up.
Ty looks at me too. Okay, so this wasn’t how I was going to tell him, but beggars can’t be choosers. I smile at him. “I do, love you, that is.”
He beams, his eyes alight with happiness. “I love you too, Angel—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Justin yells, interrupting us.
Blinking, I close my mouth. My heart is soaring at Tyler’s declaration, but that’s for later. Right now, we need to deal with Justin, and this has gone too far.
“You need to calm down, son,” Tyler snaps, crossing his arms. “And stop yelling at her.”
“Or what?” Justin snarls, leaping to his feet. “You going to fuck another one of my women?” He snorts.
“Not your woman,” I argue, and he glares at me, so I shut up.
Tyler steps forward, his words measured and slow. “We can discuss this when you’re ready to calm down, but until then, you need to leave. Lexi and I are together, so you need to accept that or find a way to.”
“I came to you for advice! I told you I wanted her back!” he whines, and Tyler sighs.
“And I tried to be kind and discourage you. We had already been together then,” Tyler offers.
“Justin, I’m sorry, this must be hard for you, but you can’t help what the heart wants. And mine wants Tyler, always has.” He flinches at that and turns to me. I gasp and fall back when I see his fist coming towards me, but Tyler is there. He catches it mid-air, and before I can even scream, he smashes his own into Justin’s angry face.
Justin falls back, his broken nose dripping blood as he glares at his dad. Tyler stares back as if he can’t believe he just did that. Stepping forward, I press my hand to Tyler’s shoulder, trying to comfort him. Justin snaps into motion, making Tyler and I jump as he yanks open the ruined door and storms away.
We both let out a breath, and I circle Tyler, cupping his cheeks and staring into his sad, guilt-ridden eyes. “Thank you,” I murmur.
“For what?” he asks, his voice low and shocked.
“For protecting me, for defending me. No one really ever has before.” Leaning up, I kiss his lips softly. “There is nothing we can do tonight. Let’s block the door and go back to bed. I’ll kiss your hand better, Daddy,” I tease.
It makes him chuckle, and he pulls me into his arms, his chin pressed to the top of my head. “I will always protect you, Angel, always, and I mean it.” He pulls back and tilts up my chin with his finger, searching my eyes. “I love you.”
My heart flips as I hear him say it again, and a wide smile I can’t control crosses my lips as I lean in and kiss him. “Words, Angel,” he reminds me, making me giggle.
“I love you too, Tyler,” I promise.
“Good, because you’re mine forever, Angel. I’m never letting you go. No matter what happens, it’s me and you,” he growls, and then spanks me. “Go get that beautiful ass back in bed, I’ll block the door.”
“Yes, Daddy,” I reply, and saunter down the corridor, turning at the end to see him watching me with a knowing smile on his lips and eyes filled with so much love, it almost staggers me.
Our love is…forbidden in a way. Most would find it weird and wrong. I don’t give a fuck, because to me, it’s perfect.
Tyler
I can’t sleep that night, even with Lexi in my arms, sound asleep. I punched my son. Guilt fills me, but I would do it again and so much more to protect the angel in my arms. Justin is my kid, always will be, and my love for him is endless, but he’s becoming less and less the kid I remember, and more and more a man I don’t recognise. It makes it hard to love him, and when he swung at my girl, I saw red.
I had to restrain myself from hitting him more than once. But as soon as I saw the pain and heartbreak on his face, reminding me of when he was a child and I was his hero, I knew I’d fucked up. I should have done anything but punch him. But it’s happened, and there is nothing I can do but live with the consequences now and hope I can save my relationship with my son.
Maybe after he calms down, we can all sit and talk and make him understand this is more