Released (Caged #3)(89)

“You and me both,” I muttered.

“Maybe…” He hesitated and then took in a long breath before speaking again. “Maybe we can practice together?”

Tensing a little, I managed to hold Baby Katie tighter against my chest at the same time. There was definitely a part of me—a small, still angry, teenaged part of me—that wanted to tell him to f*ck off. I wanted to tell him that there was no way in hell he got to share in this new life—not after what he had done.

But what if I make mistakes, too?

What if, in trying to do everything that was right for Baby Katie, I f*cked up as well? What if I said something that made her mad, and she didn’t want to speak to me anymore, or if she ran to her room and locked the door? What if she refused to have anything to do with me?

Again, my grip tightened.

“Do you think we can, Liam?” Dad asked again. “Do you think we can do this—be a father and a grandfather for Baby Katie—do you think we can do that together?”

I glanced at my father again. Instead of the man who set tragic events in motion, I tried to see the man who made sure we always had dinner together as a family. I tried to see the man who helped me with my math homework, kite flying, and taught me how to kayak.

My eyes searched for the man who had been my father…

…and he was there.

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Maybe we can do that.”

*****

“Waaaaah!”

“Ugh,” Tria moaned as she shoved her head underneath her pillow.

“I got her,” I whispered. I rolled out of bed, picked up my fussy daughter, and tossed her up onto my shoulder. “Go back to sleep.”

With Baby Katie in my arms, I snuck quietly out of the bedroom and shut the door behind me. It wasn’t really my turn—I had to get up and go to work in a couple of hours—but Tria had been so tired last night, I thought I should take the extra shift.

Besides, I really didn’t mind at all. Maybe it would get me a few brownie points with the wife. Brownie points meant on Friday night, when Baby Katie was asleep, Daddy Liam could put Mommy Tria’s ankles up over his shoulders and f*ck her until she screamed.

Okay, so that was a little vulgar, but at least I didn’t say it out loud.

I knew I was far, far from perfect. I also knew that in the long run, it didn’t matter. Tria wasn’t looking for perfection from me. She just wanted me to be the best husband and father I was capable of being, and that’s exactly what I intended to do. I would be there for her and for Baby Katie no matter what happened. I would support them both—physically, mentally, financially, and emotionally. I would do whatever I had to do in order to give them the best life I could offer.

I didn’t need to fight.

I didn’t need to be rich, and I didn’t have to be poor.

I only had to be me without the shackles and the bars I had created for myself with memories of the past. I didn’t have to hide behind the bars of a cage any longer.

I traced along the edge of my baby daughter’s face.

“I love you,” I whispered to her. “You and your mama, both.”

Baby Katie’s eyes opened, and she seemed to be trying to focus on me. I leaned forward so she could get a better look and took her tiny hand in mine so I could touch it to my face.

“Hey there, little girl,” I said. “You need to go to sleep for a little while, okay?”

I touched her chin and then the side of her mouth. Her tiny little lips started moving reflexively, and she turned toward the touch. Before I knew it, her mouth had latched on to the end of my finger, and she sucked quickly. After just a few seconds, she realized she wasn’t getting what she wanted.

For the briefest of moments, her face scrunched up and she looked ready to scream, but then her face evened out. She sighed, sucked twice more at the tip of my finger, and then closed her eyes.

I was never one to go soft, but surely this little girl could melt any cage I placed around myself.





Epilogue—Embrace the Destiny


I focused.

The cold metal of the bur in my hand made my fingers tingle. My other hand tensed the vise and then loosened again—afraid I might have applied too much pressure. I tilted my head up at the ceiling with my eyes closed, and blew out a long, slow breath.

Maybe I just needed to spend more time with my family.

Between making rings in one of the high-end jewelry shops on the north side of town with stones that approached the cost of three months of my mortgage, going to business school, and trying to figure out what I was supposed to do before officially taking over a portion of Teague Silver, I was exhausted. At the same time, Tria graded economics tests for Hoffman College exams.

I just wanted to hang out with my four-year-old.

A few months ago, she had been with me when I had a session at the gym with one of Graham’s guys. Though I had repeatedly turned down his UFC offers, he was now paying me to fight with his up-and-coming recruits. That was giving me a lot more of a challenge in the ring, and Al got a lot fewer busted lips. When Katie had first seen me fight, she was immediately intrigued and had been “sparring” with me ever since.

I glanced over to the clock on the wall, which told me I had to be out within the next ten minutes to be home by six for dinner.

Tradition.