The Wild Wolf Pup (Zoe's Rescue Zoo #9)(3)

He lifts his head, turning it slightly and our eyes lock.

Nostalgic.

“Behind every great man is an even greater woman who made him this way. You’re my greatness, Grace, and I want you by my side forever…say you’ll marry me.”

Tragic.

“It’s time, Gracie. I’m turning myself in.”

Bittersweet.

“It doesn’t matter that I’m here and you’re there…you’ll always be my love, Gracie.”

I walk toward him watching as he rises to greet me, stepping around the table to pull my chair out. While most inmates aren’t allowed to touch their visitors, Victor seems to be the exception to the rule. Openly wrapping his arms around me he squeezes me tight like I’m his salvation. I relish in his touch.

Several moments pass before he breaks our embrace and motions for me to take a seat, pushing my chair under the table once I do.

Always a gentleman.

His fingertips graze my shoulder before he walks back to his seat and stares back at me.

“My Gracie,” he whispers, smiling faintly as he reaches for my hand.

It doesn’t get easier.

Every visit is another knife to my heart.

And when I leave here I know I’ll feel empty inside and wish I never came because seeing him like this, knowing all we have is an hour surrounded by strangers and a few stolen touches, is my damnation.

But then I tell myself if I don’t have these moments, I have none, and I need to cherish them just as I cherished every moment we shared in our life together.

“How are you?” He rasps. “How are my girls?”

I reach into my pocket and pull out the few photos I was allowed to bring him and place them on the table between us. Releasing my hand, he lifts the photos, handling them with such care, like they are a fine piece of china.

“Oh God,” he breathes. “Is this…” His voice trails off as he turns the photo around to face me.

I smile warmly, knowing very well how much he needs my smile at this moment.

“That’s your granddaughter, Victoria Grace,” I reveal, introducing him to Adrianna and Anthony’s daughter. The little girl I held in my arms minutes after she was born. The same girl Vic will never come face to face with.

“She’s beautiful,” he says, turning the picture back and staring at it in awe.

“She is,” I agree. “She weighed seven pounds, three ounces, just like Adrianna did when she was born,” I continue. “Both Anthony and I were in the room when she gave birth. I swear, Victor, I have never seen anything more beautiful, and I don’t mean the birth but all the love surrounding it. It happened so quickly, well not really, she was in labor for nearly twenty hours, but when that little girl was ready to make her grand entrance it was beautiful chaos. Adrianna was crying, the poor thing was exhausted, but Anthony grabbed her hands, held them tight and forced her to look at him…” I pause, taking a minute to recall the moment myself before lifting my eyes back to Vic’s and noting that he is hanging on my every word.

These were the moments we should have been sharing together. Instead, I have to create them with words and Vic has to experience the birth of our granddaughter through my eyes.

“Adrianna focused on Anthony, kept her eyes locked with his as she pushed and not a minute later their baby girl’s cries filled the room,” I whisper. “It was precious.”

“I bet it was,” he breathes, placing the photo of Victoria on the table before lifting the next one. “Luca is getting so big,” he marvels, laughing at the photo of our grandson with a backward Yankee cap, pointing to his shirt that read ‘Don’t even think about dating my sister’. “Anthony’s training him young,” he jokes, showing me the photograph.

“You’re not kidding,” I confirm.

“He’s a good father,” he says huskily, taking a deep breath. “A real good father.”

He placed Luca’s photo next to his sister’s and lifted the next.

“Look at her smile,” he whispers as he studied our daughter, Nikki’s, picture. I had taken it right after Michael proposed to her. I’m not sure she had even said yes before the flash went off.

Victor lifted his gaze to mine.

“Was she surprised?”

“She was shocked. I believe her first words were ‘get the fuck out of here’ and then she said yes,” I wink at him, sharing a knowing look that our daughter was a spitfire. “And then she cried.”

“Why?”

“Because Michael told…” I pause, blinking away the tears that suddenly fill my eyes as I recall my daughter breaking down after Michael revealed he had visited with Victor. “…he told her they had your blessing and he had asked you for her hand in marriage.”

He smiled widely as he wiped at his own eyes.

“You’ll walk her down the aisle won’t you?”

“Yes,” I promise.

He nodded.

“Get her whatever dress she wants. I don’t care what it costs, you make sure she has everything she wants. If you need extra money you go to Jack Parrish, he’ll give you whatever you need.”

“Okay, Vic,” I reply softly, watching as he looks away for a minute.

“You know I’m happy,” he whispers. “I am,” he assures me, turning around so I can look him in the eye. “I’m happy because I know that my two daughters will be taken care of, that they have men in their lives that will truly do anything to keep them happy and will love them like they deserve to be loved.”