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Justine smiled seeing the tears sparkle in his eyes. Her little girl was already winning over the feud which made her extremely happy. “Say hi to your grandpa, Natasha.”
“Natasha?” her dad said, and she nodded.
“Natasha June…Crawford-Anderson,” she added making his eyes widen a hint in surprise.
“We want our daughter, and any other potential kids we might have to know they never have to choose sides. They’repart of both and we love all of them no matter what,” Tyler said, pulling a hint of a smile from her father, and Justine knew there just might be a bit of hope still. Or maybe it was just the magic of babies. Hopefully it would work on his father as well.
∞∞∞
“My girls ready?” Tyler asked, coming into the bedroom as Justine finished nursing Natasha. He couldn’t stop smiling when he saw them. His two favorite girls in the entire world. He loved the twins, but it was nothing to the way he loved and adored his girls.
“We are as soon as someone gets a new diaper so she’s a happy girl and not so fussy,” she said, kissing Natasha’s little feet making her chortle. Her little arms flailing happily, and Tyler couldn’t adore them more. It was hard to believe she was three months old already. It seemed like he’d blinked and the tiny little girl they brought home from the hospital was replaced by this little angel that’d completely stolen his heart.
Not that it was any surprise that their baby had him wrapped around her finger. Not when she was half Justine, and even more than that in looks. She had her eyes and nose, her hair was the same color as Justine’s already, and while there wasn’t much, it was adorable to see a little bow or headband in it.
He scooped their little girl up, taking her to the changing table and quickly dealt with the wet diaper while Justine got the bag ready. She’d been back at work part-time for a couple weeks, working mostly from home while one of their moms looked after their girl if he had to be out at the same time. It was the only thing that calmed him knowing eyes other than his or Justine’s were on their little girl.
More than ever, he understood why Justine couldn’t quit her job. Even with what happened to Isabelle he hadn’t quite understood, but the idea of someone trying to lure their little girl away, hurt her in any way made him see red. He wanted every sick bastard out there gone before their baby girl was old enough to interact with the world. Might not be possible, but if they lived anywhere in their area, Justine would find them.
They got to the church for the service, and he laughed into Justine’s hair when her dad came over, stealing their girl with a kiss to Justine’s cheek. He wouldn’t say he’d ever be buddies with Richard Crawford, but at least the man had stopped acting like he was scum to scrape off the bottom of his boat. He wished he could say the same about his father, but the man refused to budge, to acknowledge their baby girl, and it was his loss entirely.
And if he wasn’t careful, he might just end up losing his wife because his mom was beyond done with it and his attempts to keep her away from her grandbaby.
“Uhh, where’s our niece?” Hailey asked drawing their attention towards the two as they came into the room, making Justine grin fully. The girls were down to celebrate at their birthday get together. A little late but they hadn’t planned to do one at all this year until their moms pushed for it so one day Natasha could see that not everyone despised each other, were there to support them.
“Dad has her,” Justine told them, and they nodded a bit disappointed, but they’d get their turn.
“Hailey, Isabelle, how’s school going?” Sheriff Davies asked coming up the aisle behind them to grab a seat.
“Good, we’re only down for the day to see our sweet niece and have belated birthday celebrations for these two,” Isabelle answered for them. “It’ll be a good day.”
“You won’t be celebrating anything if you want me to continue to pay for your schooling,” Grant said, bringing the group around to stare at him in shock. “I’ve told you, you aren’t allowed over there.”
“Dad, we’re eighteen, almost nineteen years old. We can make our own choices as to who we want to spend time with, and we’re going to spend time with our brother, hiswife, and our niece!” Isabelle retorted angrily as their mom came up the aisle quickly to reach them.
“Not as long as I’m financially responsible for you, you won’t be. I’m damn tired of you associating with the likes ofherand that baby is nothing to us andshedoesn’t deserve any mention,” his dad stated, and Tyler’s jaw grounded together hard enough to break teeth as he forced a deep breath in through his nose, his hands tightening into fists until Justine’s hand settled on his chest, calming him a hint.
“Doesn’t…doesn’t deserve any mention?” Hailey questioned, her voice breaking as it rose higher in pitch. “Are you freaking kidding me? If it wasn’t for Justine, Isabelle might not even be here right now.Iwouldn’t be here right now without her!” she added pulling a gasp from Justine and his eyes widened as he tried to stop her. “No, I’m so sick of him and his certainty that he’s right,” she said their way, moving up next to them, taking Justine’s hand into hers before facing their father.
“Honey, we know, if something had happened to Isabelle,” their mom said, trying to calm things down but Hailey cut her off with a little snort. “Hailey?”
“You really think that Justine just left town sohewouldn’t ban Tyler from our lives if it’d come out back then that they were together?” Hailey asked her nodding at their father, her brow rising a bit their mom’s way. “Do you really think she’d leave it at that? That she’d walk away knowing it entirely possible for him to still lose me?”
“Hailey,” Justine said softly, shaking her head at her.
“No, by now they could have put it together if they’d really thought about it,” Hailey said looking back at their parents. “That night at the hospital, when we were there to get Isabelle, the other agent mentioned the doctor was keeping her to monitor her kidney function, making sure nothing was wrong. Her pregnancy was high risk…why? Because she only has one kidney! Becauseshegave me her other instead of just walking away!That’show much she loved Tyler. She didn’t even think about herself, her future. Didn’t second guess it. She gave me her kidney so Tyler wouldn’t risk losing me, even though it meant she had to stay away, or you’d figure it out. Figure out that this whole time…eleven years now…the thing keeping me alive came from a Crawford, Dad. So don’t you dare stand there and sayanythingnegative about her or my niece, because I swear if you do, youwilllose me.”
“And me with her,” Isabelle added, slipping her arm through Hailey’s.
“Justine? Is that true?” her mother asked, as his mom stood staring at them all in muted shock.
“Yes,” Justine answered, and his arms wrapped around her fully, drawing her back against his chest, his face dipping down to hers, calming himself more as he breathed her in. “I went to Seattle when I left, checked with her doctor who ran the tests, and I came back a perfect match. I knew they’d never agree to it, so I made them say it was an anonymous donor, that if they asked, it was someone that’d died in a car accident.”
“You did all of that and then just walked away? While recovering from major surgery, and heartbroken from breaking up with Tyler instead of marrying him?” Madison asked her and he felt her head nod as his mom and Caroline both let out soft little gasps.
“That’s why in one night you completely forgave her for leaving. It wasn’t just because she didn’t risk you not being around if things hadn’t worked out,” Caroline said to him pulling his attention over to her and their mom.
“Yes, I’d never stopped loving her and learning why she’d really left…about everything she risked for herself with no thought about if something happened to her in the future…nothing was going to keep me from her. Not then, not now, and definitelynotwith our baby girl now here. She’s the love of my life and I will always choose her. She knew that eleven years ago which is why she didn’t ask me for my opinion. Now, I will do anything I have to to keep her safe. Endanyonethat tries to speak badly of her. She’s never said an unkind word about you in her life. She risked hers not only to save Isabelle last year, but to save Hailey eleven years ago. I wasn’t joking when I told you I would ruin you if you keep this crap up, Dad,” he warned his father drawing another gasp from his mother and sister. “I will make the feud with the Crawfords look like child’s play if you go after my wife. After the woman that’s never done anything but love and do what was best for me, no matter what it did to her own heart, and I will not let you repay that by hurting her for another moment. Do you understand me?” he added on a dark, almost growl.
