Chapter 27

When their plane landed, Ace had arranged for a rental vehicle ahead of time, which was there waiting for them. Once they were on their way, he glanced over at her and saw how nervous she was. Reaching over, he took hold of her hand.

“Don’t be nervous.”

“I’m just worried that he won’t talk to me. It’s been over a year now, and he never once answered my letters or phone calls. Maybe coming here was a mistake.”

“Whatever happens, your father needs to know what your uncle did to you. I will be by your side the whole time.”

She knew she could always count on him, and knowing that made her feel strong and brave. “Yes, you’re right.” Facing her father and telling him was going to be hard, but it would be even more so when she confronts her uncle.

It took over an hour to reach the small ranch from the airport. He followed the directions she had given him, stopping at the end of the long driveway. “We’re here. Are you ready, or do you need a few minutes?”

She turned her head to look at him. “I could sit here for hours until I’m ready, but it’s best to do it now that we’re here. OK, let’s do this.” Her right leg started bouncing up and down as they got closer to the house. “There’s my father,” she said, pointing over to a man chopping wood.

Seeing the husky man with an axe in his hand got Ace questioning whether or not to approach him. “Crap, he’s holding an axe. Is he a violent man?”

She looked at him and smiled. “No, not at all, so you don’t have to be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid,” he said, scoffing as he stepped out of the car and went around to her side of the door and opened it for her.

John was busy chopping some wood when he saw the black sedan coming up his driveway. He only stopped when he saw a man getting out. He stood there with the axe in his hand, watching as the younger man opened the passenger door, and out stepped Rosalee. He wanted to run to her and take her in his arms, but his pride got the best of him as he started to walk towards the house.

“Dad,” she called out, but he continued to ignore her as he walked past them and up the steps.

Ace found this very heartbreaking to see the tears sliding down her cheeks. “Mr. Keller, your daughter is here to talk to you.”

“I have nothing to say to her,” he said with his back to them.

“You need to hear what she has to say, or better yet, maybe you should ask your brother why he was molesting her for years.”

John stopped and turned around. “What did you say?”

Ace walked up to him, leaving her still standing by the car. “Your brother has been touching her inappropriately when she was a child. She’s your daughter for crying out loud, and she needs you. I can’t tell you how much she’s been missing you.”

John looked over at Rosalee and slowly walked towards her. “What is he talking about?”

“When I was little, Uncle Frank would touch me in places that he shouldn’t touch a child. I told him to stop and that I would tell you, but he said he wasn’t doing anything wrong and that you wouldn’t believe me.”

“I don’t believe you. He’s a man of God and wouldn’t do something like that.”

Ace walked back over to them and put his arm around her. “You were right, he doesn’t believe you, so let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Wait,” John said before they got back into the car. “Look me in the eye, girl, and tell me it’s true.”

She stared him straight in the eyes as she wiped away her tears. “Daddy, it’s true. He never got the chance to rape me, but he would touch me on my private parts when I was little. So every time he came over or stayed, I would always go and spend the night with one of my girlfriends.”

John looked down at the ground. He stared at the dirt for a few minutes. He was feeling so many different emotions. One was being hurt that she left, one was the pain of missing her, and the other one was anger and pure hatred at hearing what his twin brother had done to his only child. He finally looked at her. “I had no idea what he did, and I’m so sorry. If only you had told me, I could have done something about it. I am so sorry that I let you down. I failed as a father; I should have protected you.”

“No, Dad, you were a wonderful father. I missed you so much, and I love you, so please don’t turn me away.”

Having not seen her for over a year or talked to her, he moved closer and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry, baby. I love you so much, and I’ve missed you terribly.”

Ace stood back to let father and daughter hug and tell each other how sorry they were, and it really touched his heart watching them.

John finally let her go and looked over at Ace. “So who is this man?”

“Dad, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Ace Thatcher.”

The two men shook hands, and then John suggested that they all go inside so that they could talk. They went into the kitchen where he put on a pot of coffee, and they all sat down. As they drank their coffee, she told her father when the touching began and when it ended and that it was one of the reasons why she wanted to move far away and the fact she wanted to experience new adventures and a different life.

“Sir, I know that your brother is a minister, but he needs to be exposed for what he has done to Rosalee. I’m not only saying it for her sake, but if he did it to her, how many other young girls did he touch, or even worse?”

“You’re right, son. He needs to pay for what he did, and I will talk to some of the others from the church. I’m sure there will be others that will come forth and tell the authorities what he had done to them as well. I will make that son of a bitch pay for what he had done to my little girl. Now how long have you two been together, and how serious is it?”

“About a year, and I am deeply in love with your daughter. She is smart, strong, and has a great sense of humor. She’s also the most beautiful woman inside and out that I have ever met. I plan on spending the rest of my life with her and having a family together.”

