Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“I will. You, too.”
I hang up my cell, placing it back down on the table.
“Who was that?” Ares asks.
“The cop who dealt with my complaint. She called to tell me that Leo was assaulted last night. Broke his nose and a couple of ribs. Beat him up pretty bad.”
Neither of them says a word.
And, suddenly, the silence at the table is deafening.
My eyes move from Ares to my dad and down to my dad’s cut-up hand.
Then, they fly up to his eyes, and everything I need to know is written there.
A lump appears in my throat.
I don’t condone violence, but…he did that for me. He went there and kicked the shit out of the guy who had drugged me and hurt me because…my dad loves me.
It might not be the ideal way to show your love to someone. But it’s my dad’s way.
“Dad…did you…beat up Leo Parsons?”
His eyes slide to Ares and then back to me. Then, he shrugs. “Yes. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. After what he did to you, the little bastard is lucky that I didn’t kill him. And you know what I found in his pocket? A bag of those fucking pills that he probably planned on using on someone else.”
I gape at him in disbelief, emotion swimming inside me. “You could’ve gotten in trouble, Dad.”
“He needed to be taught a lesson.”
“Hang on. She said it was a couple of guys.” My eyes swing to Ares. “Ares?”
“Arianna.”
“Did you go with my dad and beat up Leo Parsons?”
He glances at my dad before looking back at me. “You want the truth?”
“Always.”
“Of course I did.”
“But…we weren’t even together then.”
“So?” He shrugs. “That fucker hurt you. So, I hurt him. Multiple times.”
I stare at them both, filled with so much love for them that I could burst. They risked so much for me. My dad would’ve been fired without a doubt and quite likely prosecuted. Same for Ares. He would have probably lost his contract and been prosecuted.
My lip starts to tremble.
“I-I…thank you. Both. So much.” I know I’m thanking them for kicking Leo’s ass, but I don’t know what else to say.
“Don’t thank me,” my dad says roughly. I can hear emotion thick in his voice. “I’m your dad. That’s what dads do.” He shoves his chair out. “I need to use the bathroom.”
He strides out of the room, and I stare after him.
“You do know that Coach is going in there to bawl his eyes out.” Ares chuckles softly.
“My dad doesn’t cry.”
Ares grabs me and pulls me from my chair and onto his lap, his big hand cupping the nape of my neck. “News flash: men cry, babe.”
“Did you cry over me?” I ask teasingly.
“A fucking river.” He stares at me, and I gulp at the seriousness in his eyes.
I look at the door my dad just went through. “Do you think I should go check on him?”
“No.” He laughs. “Give him a minute. Let him keep his man card.”
“Okay. I just…I can’t believe you both did that. Kicked Leo’s ass like that…for me.”
“Full disclosure?” he says, still staring into my eyes.
“Always.”
“Believe it. Because there isn’t a single thing that I wouldn’t do for you, Ari. I fucking love you.”
I press my lips to his, kissing him. “I love you, too.”
Today is Zeus and Cam’s wedding day. We’re in Port Washington to celebrate with them. The wedding is being held in the back garden of their home.
It’s a small and intimate wedding, close friends and family only.
The garden is private and secluded. It’s also huge with woodlands at the back. There’s a tent set up over to the right, where the reception will take place. And the section where the wedding will actually take place is adorned with flowers, hanging lanterns, and fairy lights.
It all looks beautiful.
There are seats on either side of the makeshift aisle leading up to the altar where Zeus is standing in a traditional tuxedo, waiting for his bride. Ares and Lo are at his side, both in tuxes.
Ares looks incredibly handsome. I rarely see him in a suit, but when I do, it makes my hormones go all kinds of crazy.
I’m wearing an off-the-shoulder dusky-pink satin dress with an organza skirt with leaf and flower details on it, teamed with pale pink heeled sandals on my feet.
I’m seated up front on the right, going with traditional etiquette, with the groom’s side being seated here. Cam’s friends and family are over on the left. There aren’t tons of people here. But that’s how they wanted it. Only the people who matter are here, and I’m proud to be one of those people. Kaden is sitting next to me, smart and handsome in a navy-blue suit. Next to him is Ares’s dad Brett. He’s a big guy. I can see where they all get their size. But they don’t look like him. I’ve seen pictures of their mom, Grace, and they all look like her. She was incredibly beautiful.