Page 104 of Dismantle & Prevail

Returning the gesture, I squeeze him and take a step back. “We did. And I’m sorry for not trusting you sooner about Tana. But I know without a shadow of a doubt, if you wouldn’t have forced my hand, there’s a good chance Rayne could really have been gone forever. Thank you, brother. Without you picking me back up every day, I never would have made it. You gave me a second chance at life, and I will forever be indebted to you. I love you, brother.”

I reach out my hand to shake his. His eyes are glassy, and instead of returning the gesture, he pulls me into a hug. “Dammit, Aries.”

“I know.” I allow him to hang on for as long as he needs to, and when he pulls away, I smile and point behind me.

He nods. “I got it. Go see your girls. Give Rayne and Taylor a kiss for me.”

I give him a pointed look and his head tilts back in laughter.

Throwing his hands up in surrender. “Gotcha. Give Raynie a kiss for me.”

This mother—Nope.

Shaking my head, I nod and make my way up the stairs, breathing a sigh of relief.

It’s over and all that’s left to do is spend every day putting a smile on the faces of the two most important girls.

That’s if Taylor wants this.

The thought of her not being in mine and Rayne’s life crosses my mind, and I can’t help but laugh.

This feels all too familiar, except this time, I have a miniature me as a sidekick.

One look into those dark eyes. Would she be able to say no to that?

I fucking hope not.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Taylor

“Butterfly.Wakeup.”

Aries' lips brush against my ear and I stir awake.

My shoulder aches and I wince as I roll onto my back.

The moment my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep and only woke up once when I found myself tucked tightly against Rayne. My body instinctively feeling the urge to protect her despite only knowing her for a few hours.

Ari’s thumb slides across my cheek as I look at Rayne. Her dirty blonde hair is sticking up in every direction as she cuddles the stuffed bunny to her chest. She has had an iron grip on that stuffed animal since Ari gave it to her.

“Come on. We aren’t going far,” Ari says, sliding his hands beneath me to cradle me against his chest.

My head falls to his naked torso and I take a deep breath, inhaling his freshly washed skin.

Ari’s face is a mask of indifference and I can’t help but worry about what happened down in The Bastille. “Ace? You okay?”

He nods and walks us into the bathroom and sets me on the counter.

Silently, he fills the bathtub before making his way over to me to help me out of my clothes.

Something is definitely wrong.

As he is about to slip my shirt off, I stop him, placing a hand against his heart. My fingers trace the lines of his newest tattoo. A blue butterfly sitting right over his heart. He got it a few days after the shooting and it has since become my favorite.

“Ari. Talk to me.”

I take a deep breath and when his gaze finally meets mine; I see him trying not to laugh.