Daddy’s Law by K.C. Crowne
Chapter 38
Theo
My mind was cloudy.
Even after two weeks, the news was still playing the same story, framing it like the plot of an action-thriller movie. They were milking it at this point, but I expected nothing less from the opportunistic nature of the 24-hour news cycle. The headlines were all rehashes of each other, nothing original.
Hero Senator Takes Bullet for Daughter and Unborn Grandchild.
Senator Cruise’s poll numbers had never been higher. They were almost double his highest point at the start of his political career, arguably when he’d been fresh to the scene and still very popular. Now he was practically a celebrity, known throughout the entire state and the majority of the east coast as a dutiful father and upstanding citizen. His chances of winning his bid for governor were pretty much guaranteed.
The news outlets got it all wrong, though. The senator never took a bullet for Ava. That was me, but I supposed it wasn’t as interesting to write about someone whose literal job was to put themselves in the line of fire. I wasn’t jealous, though. I would have hated that kind of media attention. The spotlight wasn’t for me, and I intended to keep it that way.
I lay in my hospital bed, stiff and achy. Two shots were fired that day. The first bullet grazed past the senator. A flesh wound to the arm. He’d heal nicely, end up with a distinct scar he’d no doubt parade around and use for his gun-control pathos. The second shot was aimed for Ava.
I moved before I could think, did what I’d been trained to do. I jumped in the way and took the shot, neat little bullet lodging directly into my left pectoral, just above the heart. It wasn’t a clean shot. The bullet tumbled, tore through flesh and muscle and scraped bone. Not something I could just get up and walk away from. If Jesse and his men hadn’t shown up to take Michael down, the crazy bastard probably would have finished the job.
Although I didn’t remember it, I was in surgery for a long time. When I finally came to, it was almost three days later. I’d slept the majority of the time, the heavy drugs keeping me under for my own safety. This wasn’t my first bullet wound. I’d seen my fair share of injury while in the Army, but taking a bullet wasn’t something a person ever got used to.
It wasn’t like in the movies where the hero could take one after the other and keep fighting. It was painful as all hell, and it was painful as sin to recover from. The morphine the doctors had me on was so strong that my fingers and toes were numb, and all my thoughts came from behind a hazy cloud.
When I was finally well enough to leave the hospital and continue the rest of my care routine at home, I was grateful. I hated the food they served me there, and their sheets were super scratchy. There really was no place like home.
I was propped up by a plethora of pillows in my own bed. Cory sat next to me, sketching his perspective of the room. It was detailed and very impressive. It was so realistic I swore I could reach out and grab the objects he drew right off the page.
“They say he’s going to serve, like, five different life sentences,” my son explained. “Heard it on the radio. He’s definitely going to be found guilty. Right, Dad?”
I nodded. “Definitely.”
“Oh, I’m going over to Emilio’s house today. Just in case you forgot.”
“I did,” I admitted. “But you go and have fun. Make sure to thank Mr. and Mrs. Gomez for the casserole.”
“Don’t worry, I will.”
“Knock, knock,” Ava said instead of actually knocking. She carried a tray of food in her hands, so she couldn’t. “Emilio’s downstairs, Cory. He said something about stopping by the comic book store first?”
“Oh, cool!”
She entered with her usual lovely smile. I could have sworn she was made of sunshine because the whole room lit up.
Cory hugged me gingerly, avoiding my injury. “I’ll be back later. Love you, Dad.”
“Love you, too, buddy.”
He hopped off the bed and gave Ava a hug before leaving. “Bye, Ava.”
“Bye, sweetie. We’ll see you later.”
Ava glided over and set the tray on my lap, diligently helping fluff the pillows behind me. “How are you feeling?”
I took her hand and lifted her fingers to my lips. “Better now that you’re here.”
“You’re such a sap.”
“Only for you. What’s on the menu?”
“Bone broth soup.”
I groaned. “Again?”
“The doctor said you’re only allowed simple foods. Your medicine’s so strong it’ll upset your stomach.” She held the bowl up to my mouth. “Small sips, please. I can always get you more if you’re still hungry.”
“Yes, Nurse Ava.”
She giggled. “Oh, stop it.”
“Do you think you could put on a cute little nurse’s outfit for me?”
