Page 64 of Redemption
With each beat of my heart, I wonder if it could explode from an overload of joy. I didn’t know it was possible to be this happy for anyone. But experiencing this with Lachlan has shown me that my heart can handle so much more than I ever realized.
Others might think that a man who has done what Lachlan has done and been what he has been couldn’t possibly deserve such a beautiful experience, but I know they’d be completely wrong. Lachlan Mount has done more good than anyone would believe. He’s saved more lives than he has taken, many times over.
He might have been the ruthless king of the New Orleans criminal underworld, but only because that was the role life had cast him in. In his own way, he brought order to chaos, and safety and security to many of those who would have been devoured by the streets, like he would have been if he hadn’t been so determined, strong, and resilient.
Lachlan Mount is a man unlike any other.
A force of nature.
Law unto himself.
But in this moment, he is transforming into something even more.
A loving son.
A devoted brother.
I knew it was possible, even if the whole world didn’t believe it. I watched him go from being a controlling and demanding captor to a devoted husband and doting father. After witnessing such change in a man who others feared, I stopped judging what I believed was possible.
Lachlan Mount has shown me that anything is possible. He has proven to me over and over that he is beyond comprehension and categorization.
I’ve known from the beginning that I had absolutely no control over him. On the contrary, it seemed that I would never be in control of my own life ever again. But loving Lachlan Mount has been the education of a lifetime. It is my privilege to be a witness to this miracle, because no one deserves the sweetness and love of this homecoming more than he does.
His capacity to transform has been miraculous. It only seems right and fair that his life story should include miracles as well.
It wasn’t only Aurora who could melt his heart. It was love, wherever and from whomever was brave enough to offer it to this formidable man.
“Ma-ma,” Aurora says as she leans toward my face, making smacking noises with her lips.
I think of how long we’ve been on the island and realize that it’s time for her to eat. I don’t want to break this beautiful moment, but I have to feed my daughter.
Somehow, Lachlan knows immediately as well. I swear, his fatherhood gene expresses itself at every opportune moment.
“Aurora needs to eat,” he says, meeting my gaze.
I nod, still not wanting to interrupt.
“Of course she does,” Lachlan’s mother says, lifting her head. “And we have plenty of food. Mountains of it. I didn’t know what you would like. I chose picnic-style so we would not be rushed and nothing needed to be eaten immediately.”
There’s a moment of silence, and then she speaks to her no-longer-estranged husband. “Would you like to join us for a meal, Alesso?”
At the sound of his name, Lachlan’s father fastens his gaze on her. I can’t imagine the roller coaster of emotions he’s gone through today. From believing his son was dead, to learning he wasn’t, to meeting him and his family, and seeing the wife he hasn’t seen in over forty years? I’m grateful and thankful the older man’s heart could handle it all.
“It would be my honor to share a meal with my family,” he replies with a hushed tone, almost as if he cannot believe he is speaking the words.
“Excellent. Then, we shall eat. After that,” she adds, “you must all rest. You will be exhausted from the travel and excitement.”
Shockingly, my husband yawns. “As much as I wish I didn’t need sleep, it has been many days since I’ve rested well. Food and sleep would both be welcome. Thank you, Mother.”
She beams with unbridled joy as he calls her Mother, and her face, already stunningly beautiful, becomes serene and transcendent.
“Then, that is exactly what you shall have, my son. Please, come. Let us eat.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Marco
For the first time in my life, I’m having a meal with my whole family.
