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I was a selfish man.
I wanted her all to myself.
“We can figure that out when the time comes,” I said, and her shoulders stiffened a bit at my words. But this time, I wasn’t making promises neither of us could keep. Presley’s life was on the other side of the country, where she lived in a penthouse.
I was living in a small town on a ranch, raising my daughter with a bunch of misfit animals. And I fucking loved it. This was my life, and I couldn’t change that.
Not even for her.
Hell, I knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t let me do it anyway.
The elevator doors opened to the penthouse, as this was their private elevator.
“Hello? Dilly? Wolf? Uncle Jack?” I called out, and my cousin came flying around the corner and lunged herself at me.
“Thank God you’re here. Thanks for coming.” She kissed my cheek and then turned toward the woman beside me. “Say it isn’t freaking so. Presley Duncan? This is the best surprise!”
Dylan hugged Presley just as my uncle Jack and Wolf came around the corner, and the hugs continued.
We made our way into the living room of the expansive apartment, and Dylan offered us some sun tea. I chuckled at seeing her in this new light, as a wife and mother, and the way she was enjoying it. We made some small talk. They asked Presley a bunch of questions about living in New York, and then my cousin turned to me.
“Thanks for dropping everything and showing up. It’s a bit of an emergency, and I’m hoping you can talk some sense into my overprotective, overbearing, bossy husband.” Dylan shot a look at Wolf before turning her attention back to me.
I barked out a laugh, as did everyone else aside from my cousin, who didn’t seem to think any of this was funny.
“Overbearing is a bit much, yeah?” Wolf said, raising a brow and looking at her.
“We’ll see about that. My husband has bought a killer dog to be my shadow because he doesn’t think that I can take care of myself and our child on my own,” she said, making no attempt to hide her irritation.
“Baby, that’s not what’s happening here.” Wolf reached for her hand, and she pulled it away and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Okay, I’m going to need more information. Where does one get a ‘killer dog’? Did something happen that you now need protection?” I asked.
“Yes, I’m going to need more information, too. I just got here an hour ago, and there’s been a lot of yelling from this one,” my uncle said, flicking his thumb at his daughter.
“Oh, I’m sorry that I have a voice, and I’m not afraid to use it. I’m not some weak damsel in distress, Wolf. Cage, you need to tell him that we don’t need a vicious animal living in our home.”
I turned my attention to Wolf because, clearly, Dylan was not going to give me answers to my questions.
He blew out a breath. “Obviously, it’s no secret that we have a lot of money. We own a goddamn hockey team; it’s public knowledge.”
“And it’s been that way since we met,” Dylan hissed.
“Correct. But now I have to travel with the team without you because you’re staying home with the baby.”
“Do not use our son as your scapegoat.” She threw her hands in the air. “You don’t trust me. You think I can’t protect myself and our child? We live in a goddamn penthouse with security downstairs.”
I glanced over at Presley, who looked as enthralled with the conversation as my uncle was. Dylan had always been passionate and reactive, and I loved her for it. Wolf was also strong and determined, and though I thought they were a perfect match for one another, they were both stubborn and not willing to back down at times.
“This is fucking ridiculous.” He pushed to his feet. “Cage, come on, man, talk some sense into her.”
“I don’t know what we’re talking about. Where is this dog?” I said, glancing between them.
“First off, it’s called an executive protection dog. And if I’m being honest, I put a deposit down long before baby Hugh came into the world. This dog has been being trained for the last two years to be a member of the family, as well as to do what is needed to keep you safe. You’re overreacting, baby.” He placed his hands on his hips and stared at her.
“I’m overreacting?I’moverreacting?” She repeated her words before pushing to her feet and squaring her shoulders at her husband. I reached for my tea at the same time Presley did, and the corners of her lips turned up the slightest bit because she found the whole thing very entertaining.
“You are. These are dogs that become members of the family. They are companions. They are not trained to kill. They are trained to stop the threat.”
