She smiled at him. Charlie liked Col, and I didn’t think it was just because she liked watching him give me a hard time. I had to give the guy credit for taking the time to get to know her. It was still early days, but he was shaping up to be the grandparent she’d never had.
He pulled a photo out of his wallet and passed it to her. I couldn’t see what it was, but the way her face broke out into a wide smile told me it was something she loved.
She looked at him hopefully. “Is this what I think it is?
He nodded. “Yes. Don’t get too excited. She’s an old car, but I figure you and I’ll have plenty of time to work on her before you get your licence.”
“You bought a car?” Monroe asked, full of surprise.
Col looked at his daughter with the kind of look I watched Charlie with. The one that revealed the unconditional love we felt for our child. “Yes.” He glanced at Charlie. “Angela has more photos on her phone if you want to see them.”
“Cool,” Charlie said, her face full of more excitement than I’d ever seen on her.
They left us to go and look at car photos, and I pulled Monroe close, settling my hand on her ass. “We’re getting married, sugar.”
She pulled her head back so she could look up at me. “Oh, really? Are we? You just decided that, did you?”
I tightened my hold on her. “No, not just now. I decided that a long fucking time ago, but your father has just given his blessing.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“Really.” I dipped my face to hers so I could catch her lips in a kiss. When I’d had my fill, I said, “I love you, and I respect your father, but just so you know, no one would have kept me from marrying you. You’re the woman who showed me there’s good out there when all I fucking saw was bad. I can’t do this life without you.”
She hit me with a smile that reached every corner of my dark soul. “I can’t do it without you, either. I love you, Aiden McVeigh, even if you are the bossiest damn man I have ever met.”