“You’re terrible,” she said without any heat.
“I think you’d look cute.”
She pressed the edge of the bowl to my lips and forced me to open my mouth. I took a couple of gulps to appease her. It was relatively tasteless, the salt-level minimal. The only solace I found was the warmth of the liquid as it trickled down my throat and warmed my belly. That, and the fact that such a beautiful woman was feeding me by hand. Such a simple pleasure in life, yet it meant everything to me to have Ava here again.
“So,” she started slowly. “I went to see the doctor.”
This caught my attention. “And?”
“The baby’s totally fine.”
“Good.”
Ava set the bowl down and moved the tray onto my bedside table. “I think we should talk. If you’re feeling up to it, of course.”
She picked at her nails and avoided my gaze. We’d been avoiding the topic. Not on purpose. There never seemed to be a good enough time nor privacy. Between her being bombarded by reporters searching for an inside scoop, or her going back and forth between visiting her father and me at the hospital, there hadn’t been a moment where we could stop, take a breath, and speak candidly.
Now was as good a time as any.
I held her hand. “Nothing’s more important than this, Ava.”
She swallowed. “What should I do?”
I shook my head. “What do you want to do? This is your choice, sweetheart. I can’t make it for you.”
“I’m scared.”
“Why?”
“Because what if I choose wrong?”
“There’s no such thing as choosing wrong, Ava. Why would you say that?”
She nibbled her bottom lip, eyes stormy with the threat of tears. “Let’s say I decide… not to keep it. What happens to us? Or what if I do keep it? What then? What are we to each other?”
“What do you want us to be to each other?”
“Do you have to be so cryptic? Just tell me if we’re in this together or not.”
“Of course we’re in this together.”
“But you said—” She sniffled. “You said you didn’t want any more kids.”
“I know what I said. I’m allowed to change my mind, you know.”
She looked at me. “And have you?”
“Why don’t you be honest? Tell me exactly what you want.”
“I want…” She took a deep breath. “I want to be together. I want to raise this child with you. I want us to be a family. You, me, the baby, and Cory. And I know I’m young, and I know I’ll never be Cory’s real mother, but I’ll love him and our child with all my heart. And I’ll… I’ll love you with all my heart. Because I do. Love you.”
A spark ignited inside me, joy consuming me whole.
“But if that’s not what you want,” she said hastily, “then I… I get it.”
I frowned, leaning forward to cup her cheeks in my hands. “Listen to me very carefully, Ava. These past few weeks without you have been torture. I didn’t realize how happy you made me until I lost you. I never thought I’d love again, and then I met you. You make my life so much better just by being in it. And then I learned about the baby —and, yes, it was a shock at first— but then I realized in what a gift it was. I want to be with you, Ava. I have no doubts. And I really want to be there with you to raise this child. Our child. Because I love you, too. More than you could possibly know.”
Ava smiled, tears streaking down her pink cheeks. “Really? Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been surer of anything in my entire life.”
“What if I don’t know what I’m doing?”
“I can always teach you. Being a parent isn’t that hard once you get used to it.”
“It’s a good thing I’m such a good student,” she teased.
“I’ll say.” I placed my fingers beneath her chin to tilt her face up. “Come here.”
Ava leaned forward and kissed me. She was stiff, trying not to apply too much weight to my body, but I wasn’t having any of it. I circled her waist with my arms and pulled her against me, strong enough to support her.
I deepened the kiss, reacquainting myself with the softness of her lips and the taste of her tongue and the sound of her moan as she sighed contently. My skin was hot and tight, and the clothes I had on were suddenly very uncomfortable as I attempted to close the space between us. I raked my fingers through her hair and relished the softness of her skin and the way she fit so perfectly in my hold. Like she was made for me. A gift I would treasure for as long as I breathed.
Everything about her drove me wild. Her unmistakable scent of honey and lavender. The way her breath hitched when my hands slipped down to palm her ass. The way she giggled, bashful and sweet, when she no doubt noticed my cock strain against my boxers.
“Let me help you with that,” Ava teased, shifting carefully to lower herself. She hooked her fingers over the waistband of my underwear and tugged down to free my hard cock. She licked her lips, ravenous. “I’ve been looking forward to doing this,” she admitted before wrapping her lips around me.
