Page 189 of Filthy Love

They’d done something he’d never been able to do.

Thank fuck.

Emotion attacked his throat. And for the first time probably since he was a kid he wanted to lay his head down and dissolve into tears.

It was over. Finally.

His girl was still talking, rushed and panicked. “If someone hurt me, you’d hurt them back, right? Because I’m yours to protect. The same goes, Colton. I couldn’t stand this hurting you another second longer.”

He wouldn’t just hurt that person. He’d annihilate anyone who lay a finger on his Gia. Being his universe, the breath in his lungs and the tick of his heart, he was willing to do anything for her, to protect her, to make her happy that shit went without saying.

His girl loved him. Jesus. What she’d done for him. She loved him.

“Who?” He asked of Rider, lifting his head. He could guess. It would have been Hawk had it been for anyone else. “The enforcer?” Rider nodded.

Good. That was good. Fuck. He owed that bastard a bottle of 30-year agedGlenglassaugh.

Exhaling, he grabbed Gia’s fingers, bringing them to his mouth. “You shouldn’t have, little bit. I didn’t want that staining you.”

Flinging herself at him, he caught her easily and plastered their fronts together. His face found her hair. “Oh, baby. We just love you so, so much. I would do it again.”

“Maybe Gia loves you the most, bro.” Cut in Rider dryly.

Yeah, she did, he was starting to believe it. Hawk twitched a smile when Gia scolded. “Not the time for semantics, Ambrosio. Of course, I love Colton the most! I’ve been telling you that for weeks.”

Rider bickered at his sister.

Gia bickered right back.

A smile crept up on his face.

Those Marinos’ were something else.

A bolder sat on his chest in awareness.

They were his family. Trusted. Loyal. steadfast.

Fuck. Hadn’t this proved it more than anything else could? No one, absolutely no one else on earth would have gone to such risks as to rid Hawk of his wound for good.

No one ever cared enough about him to do what he hadn’t been able to do no matter how much he wanted to.

He took a few shuddering breaths while those two argued it out before he turned, still with Gia in his arms and his hand in her hair.

He met the eyes of his oldest friend. His savior in a lot of fucking ways. The man he trusted with his life. With the life of his woman. Two decades worth of memories past between them. Hawk simply held out his hand for Rider to clasp. “Thank you, brother.”

Not just for this, he realized.

For every day of his life Rider wouldn’t let him give in to his demons.

The Marinos siblings saved him in so many ways.

Rider gave him freedom.

Family came in many colors. Sometimes the strongest bonds had no shared blood whatsoever.Family didn’t mean what gash you slid out of, it’s who’s there, day or night when you need them. The club, his oldest friend, his boys and his perfect girl all with a hand in dragging Hawk through his darkness.

Gia gave him the chance at a life worth living not only existing in his own tortured skin. A life he looked forward to every single day. Because of her. All because of his Gia. And she gave him the opportunity to do better to deserve her.

He’d fight every single day to keep on deserving her.

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