“I don’t know what to say,” Dad whispered.

“Don’t say anything and give me another hug,” I smiled at him.

He turned his eyes to me but he didn’t smile. He lifted his hand and cupped my cheek and the expression on his face caused tears to sting my eyes. He had a daughter he could not see in protective custody and a daughter who had gone through hell because of her. That said, I was alive, breathing, wearing a fantastic dress and fabulous shoes, happy and I loved him enough to get him season tickets to the Broncos, something he’d always wanted. His eyes hit mine and I knew from the look of them that he was counting his blessings and I could see that the Broncos tickets weren’t high on that list but I definitely was.

Then he dropped his hand and shook Hawk’s, clapping him on the shoulder at the same time.

Again, moving on.

I handed Meredith the manila envelope. “That’s for you.”

Her brows drew together, Dad looked down at her and she opened the clasps on the envelope.

“It’s just a formality,” I stated, suddenly feeling nervous. “And it was Cabe’s idea. I mean, really, it happened on your wedding day when you let me walk down the aisle with you. I’m just making it official.”

She pulled out the papers and looked at me. “Making what official?”

“Those are adoption papers. If you sign them, I’m legally your daughter.”

Everyone sucked in breath but Meredith’s mouth dropped open and her eyes got big. I could usually read Meredith, heck, anyone could but I couldn’t read that. I didn’t know what to expect when I gave the papers to her but I’d daydreamed about it a lot. I knew she loved me but it was a posh, anniversary party at McCormick’s, she wasn’t going to do cartwheels, she couldn’t, not in four inch heels. But I’d hoped at least for a smile.

Therefore I rushed on. “I know, it’s kinda loopy, adopting a thirty-three year old woman but… um… why not?” I faltered when she just stared at me and I wondered if I’d insulted her. “I mean… I don’t want to imply that I haven’t always thought of you as my Mom but I just want to… I don’t know, make sure you know that, uh… that’s how I feel and it always has been.”

Meredith didn’t move nor did she speak.

“You don’t have to sign them,” I assured her. “It’s okay. Nothing between us changes. I –”

I shut up when she jerked her body toward Dad and whispered, “Find me a pen, Bax.”

She asked Dad but it was Gus who took off, Hawk’s arm curled around my neck and he pulled my front into his side as the tears filled my eyes.

Meredith looked up at me. “Now… sweetie, now I don’t know what to say.”

“Sign the papers, that says it all,” Hawk replied for me but he did it gently.

Meredith looked down at the papers and when she lifted her eyes back to me they were filled with wet.

“This is the best present I’ve ever had,” she whispered.

Tracy emitted a muted sob and I moved away from Hawk and hugged Meredith as a tear slid down my cheek.

“I’ve always loved you,” I said quietly in her ear and her arms spasmed around me. “I think I fell in love with you the first time I saw you.”

“Oh sweetie,” she whispered, holding on tighter so I did too.

We hugged for a long time then I pulled away and Meredith moved into Hawk and gave him a squeeze and kiss on the cheek. Then Gus showed with a pen, she signed the papers, put them in the envelope and when she handed them to me, I handed them to Hawk. He folded the envelope double and slid it into his inside jacket pocket. It was his attorney’s firm that had drawn up the papers and it would probably be Elvira who returned them to be filed.

“I need a reload,” Elvira announced and I looked at her to see her eyes were on Hawk. “And your woman has been here all of five minutes and she doesn’t have a martini glass in her hand. What? You think you can buy her twelve hundred dollar shoes and that gives you the right to slack on bein’ a gentleman?”

Tracy giggled.

But I turned, leaned into Hawk and looked up at him. “Actually, just FYI, giving me twelve hundred dollar shoes totally gives you the right to slack on drink deliveries.”

Hawk’s dimples made an appearance then disappeared when I couldn’t see them anymore because his head dropped and his lips gave me a light kiss.

Then he lifted his head and asked all around, “Anyone else?”

“Me,” Tracy put in.

“I already gave my order,” Elvira added.

“A white wine, honey, if you don’t mind,” Meredith stated.

“Cuba libre, querido,” Maria muttered.

“I’ll go with you,” Gus offered and Hawk and Gus walked away but Maria got in my space, so close, it was surprising and I looked down at her.

“My boys,” she started, “look like their father, act like their father and he gave them something else,” she paused then finished on a huge grin, “good taste.”

I stared at her a second then threw my head back and laughed.

* * *

Dinner was over but the party (in other words the drinking) was not.

I was sitting beside Leo but listening to Mrs. Mayhew and Erma, both hilariously tipsy, as they shared stories of Dad and Meredith’s anniversaries past with their other audience member, Elvira.

Suddenly, Leo took my hand and my head turned, my eyes going to his face to see he was gazing across the room.

My eyes followed his and my heart warmed. Cam was standing with Meredith who was holding Cam’s hand by the fingers admiring the diamond Leo had slid on earlier that night when he’d asked her to marry him.

The reason they were late.

“Lingerie parties, darlin’,” I heard Leo whisper in my ear, I smiled and turned to face him. “You promised,” he finished when he caught my eyes.

I squeezed his hand and whispered back, “You happy?”

“She is, so, yeah,” Leo answered.

That was a great freaking answer.

“Love you, babe,” I told him softly.

“Lingerie,” he replied.

“Gotcha,” I whispered on a smile.

“Gwen, can I have a moment?”

Leo and I both twisted our necks and tipped our heads back to see Troy standing there, his face set, looking unhappy.

Shit.

