And I’m the lucky bastard who managed to have that woman.
The one who got the queen.
She’s wearing a simple peach-colored dress that falls to her knees. The only jewelry she has on is the wedding ring that I had made from the most expensive emerald available and the necklace I gave her when we were thirteen.
She’s never removed it since the day we got engaged.
And that box? She replaced those depressing pictures with new ones. Our wedding picture, her birthday picture, where we celebrated with all our friends and I kissed her senseless. There’s also our first family picture with Conrad, and last but not least, the ultrasound of the upcoming member of the Sterling family.
Nicole still doesn’t show, but she glows with the pregnancy. She’s so beautiful, it fucking hurts to look at her sometimes.
“You might want to wipe that drool, Bug.” Astrid’s voice, as mocking as it is, doesn’t break my fixation on the woman slowly approaching us.
My woman.
“Might want to practice what you preach, Bugger.”
“Me?”
“Your kids would testify to the unhealthy amount of PDA they witness on a daily basis.”
“That’s called giving a positive parental example.”
“Obviously. With tongues!”
“You have no right to judge when you look like you’re going to piss yourself by just looking at her.”
“I’m just thinking about how I will fuck her when all of you people are ruining my Sunday.”
“Gross.” She stands, shaking her head. “I’m going to find my man.”
“Don’t you dare shag in my house,” I warn and she just laughs, waving me off.
It’s my turn to stand up, the urge to close the distance between me and Nicole is like a fucking need.
I really should’ve had her for my own this weekend.
And every other weekend.
Upon seeing me, Conrad slips his hand from his mother’s and runs to me with the preciseness of a monkey on crack. His entire focus is on his legs, completely and utterly fascinated that the things actually work.
He trips and falls, but he giggles as if the whole ordeal is a comedy show, then he continues running.
I crouch and open my arms and he crashes straight between them. “Daddy!”
“Hey there, buddy.” My fingers ruffle his light hair and he giggles like a ball of sunshine.
I never thought I would become a father, not when my own was a scum who only fathered his dick. But the moment Conrad was born and the midwife placed him in my arms, I knew I would die for him. No questions asked.
When Nicole and I first got married, I admit to wanting children only to stake a claim on my wife, but that’s changed since I became a father.
And I have the woman standing in front of me to thank for that.
She’s the one who taught me that not all fathers are the same. That just because mine was the worst, doesn’t mean I’ll be like him.
Holding Conrad with one hand, I stand up and grab Nicole by the waist with the other, pulling her against me. “How are you feeling?”
“A little hungry.”
“Hold on a second while I beat Levi for not grilling the meat fast enough.”
She laughs and the sound is so contagious that I smile back.
“I miss you, Peaches.”
A light gleams in her eyes. “I’m right here, Dan.”
“I still miss you. I guess I’m traumatized from all the time I spent without you.”
She gets on her tiptoes and brushes her full lips against my cheek, then whispers in my ear, “I’m going nowhere. I’ll always be by your side.”
“Even with all the babies I keep putting inside you?”
My friends call me “Levi on drugs” for loving to knock up my wife without waiting in between, but fuck them. Her opinion is the only one that matters.
“Especially because of that.” She strokes Conrad’s hair, then palms my cheek. “Thank you for giving me a family, Dan.”
“Thank you for being mine, Peaches.”
Her lips meet mine and I kiss her at the sound of our son’s giggles.
THE END
Next up is the standalone enemies to lovers book that features Kingsley Shaw, titled Empire of Lust.
Curious about Nathaniel and Knox who were mentioned in this book? You can read their stories in Empire of Desire and Empire of Sin.
For more stories about Daniel’s friends from England, you can read their books in Royal Elite Series.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Thank you so much for reading Empire of Hate! If you liked it, please leave a review.
Your support means the world to me.
If you’re thirsty for more discussions with other readers of the series, you can join the Facebook group, Rina Kent’s Spoilers Room.
Next up is a pure enemies-to-lovers book, Empire of Lust, that will feature Kingsley Shaw who was a supporting character in Empire of Hate.
If you’re curious about Levi and Astrid and want to read the start of Daniel and Nicole’s story from another angle, you can read a preview of Cruel King below.
CRUEL KING’S PREVIEW
ASTRID
You may be noble, but stay away from King.
This is the last place I should be.
Alcohol, drunk teenagers, and thumping music.
A party.
Not to be dramatic, although I probably am, this place is like my worst nightmare wrapped in super-expensive watered-down alcohol.
Now, I’m not that much of a fun-ruiner, although my best friend, Dan, would say otherwise.
Spoiler alert, don’t believe anything Dan says. He’s into drama and all that jazz.
But I promised him I’d attend one party before the summer starts. Since Dan is part of the football team, I expected him to take me to their usual thing — not that I know what that is, but I had an idea it’d be in some posh house in London.
However, the sneaky wanker chose the party. AKA the mother of all freaking parties in Royal Elite.
When Dan and I walked inside, I had to double-check to see if we were somehow trespassing into the Queen’s holiday mansion and if I should tell Her Majesty that I saw the drunk captain of the rugby team piss in her pool.
To say the place is huge would be like saying the Vikings are tiny. Okay, that was lame, but I kind of insert the Vikings in any similes I make.
Golden arcs decorate the entrance and all the way to the massive lounge area. The vaulted ceilings and the sweeping stairs only add to how ridiculously grandiose this place is — even for Royal Elite’s level. Jeez. To top it off, there are butlers serving drunk teenagers more drinks than they need.
I mean, I come from money. Scratch that. Dad is rich, I’m not. However, this is on a whole different level. Even for me.
When Dan said it was party night, I thought we’d crash in one of the popular ‘elite’ houses.
We’d drink their expensive liquor, try to pretend that we belonged to the same school that has the future prime minister and parliament members in the making, and then piss off to nurse a hangover.