Always His (Crazed Devotion #1) (25 page)

“So why are you here?” he asked. “Not that I don’t appreciate all you’ve done, but Nic, you should be with Ryker. I’m fine, really. Do I have bad moments? Yeah. And I’m sure I will for a while, but I’m working on it.”

“I want you to know you have a friend. I know we’ve had a long road of unsettled issues, but God, Tyler, you still mean something to me. You’re the father of my child.” I took in a deep breath because this entire conversation felt deeper than I had planned for it to be.

“She needs a father, you know,” I added as I looked down at my hands fisted in my lap.

“She has one,” he said, and my heart rate sped up. I looked up at him, and his stare connected with mine. “She has Ryker.”

That wasn’t what I’d expected, and for a moment I was completely shocked and had no idea how to respond.

“He’s been more of a father to her than I’ve ever been. Victoria deserves a man like him. Someone that’s going to love her unconditionally and a man she can count on no matter what. Ryker’s a good man. I know I’ve spent a lot of time hating on him in the past, but I’m being truthful here.”

His words shocked me. I’d never expected he’d say something like this, and then he continued to surprise me.

“I’m sorry for everything I ever put you and Victoria through. I should have never taken my hate for Ryker out on you.”

His words meant more than he would ever know.

“Can you promise me something?” I nodded. “If I ever ask about her, ya know, just to be sure she’s okay, that you won’t deny me that knowledge.”

“Sure, but Tyler”—I scooted to the edge of my chair, closing the distance between us.—“I’m not sure what you’re leading up to here.”

“I can’t be the father she needs. If this accident has shown me anything, it’s that I can do right by her. I can change her future by making sure she gets a man who’ll take care of her the way a father should.” It was his turn to take in a big deep breath. “I wanna allow Ryker to adopt Tori. I can’t change who I am, Nic, and I’m sorry for that. I’m not built to be a father, but he is. He’ll take care of the both of you. He’ll protect you just like he has from the moment he came back into town, and he can give Tori more than I ever could.”

“Tyler, I want you to be sure this is what you want. I need you to know that you may not think you can be a father, but I believe you can if you’d just try.”

“Sweetheart, I’ve thought about this for weeks. Even before the accident.” Tyler took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “This is my gift to her, because I have a long way to go before I can be any child’s father. And I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to offer that kind of love to any child.”

The last couple of weeks had been a whirlwind of emotions, and now I was a blubbering mess. It was the morning of my wedding, and I felt like I couldn’t pull it together. Not because I was nervous or having second thoughts, but because I had waited for this for so long that I was terrified something would keep it from happening.

But everything was falling into place.

I was getting the man I had always wanted. I was about to share that joy with every person I loved, and the love he felt wasn’t just for me but for Victoria too. When I told Ryker that Tyler was allowing him to adopt Tori, I’d never in my life seen such pure joy and happiness in one person at one time.

“You ready to tie the knot or what?” I turned in my chair at the sound of Liz’s voice. Elle followed close behind her. “Because let me just say that man of yours looks mighty fine, and if you’re thinking of changing your mind—” she let out a low whistle, “—I would be more than happy to take your place.”

“No way, bitch,” Elle said. “You would have a fight on your hands.”

I laughed at their crazy banter. “No such luck, ladies,” I said with a chuckle. “You two will just have to keep looking for your own man, because nothing would ever convince me to let go of Ryker. Not ever again.”

They looked back at me in mock sadness, their lips puckered out with those big puppy-dog eyes, but it was short-lived. Their expressions quickly changed to wide smiles as they leaned in and wrapped their arms around my shoulders.

“You deserve this, Nic,” Liz whispered.

“Thank you both for sharing this day with me,” I replied. “It truly means more than I could ever express.”

“There is nowhere else we would rather be,” Elle said. “Seeing the love between you and Ryker defeating the odds gives all of us hope.”

T
hey say we have moments that change your life and make you see everything in a different light.

I was living one of those moments.

Nicole stood before me, staring up at me with a look of admiration. A look that made my stomach tense and my heart race. She looked like a goddess, graceful and alluring, and I knew I was one of the luckiest men in the world.

“Through the good and the bad, I give you my hand to hold,” Nicole continued her vows to me. Each word she spoke only made the love I had for her grow stronger. “I give you my heart to cherish as long as we both shall live.”

A single tear trailed along her cheek as her lip trembled, only making it harder for me not to take her in my arms and comfort her. I brushed away the tear, and she leaned in to my touch.

“It is an honor to now pronounce you husband and wife.” A tightness formed in my throat as I leaned in and placed my lips to hers. “You may kiss the bride,” the official continued with a slight chuckle, and a few guests followed.

“I love you so much,” I whispered against her lips. “I’m gonna love you forever, baby.”

“I can’t believe we’re married,” she said.

“Believe it, sweetheart. You’re all mine now,” I replied with a smirk.

“I’ve always been yours,” she assured me.

“When you came back, I wished for you to find happiness.” My mother sat down next to me as I watched Nicole dance around with Elle and Liz, with Tori at her side. I turned to look at her as she continued, “I wasn’t sure if that happiness would include Nicole, but I’m so glad it does. I know how much you’ve always loved her.” She touched my arm. “The two of you belong together.”

“They’re my girls,” I told her. “I came back here with one goal in mind, and nothing was going to stop me. There has never been anyone else for me, Mom. I told you that years ago, and even though I was gone, and we grew apart, that never changed.”

Tori’s giggles filled the air, and my chest tightened with such love.

“All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy,” Mom added as she leaned in, then kissed my cheek. “And there’s no one that could convince me you aren’t happier than you have ever been.”

T
he warm water cascaded over my body as Ryker slid his hand along my stomach, lower and lower until his fingers pressed against the place we were joined. As he moved his fingers in a circular motion, my head fell back against his shoulder, and his lips pressed against the side of my neck.

I arched my back just a little more, allowing him better access as he continued to move inside me.

“You feel so damn good,” he groaned as he flexed his hips, pressing in as deep as our position would allow.

Memories of our honeymoon came flooding back. We spent our days in the sun, lying on the beach listening to the ocean, and our nights making love to those same sounds.

It was hard to believe we’d already been married for more than six weeks. Everything was so perfect, it kind of felt surreal.