Fighting for Control (Against the Cage Book 3) (40 page)

Six Months Later

C
hristmas Eve in the Del Toro home was a grand celebration full of laughter and the excited giggling of children. The scent of pine filled the living room, competing with the spicy aromas wafting from the kitchen. Presents spilled from beneath a glowing white pine, its limbs heavy with ornaments. Joy clung to the air, which was thick with anticipation. Not even Nikko was immune to the excitement. His smiles were carefree these days. Deep, throaty laughter rang out through the room as Amelia and Addy crawled over him like a human jungle gym. Val tried in vain to control her little monkeys but eventually gave up and poured herself another glass of spiked eggnog before settling in beside Violet and Raven.

“I tried,” she said, shaking her head in defeat. “But he keeps egging them on.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Violet said, taking a sip of her eggnog, the vodka warming her stomach. “He loves it.”

Raven watched the trio roughhousing in the middle of the living room, a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes touched her beautiful face. Those silvery orbs were so much like her father’s—deep, intelligent, and pensive. They especially concealed thoughts not readily spoken, but Violet could guess the direction her mind had taken her. She was seeing herself in Amelia and Addy, thinking of the years she’d been deprived of her father, first by war, then by an overbearing mother who used her as a tool to manipulate and control her dad. Was she feeling the sting of time? A beautiful young girl on the cusp of womanhood, wishing she, too, could be that young again so she could romp and play with her father.

Violet reached over and took Raven’s hand, giving it a loving squeeze. “I’m so glad you could be here with us today,” she whispered. “You know your father loves you very much.” So much, in fact, that earlier this week Nikko had sat Violet down and told her he’d decided to pursue full custody of Raven. It was what Raven wanted, too. When he’d asked her what she would like for Christmas, she’d told Nikko she wanted to come live with him and Violet. Vi fully supported his decision. After discussing it, they decided it’d be best to wait until after the holidays to tell Raven, because there would undoubtedly be one hell of a custody battle in their future—one Violet had no doubt Nikko would win. She’d been through enough of them in New York to know the court system generally sided with the children’s preference once they reached Raven’s age, and Nikko’s service to his country would carry a lot of weight.

He’d briefly considered buying Celeste off to spare Raven the stress of a custody battle. His ex had named her price so fast when Nikko had gone to her to discuss his desire for full custody of Raven, Vi wondered if that hadn’t been the woman’s end game all along. That the hateful shrew could so quickly put a price tag on her daughter in exchange for signing over custody papers only validated that Nikko was doing the right thing by getting Raven away from that woman and into a stable, loving environment. But it pissed Nikko off so much, he decided then and there the woman wasn’t going to see another cent from him. Instead, he put that money into a college fund for Raven and lawyered up. Turns out Nikko’s attorney just happened to be his best friend and sparring partner, not to mention one of the best damn lawyers in Manhattan. Fortunately for them, Las Vegas was a reciprocity state.

Raven turned her sapphire-flecked gaze on Violet, and her smile morphed into a genuine grin. “I know he does. Dad’s great.”

They both turned their attention back to the man raising his arms in the air, a squealing child dangling off each one. Lord, she loved this man so much it hurt. These past months with him had been nothing short of amazing. To see him now, it was hard to believe this was the same surly fighter who’d walked into her office seven months ago, broken and tortured. But ever since stepping off that plane after returning from Seattle, Nikko was a different man. As he’d knelt before Remmy’s grave that day, grief and loss had poured out of him like nothing she’d ever seen. And when he finally stood, it was as if he’d decidedly chosen to bury the past along with his beloved friend.

She knew firsthand how hard it had been for him to face Remmy’s parents. But they had welcomed Nikko with open arms, and there had been no anger or judgment in their tear-filled eyes as Nikko sat beside them on the couch and told them the truth of what had happened that day. They hugged him and thanked him for his service and for being such a loyal friend to Remington. It was a turning point of healing for Nikko, as well as Remmy’s parents. She was proud of him for facing his past and fighting for their future.

“Is it time for presents yet?” Addy asked, letting go of Nikko’s arm and dropping to the floor. She raced over to Val and scrambled onto her lap.

“Almost,” she laughed, lifting her cup of eggnog into the air, trying to keep it from spilling. “Why don’t you and Amelia help Uncle Nik pass out presents?”

And then she was off, racing toward Nikko. She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the tree. “Come on, Uncle Nik. Mama said we get to pass out presents.”

Carmella filled her cup with warm cider and settled into the chair next to the couch. Her eyes danced with joy at having her family together, but when they fell on Nikko, they shimmered with just a touch more moisture. “Thank you,” she whispered, leaning close to Violet.

Vi returned her smile and asked, “For what?”

Nikko’s mother reached over, and, laying her hand over Violet’s, simply said, “For bringing my son back to me.”

Wrapping paper littered the floor, toys were scattered about, as Amelia and Addy raced around the living room shooting each other with their new NERF dart guns, a gift courtesy of Uncle Nik.

“You hate me,” Val complained, shaking her head and giving her brother a teasing grin. “You officially hate me. But you just wait, your day’s coming, and payback’s a bitch.”

“I’m just getting even for that time you put blue highlights in Ray’s hair.”

“Hey, those were cool,” Raven protested with laughter.

