed right before my eyes.

Brutal.

Dangerous.

Monstrous.

A killer.

Maybe two of those things were true, but so was a loving and decent man who adored the little boy who’d just cracked open his heart.

Now the man I loved was sobbing like a baby and in those few precious seconds all time stopped, all anger devoured by the sweet and private moment.

This was a family.

And there was no doubt that we could face anything as long as we were together.