Page 182 of Deadly Sweet

Yeah, let’s go with working because referring to what it really is, murdering people, is still something I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to.

Honestly, life has been so normal, I sometimes forget that's what she even does.

Okay, not normal. Life will never be normal. Savannah is far from normal, but that‘s the main reason why we love her so much.

She’s random, funny, and out there, but she’s also kind, loving, and an amazing mom to a daughter who’s not hers by blood. However, you would never be able to tell by the way she’s just accepted Athena as her own.

Savannah keeps our lives interesting. We will never have to worry about there being a dull moment.

Slipping on some fresh clothes after my shower, I head downstairs in search of my Little Killer.

“Where’s Savvy?” I ask, grabbing a muffin from the plate. Leroy has been baking all morning, and fuck, these are really good.

“She’s out back with Thor,” Jake answers me.

Turning around, I lean back against the counter. I can’t remember the last time it was just the four of us in a room together.

“How are all of you doing?” I ask out of the blue.

Leroy looks over at me while Jake looks up from his book, and Caleb puts down his phone.

“What do you mean?” Jake asks, brows furrowed.

“It’s been almost two months since our lives have been flipped upside down. We went from being newly single dads to a mated pack with an Omega, and now our baby girl is six months old. So much has happened in a short amount of time; it feels like we blinked and here we are today.”

They all continue to stare at me, and I sigh, rolling my eyes. “Okay, let’s start with you?” I ask Leroy. “How are you feeling about retirement?”

“Ahh...” He rubs the back of his head, leaning back against the counter like me. “Good? Honestly, it’s going a lot better than I thought it would. I was nervous at first, you know? I spent my whole life being busy with work, and hardly had any downtime. I liked the consistent go-go-go of life. The idea of going from having a full life to not doing anything at all was terrifying.”

“I could see that.” I nod.

“But that’s just the thing. I’m never bored. Every day I wake up, and my time is filled by something.” He smiles. “Spending time with our little girl, watching her grow and learn new things every day. I have things around the house to do when the baby is sleeping. Or I have Savannah to spend time with when she’s home. Same goes for when you guys are home. Do I miss working? Sometimes. But the life I have now? It’s perfect. I couldn’t imagine anything else.”

“Watching you fall in love—” I chuckle. “Has been amazing to see.”

Leroy grins, looking down at the ground. “I really thought I wasn’t gonna have that in my life. Love, I mean. It was fucking depressing.” He laughs, running a hand over his salt and pepper hair. “It would have been a real shame to waste a life and die alone. I guess I was just waiting for Savannah to make her way into our lives. It was worth the wait.”

I know what he means. We all do.

“How about you?” I ask Caleb.

“Me?” Leaning back in his chair, he places his feet up on the table, a smug smile taking over his face. “You already know how I’m doing. I’m living my best life. It’s perfect. Everything I could have asked for and more.”

Caleb was never looking for love. Always the kind of person who said if it happens it happens but didn’t stress on it. He had his fun, did his job, and lived his life. But I’ve seen how much he’s grown as a person since Savannah has come into his life.

Caleb grew up in a life that was anything but conventional. His father was in a position a lot like his sister, Daphne. Mafia ties of sorts. Passed down by his grandfather.

Only his father died while his kids were still young. But not before fucking his children up in different ways.

They’ve taken what they were given and made the best of it, though.

A mafia queen who kills men who were exactly like him, and a crooked cop of sorts, or an undercover agent. I bet he's rolling in his grave now.

“I assumed as much.” I chuckle.

My eyes shift over to Jake. “And you? How are you doing with all of this.”

Jake blows out a breath and leans back in his seat. He shrugs. “Sometimes it feels like a dream. I’ve spent years stuck in a nightmare, believing that I’d never see her again. The pain I’ve felt at her loss can’t be put into words.” He gives us a sad smile. “Does it suck that she doesn’t remember the life we had before? Yeah, sometimes. But it doesn’t matter because I’ll take any version of Savannah I’m blessed to have, because it’s her. All versions are just as amazing as the next. I still see glimpses of my teenage best friend. Her drive, her sass, her big, kind heart.” He grins. “I have everything I’ve been dreaming about with her. And I’m beyond blessed. I try not to think about her past and everything she’s been through because she doesn't allow it to control her life or affect it in any way. But it’s not always easy. Sometimes thoughts of what happened to her pop into my head, and I want to cry, scream, and break things.”

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