“Well, that looks like all the presents,” Nikko announced.

He stood and began collecting torn Christmas wrappings, wadding them into one large ball.

“Hey, Dad, you forgot someone.” Raven rolled her eyes in typical teenage fashion and nodded her head toward Vi.

All eyes turned toward her, and Violet felt her cheeks heat. “It’s all right, Raven. Your dad doesn’t need to get me anything,” she whispered, steeling herself against a wave of disappointment as she subtly tried to let Nikko off the hook and deflect the awkward attention filling the room.

“Did I?” he asked, a teasing lilt in his voice.

The mischievous spark in his eyes made Vi’s pulse quicken. She’d seen that look before. Usually it was in the bedroom, so she couldn’t possibly imagine what was lighting them now.

“Oh, yeah . . . I did forget one, didn’t I?” He gave his daughter a teasing wink.

It melted Vi’s heart to see them together. Their loving banter was so adorable. Definitely not the norm for a fourteen-year-old girl; then again nothing about having Nikko Del Toro for a father was typical. They shared a special connection that went deeper than parent and child; they were also friends. Not an easy feat for a parent to pull off, but Nikko seemed to be doing it with ease. Had he really doubted his ability as a father?—perhaps once, but not anymore. Over the last six months, he’d stepped into the role with impressive aptitude and confidence.

“I’ll go get it,” Raven announced, hopping up from the couch and heading into the dining room.

Go get it?
Nikko sat down beside her, wearing that lopsided grin that did funny things to Vi’s stomach, and other places she shouldn’t be thinking about right now. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. Leaning close, his husky voice whispered in her ear, “You didn’t honestly think I’d forget you, did you?”

“It’s okay if you did.” Christmas had never been celebrated much in her home, and once she’d married Barry, it had been even less. “I wasn’t expecting—”

His brows tightened into a scowl. “Well, you should. What kind of a dick doesn’t get his woman a Christmas present?”

Rustling in the kitchen drew her attention toward the dining room and away from the suddenly awkward conversation she didn’t want to be having in front of Nikko’s family, except all eyes seemed to remain on her instead of the odd clicking sound on the linoleum. What
was
that? It sounded like . . .

And then she saw it. A little bundle of white fur with brown blotches came tearing around the corner of the living room and raced right into Vi’s arms. “Oh, my gosh! What is this?” she cried, holding up the wiggling puppy. It was the most adorable thing she’d ever seen! “Is this . . . ?” It couldn’t be. “Is this my present? Nikko, did you get me a puppy?” She looked from him to Raven, then back to him. Both were grinning like crazy.

“It’s not just
any
puppy, Clover. It’s a rat terrier. Look at his name tag.”

She twisted his collar around to read the dangling metal bone.
Sparky.

He remembered
. . . Her vision began to swim, her throat swelling as tears filled her eyes, her mind racing back to the conversation they’d had that day at the restaurant. “But you said . . .”

“I know what I said, Clover. That was before you came into my life and changed everything. I know what I want now.” He stood, pulled something out of his pocket, and then knelt on the floor before her—in front of his whole family.

Her heart stopped. It was like an out-of-body experience, her mind refusing to compute what was happening. “I know it isn’t exactly how you planned it, but we have the kid, we have the dog, now all you need is the husband . . . if you’ll have me.”

Nikko held up the small silver box and opened the lid. Vi gasped at the large, square-cut diamond surrounded by sapphires in a platinum setting. It was the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She quickly swiped them away and glanced around the room. She wasn’t the only one crying—all were watching her with different levels of excitement and anxiety. But it was Raven she was the most concerned about. Did she know her dad was going to propose? Was she okay with it?

Violet gave the girl a questioning look, and the girl must have known what Vi was asking, because Raven’s beautiful smile beamed brighter than the sun as she nodded her consent. Vi turned her gaze back to Nikko. He was patiently waiting with a huge smile on his handsome face, those gorgeous dimples she loved making a rare appearance, and it was all she could do not to throw herself into his arms right then and there.

“It doesn’t matter how I planned it,” she said, holding out her left hand. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. You’re my dream come true . . .”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I want to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to pursue my passion. Many thanks to my wonderful editor Melody Guy and the amazing staff at Montlake for your dedication and commitment to Nikko and Violet’s story. To my agent, Nalini Akolekar, you’ve literally made my dreams come true overnight. I can never thank my fabulous critique group enough for all your hard work. Sally, Mikayla, Linda, John, and Lyanne, you make my stories shine, and I love you dearly! Last but certainly not least, thanks to my wonderful family for your patience and continual support, for all the times you’ve heard
In a minute
or
Just a second
and patiently waited for me, knowing it was going to be at least another hour. I love you with all my heart!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melynda Price is a multi-published author of contemporary and paranormal romance. What Price enjoys most about writing is the chance to make her readers fall in love, over and over again. She cites the greatest challenge of writing as making the unbelievable believable, while taking her characters to the limit with stories full of passion and unique twists and turns. Salting stories with undertones of history whenever possible, Price strives to plant her characters deep into her readers’ hearts so they will long be remembered. She currently lives in northern Minnesota with her husband and two children, where she has plenty of snow-filled days to curl up in front of the fireplace with her Chihuahua and a hot cup of coffee to write.