included?” I asked with a snigger.
“Obviously.” He smirked then turned to Tatum with hope in his gaze. “Is the new Temple to your liking, siren? If not, I’ll have it burned to the ground by morning.”
"Are you kidding me? I freaking love it!" Tatum exclaimed as Saint broke a smile and she leapt off of the bed again, jumping on him and kissing him hard as her smile blazed bright enough to express what we were all feeling. "Just so long as you're not expecting me to fill all of those other bedrooms with babies any time soon."
"Of course not, siren," Saint said, placing her down and kissing her softly once more. "You can have a couple of years before that."
“That’s up to me, not you!”
She smacked him as he headed for the door again, taking Blake and Kyan to see the gym and he laughed like he didn’t agree with that statement at all.
I headed over to the sliding door, opening it and stepping out onto the balcony to get a clearer look at that view as I let the idea of this place being our new home settle over me.
The sun had almost disappeared beyond the horizon and I leaned my forearms on the white railing as I looked out at it, releasing a slow breath and inhaling the sea air.
"Are you okay?" Tatum murmured as she followed me out, coming to stand beside me and taking my hand.
"Yeah," I said, watching the sunset as I ran my thumb over the back of her hand. "I'm just...letting go."
"Of what?" she asked curiously.
"Troy," I admitted, the sound of the waves on the shore calling to me like the softest lullaby. "I guess I just thought that we'd still get him. One way or another. But it's been years and even Saint can't find anything. I need to just accept that he's gone and move on from it."
"Easier said than done though, right?" she murmured, and I nodded, thinking about my mom, Michael, everything he'd stolen from me and how much I'd hungered for his death in return.
"Yeah," I agreed. "But I think they'd want me to let go of the idea of revenge. It's not like he has what he used to. I mean sure, I wish he was dead or at least locked up somewhere. But he lost his money, his power, his reputation. He'll live out the rest of his life alone and in hiding. And it might not be all that he deserved, but I think overall I can make my peace with it. I think I have to. Because we aren't going to find him, and I don't want him having that hold over me for the rest of my life."
"I love you, Jase," Tatum breathed and I looked at her with a soft smile as she used the name of the man I used to be.
"I love you too, Tatum. And I want to move on. Let this be a fresh start. All of us can make a real life here and I want to live it. Troy can get fucked, I don't care. All I care about is you, me and my brothers. It's more than enough."
I leaned down and kissed her, so much love and depth to that exchange that I knew letting go of this vendetta was the right thing to do. I was done living for hate. I had something so much better than that now.
And as we turned to watch the sun sinking beneath the horizon for the first time in our new home, I was happy to turn a new leaf, start a blank page and just live. Because there was one hell of a life waiting for me right here, and I didn't want or need anything else in the world. Only this.
ANOTHER FIVE YEARS AFTER THAT
I sat back in my chair, my gaze scanning the documents I'd been sent as I tried to track my son's movements. I had to admit, he was good. Better than I'd probably given him credit for. And though I'd found things here and there about the fortune he was amassing over the years, I still hadn't been able to pin him down yet.
He didn't make any purchases under his real name and I hadn't even been able to uncover any of the pseudonyms I was certain he must be using. Because there was no way I would believe he was out of the game. That boy had my blood whether