Page 86 of Beg Me Angel

Laughing, I lifted the spatula and smacked her lightly on the cheek. “That was my grandfather's name.”

Gritting her teeth, her lips drew down. “Sorry, I didn't know, but the answer is still no.”

“Alright, what are you thinking?”

“Greyson.”

“Greyson? Are you sure about that?”

“Yeah, say it all together.”

“Greyson Paxton Cleaver. I actually like it, I like it a lot.”

Slapping my shoulder, she smiled big. “Excellent, it's settled then. Now I can call him a name and not just boy or baby.” Rubbing her belly, she leaned against the counter.

“What do you think your mom's going to say when you tell her the name?” Scooping her pancakes onto the plate, I handed it over before the hunger in her eyes decided to devour me instead.

Snatching the plate, she plucked a pancake off the top and popped it into her mouth. “I think she's going to love it.” A single tear balanced on the edge of her lid, slowly falling down over her cheek. “And my dad would love it too, who wouldn't want their grandchild named after them?”

Wiping her cheek, I held her face. “It's a perfect name, Vera, it was meant for our son.”

Smiling, her eyes twinkled as the thought of her father washed over her face. He would always be with her, it didn't matter if he wasn't here to hug her, to tell her he was proud of her; a father's love never left.

When she told me about how he used to always look for the silver lining, it floored me. That phrase had never crossed my mind until I wrote her that letter. A shiver had scaled my body when she told me that, forcing me to question the real nature behind fate.

Was fate something that was already burned into your body from birth or was it something that someone else could manipulate?

I couldn't help but wonder, I couldn't help but question the role her father played in her life, in her thoughts, in her future.

Maybe I was over thinking it entirely, but in a way, it felt like so much more. It felt like her father had a hand in all of this. As if he had brought me to her to save her, as if he had brought her to me to make sure she would always be safe.

As if she meant the world to him and he wanted to give it back to her when she was about to lose it. If fate was something that existed and if everything happened for a reason. . . Then I knew, we were meant to find each other.

I was never going to take her for granted, I was always going to make sure Vera knew how much she meant to me.

I loved her smile, her laugh, the way she snorted when she was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. Vera was my world, the small child growing inside her was our legacy.

My life was finally perfect, it was right in every way. I couldn't ask for more. I had a beautiful woman by my side, a child I would love unconditionally, and my woods.

What more could one man need?

There was only one answer to that question; nothing.