I nodded, squeezed Leo’s hand again and then stood. Troy moved in putting his hand to the small of my back and leading me out of the room. I searched for Hawk as I went so he’d know where I was going and who I was with but I couldn’t find him.

We made it to a hallway and I turned to Troy.

“Troy, I –”

“Just wait a second, Gwen, would you?” he asked tersely and I wondered what was on his mind and why he seemed in such a foul mood. Though it wasn’t hard to guess. Hawk was not shy with public displays of affection and this was coupled with him being an alpha male which meant PDA was liberally mixed with possessive branding moves such as curling his arm around the back of my chair while we were seated or running his hand over my ass when he saw a man’s eyes on that ass, shit like that.

Shit that I’d noticed, as the night wore on, Troy didn’t like much.

We turned a corner and both of us stopped dead on the carpet when we saw Hawk, his back to us, about eight feet down the hall. There was one female hand at his bent head, one arm tight around his back.

I sucked in a silent, searing breath and felt my head reel as Troy’s arm curled around my waist and held tight.

Maybe a nanosecond later Hawk moved, the woman’s arms disappeared and it hit me that he’d set her away and he’d done it roughly.

“What the fuck?” he clipped, his voice so harsh, it was acid and it was a wonder the wallpaper didn’t melt off the walls.

“I –” a woman replied.

“You told me you wanted to talk about my woman and your man,” Hawk went on.

“I –” she repeated.

Hawk cut her off again. “Jesus, fuck, what’s the matter with you?”

“I –” she tried yet again and failed yet again.

“Give me one good reason not to go back into that room and tell your man you put your hands and your fuckin’ mouth on me,” Hawk demanded.

“He won’t believe you,” she got out and my body froze solid as Troy’s did the same at my side.

That voice was Troy’s whiney, annoying, grasping girlfriend, Hanna.

“You’re right,” Hawk replied. “He won’t, which, I gotta tell you, woman, sucks because he’s a good man and he could do a lot fuckin’ better than you.”

Oh God.

I had to end this for Troy and I had to do it now.

“Cabe, honey,” I called and Hawk’s body jerked around to face us. I saw his eyes were narrow, his jaw hard and his gaze slid over me to Troy.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

Hanna was staring at Troy, her eyes huge, face pale.

“Troy,” she whispered.

“I hope you have money for a cab,” Troy replied.

“Uh…” She took a step forward but I moved into Troy, turning into his side, my arms going around his middle and I pulled him a step back so she stopped. “Troy, it isn’t what –” she tried.

Troy interrupted. “Stop, Hanna, it was. Don’t add being a fucking liar to being a fucking slut.”

Hanna winced. I gave Troy a squeeze. Hawk studied Troy and when no one said anything further, his head turned to Hanna.

“I think that’s your cue to get the fuck outta here,” he prompted, she looked up at him, her pale face got whiter and she nodded.

Then she scurried toward Troy and me as I glared sharp, lethal daggers at her, none of which, unfortunately, formed and drew blood. She skirted us because neither Troy nor I moved and she hustled around the corner.

Hawk approached, his eyes on Troy and he stopped in front of us.

Then he looked down at me and asked softly, “You got this, baby?”

I nodded up at him. He lifted his chin, glanced at Troy and then walked around us on my side, his hand sliding along my hip as he did it.

See. Total alpha male possessive branding moves even when no one was around to see them!

Then Hawk disappeared.

I moved into Troy’s front, not letting him go and looked into his stony face.

“Do we need beer, tequila or a trip to the firing range?” I asked quietly and Troy’s arm around my waist gave a reflexive squeeze.

“Shit, Gwen,” he whispered.

I pressed my cheek to his shoulder and held on tighter.

“Shit,” he repeated over my head.

“Hawk’s right, honey, you can so do better than her.”

His other arm slid around me and it was his turn to hold on tight.

We held each other for awhile in silence before Troy broke it to mutter, “Maybe he isn’t a dick.”

I pressed my lips together but relaxed in his arms.

Then I lifted my cheek from his shoulder to put my lips to his ear.

“Missed you,” I whispered. “So much, Troy. So freaking much. It’s good to have you back, babe.”

Troy buried his face in my neck and I closed my eyes as I felt the heady sensation of everything in my world, everything (save my sister being in protective custody, though I focused on the word “protective” when I thought of that) turning into the absolute, most perfect daydream. Better than any daydream I could imagine and not only because it was better but also because it was real.

Then I gave Troy a squeeze, decided for him and therefore announced, “Tequila.”

Troy’s face came out of my neck, he looked at me, gave me a small, not very happy smile and whispered, “Right.”

I sighed then I turned my friend in the direction of the bar.

* * *

Oh God.

I was going to bring it home!

“Baby,” I whispered, my face in Hawk’s neck, my arms around his shoulders, his hands were at my hips and I was riding him hard.

His head turned so his lips were at my ear.

“Mouth,” he growled, I lifted and twisted my head instantly, my mouth going to his as a moan slid up my throat. “Harder, baby, you’re almost there.”

“Hawk,” I whimpered into his mouth as I drove myself down on him harder and both my hands went to his head.

“Cabe,” he corrected on a thick rumble. “You call me Cabe when you bring it home.”

“Cabe,” I whispered then gasped, my back and neck arching as it burned through me.

Hawk’s hand slid into my hair, fisted and tugged gently, making my back arch further and I felt his mouth close over my nipple, sucking it deep, prolonging my orgasm as new heat blistered through me. Then he released my nipple, his other hand yanked me down hard on his cock, he buried his face between my breasts and groaned.