Creed told me his Dad actually didn’t leave the house to his Mom when he died and when Creed turned eighteen, he owned it. So he could tell her to leave, kick her out.

But Creed wasn’t that way.

He was Brand Creed’s son through and through. He didn’t have it in him to be mean, not even to a Momma who never was any good to him or for him or, really, anybody.

“No, Sylvie, it’s not okay,” he answered.

I scrunched up my nose.

He grinned.

I stopped scrunching my nose and grinned back.

Then I pressed closer. “I wish I could do something,” I said quietly and I did. Really, really badly.

“You can’t, baby,” he said quietly back. “My lot in life.”

“Not forever,” I told him and his eyes held mine before they drifted beyond me.

“Seems like it’ll be.”

“No way,” I told him firmly and his gaze came back so I went on. “When I turn eighteen, we’re out of here. We’re going to get in your truck and go. Drive until we hit a place we both like and then stop and build a life without your Mom. Without my Dad. We’re going to buy a house and have babies and no one will know us. No one will know I’m Sylvia Bissenette, A Bissenette of The Bissenette’s and no one will know you have anything to do with Winona Creed. We’ll just be Creed and Sylvie. Just you and just me.”

Creed’s head tipped to the side slightly and his eyes were soft but lit with a bright light when he asked gently, “You want babies?”

“Two. A girl and a boy,” I replied immediately.

“Got it planned,” he muttered, his eyes still soft but bright, his lips curled up at the edges.

“Yep.” I grinned.

“Names?”

“Kara, the girl. Brand, the boy.”

His lip curl faded and the soft went out of his eyes but the bright went brighter.

“Brand?” he whispered.

“For your Daddy,” I whispered back.

He stared at me, that bright in his eyes shining through me, shining deep and feeling sweet, like it wasn’t autumn and there wasn’t a nip in the air but it was summer and the sun was shining, warming me through.

“Make it tough,” he muttered.

“What?” I asked.

“You make it tough not to kiss you,” he explained and my belly curled.

I liked that too.

I bit my lip.

Creed grinned at me and teased, “So, the hope is, you’re namin’ your boy Brand, you intend for me to be the Daddy.”

That was such a stupid question, I released my lip, narrowed my eyes at him and slapped his arm.

He burst out laughing, lifted up off his elbows and his arms curled around me. He fell back twisting so he was now lying mostly on my side.

I liked lying on him.

I liked this a whole lot better.

Therefore, I lost my exasperation, lifted a hand and slid the hair away that had fallen over his forehead. The minute I dropped my hand, the hair fell right back and I couldn’t help but smile.

“You know what love is?”

Creed asked that and my eyes shot from the hair on his forehead to his.

“I…” I swallowed again then, holding his eyes, I whispered, “Yes. I do. I know what love is, Creed.”

I felt his big hand curl warm on the side of my face before I felt the pad of his thumb sweep across my lips again. He watched it move as he replied, “I do too, baby.” His eyes came to mine. “I absolutely do.”

I sighed.

Creed bent his head to touch his mouth to mine before, unfortunately, he pulled away.

But when he did, my heart leaped when he whispered, “Kara and Brand. I like that.”

I felt my eyes get soft before I whispered back, “Good.”

Chapter Seventeen

It Always Would Be

Present day…

I was one of those people who, when I was wrong, I’d admit I was wrong.

Right then, floating on an inner tube on the lazy river at Wet ‘n’ Wild in Phoenix, Arizona after having a squirt gun fight with Creed, Brand and Kara, which was after we went down copious water slides including one the kids called “the toilet bowl” which had this kickass swirly thing going on which was after we had lunch which was after we horsed around in the wave pool… I was loving Phoenix.

I was getting a tan.

I had my man back.

And he was right, he had great kids.

But, meeting Kara and Brand, the surprises kept coming.

First was the fact that I expected them to look exactly like Creed. In my mind, badass genes would beat out pretty much everything.

They didn’t look exactly like Creed. Apparently, badass genes knew enough to bow to traits that would create a superior being.

In other words, his kids were gorgeous.

Kara had thick, gleaming, long, straight brunette hair and a twelve year old girl’s slim, tall, almost boyish body. She had perfect, dark arched brows and the features of her face, which were still girlish but would clearly mature into great beauty, bore absolutely no resemblance to Creed’s. They might be Chelle’s, they might just be Kara’s and from Brand’s looks, I couldn’t tell.

Brand also had thick dark hair and, although ten years old, he was tall and had his father’s exact build. His features didn’t resemble his father or his sister so they, too, were either from his mother or all Brand.

Luckily for them, both kids inherited Creed’s unusual bright blue eyes and, with their dark hair and tanned skin which said they weren’t adverse to the heat like I was, their eyes were startlingly beautiful. Even more so than Creed’s which, until I saw them, I would have said was impossible.

Another surprise was Creed’s brand of parenting.

Neither of us grew up with good role models and when Creed wanted to spring me on his children with very little warning, I thought he was the cool, laidback Dad. Maybe, I had to admit, too cool and laidback.

He was not.

I’d forgotten that Creed’s Dad died when Creed was ten so there was plenty of time for the first Brand Creed to make his mark on his son. Although I’d never met Creed’s Dad, it was clear to see his father had done just that.

Creed wasn’t exactly strict but he definitely wasn’t Weekend Daddy who spoiled his kids when he had them and let shit slide. I noted this when he didn’t give in when Kara strode into the park and immediately wanted to go shopping in the gift shop. He also didn’t give in when Brand wanted to order enough food at lunch to feed an Army. Creed wasn’t a jerk about it, his refusals were quiet and gentle. They were also firm and his kids minded him immediately, clearly because they were the norm.