Page 176 of Cara

She should have been on a plane.

I keep hearing what she said to me, what she made damn sure I grasped.

I'm not leaving. I will never leave you.

They will kill me at your feet before I let them take you.

To hold my daughter is a blessing.

To be loved by such a woman is amiracle.

Isabella stays in my arms, squeezing the breath out of my throat as I stand, allowing years of pain to wash away while I watch Bo hug Sophie, his eyes wide with disbelief.

I press a kiss to Isabella’s cheek, gently running my fingers through her hair. “I’m sorry. Tesoro, I’m so sorry.”

I apologize for countless reasons: for the loss of her mother and stepfather, taken from her in a way I can never comprehend, and for taking her away from everything she has ever known. “I’m here. I’ll never leave you again.”

As the front door swings open, Mimi emerges onto the porch, her relaxed expression shifting to shock upon seeing us. “Oh God! Dante!”

Nothing will make me let go of Isabella. Mimi drags me down to hug me, joining in on the tears. When Dante runs out, followed by Zeke and his family, I’m at a loss for words.

Dante nearly knocks Sophie to the ground, only to be scolded by Bo, who points to her injured stomach. Zeke shakes my shoulders, grinning. “What the absolutehell, man.”

From the corner of my eye, I see Courtney on the porch, clutching the pillar as she kneels, watching Sophie rush toward her, even though she can hardly move.

These people should hate us.

Zeke, Dante, Bo… My brothers who never abandoned me, despite all the times I begged them to.

But they embrace us.

I’ll protect them for the rest of their lives to thank them for it.

“Come inside,” Dante says. “See your home.”

Home. If I know one thing, home isn’t this house. It’s the woman who fought like hell to get me here.

Sophie strains to stand, wiping her face as I meet her on the stairs that creak under my weight.I’ll have to fix those.

Her sapphire eyes radiate fear as she reaches out to tame Isabella’s tousled hair, brushing away her tears. “I’ve missed you, Izzy. I'm so sorry I left you.”

“You found Daddy.”

Sophie nods, choking back tears. “I told you I would.”

My eyes close.I told you I would.I press my lips against Izzy’s head to conceal everything that might pour out of me.

Sophie smiles—reallysmiles at her. And it’s a fucking beautiful sight. Nothing in this world beats it. Paradise is no match for what bliss looks like on my wife. Isabella must see in Sophie what I see because she shifts out of my grasp, reaching her arms toward her.

Despite everyone else trying to stop her, believing she isn’t capable of carrying Isabella’s weight, Sophie takes her from my arms and walks into the house.

Sophie Marcello is capable of anything.

She is salvation.

She is my only chance at redemption.

A woman I loved before I understood what that was.