John looked over at her. “Do you feel the same way about this man?”

“Yes, dad, I love him with my whole heart.”

“I’m glad you found love, and I’m so sorry for the way I treated you when you left. After your mother died, you were all I had, and when you said you were leaving, I felt betrayed and hurt. But I realize what a mistake I made, and I am so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”

She got up and went over to him and put her arms around him. “Of course, I do, and I’m so glad that Ace convinced me to come here and see you in person.”

“Me too, baby girl. Now tell me, how long are you staying?”

“A few days, and I was hoping that we could stay here.”

“Baby, this will always be your home. Your room is the same as you left it, and Ace can sleep in the guest room.”

Now, this didn’t fit well with Ace. He wasn’t about to sleep in a separate room from the love of his life. “Sir, Rosalee and I live together, so I see no reason to sleep in the guest room.”

Rosalee tried to get Ace’s attention by shaking her head. She didn’t want her father to know that they were living together yet, but it was too late.

“You’re living together?” he asked her.

“Yes, dad, for a while now.” She was actually surprised that he didn’t have a fit. Instead, he was quite calm when he spoke.

“Well, it’s a new age, and you are a grown woman and can do what you want.”

Ace was happy to hear that her father was okay with them living together. “Thank you for understanding, so there’s no need for me to sleep in the guest room.”

John gave him a serious look. “In your home, it’s your rules, but in my home, you will live by my rules. So you will be sleeping in the guest room.”

“I respect what you’re saying.” He knew that her father was right. It was his home, and he had to respect it.

“Rosalee, why don’t you take your luggage upstairs and show your young man where he will be sleeping. As for you, young man, once you get settled, come outside, and you can help me stack the wood. You better change out of those fancy clothes and wear something more suitable for a ranch.”

She took him upstairs and showed him the room he would be sleeping in. “Thank you for being so understanding about our sleeping arrangements.”

He pulled her into his arms. “Just so you know, once your father is asleep, I’ll be sneaking into your room.”

“I know,” she said as she took out his jeans and shirt for him to change into. “Go help my dad, and while you’re doing that, I’ll start supper. Oh, and thank you for bringing me here and giving me the courage to tell him what my uncle did to me.”

“I love you, and I’ll make sure, along with your father, that you and whoever else your uncle touched gets justice.” He then quickly changed into his other clothes and went outside to help John with the chores.

Ace started stacking the wood into a pile up against the house. He could see John watching him every now and then and had the feeling there was something he wanted to say. “I know you’re still not quite sure about me, but let me assure you my intentions towards your daughter are honorable, and I love her with all of my heart.”

“But not enough to marry her, though,” John said with a bit of a sarcastic tone to his voice.

Ace stopped doing what he was and looked over at John. “I was married once, and it didn’t end well. I just don’t believe that we need to have a piece of paper to show how much we love each other. So in my eyes, we are actually married.”

“Not in God’s eyes, young man. But as long as you treat her good and never hurt her, I guess that’s all I can ask for.”

While the men were busy chopping and stacking the wood, she made dinner. Every now and then, she would look out the window and watch the two most important men in her life working and talking and hoped that her father wasn’t giving Ace a hard time.

Later that night, she excused herself to go to bed while the two guys sat and had a drink together and talked some more. She was just about to fall asleep when she heard the door to her bedroom open, and Ace walked in. “You’re not supposed to be in here.”

He stripped out of his pants and briefs and crawled into bed next to her. “Your father is asleep, and I’ll make sure to get up early and go back to my room. I have no intentions of sleeping without my woman by my side. Besides, it’s time for me to put a baby inside your belly.”

She let out a soft giggle when he climbed over the top of her, and the bed squeaked. “As you’ve noticed, the springs in this bed are very squeaky, so I don’t think you’re going to be able to do anything tonight.”

He lifted her nightgown up over her waist and pulled down her panties and climbed on top of her. “Then I guess I’m going to have to go slow,” he said and entered her with one thrust. He started kissing along her neck as he continued to slowly move up and down. When the bed started getting louder, he lifted his head and looked down at her, placing the palms of his hands down on the bed on either side of her head. It took a great deal of willpower not to start thrusting hard and fast. Instead, he moved slowly until he felt that he could no longer hold back. And then when she started moaning, his thrusts became a little faster, doing his best not to make the bed squeak too loudly. Sweat formed on his forehead, and soon he felt her coming at the same time that he did.

He hovered over her as he tried to catch his breath. “I don’t know about you, baby, but there was something so satisfying about what we have just done. It felt amazing.”

She ran her fingertips over his damp chest. “It wasn’t our usual hot and heavy sex, but it felt so good. Maybe it was the fact that you were trying so hard to be quiet and not letting my father hear the bed squeaking that made it kind of exciting.”

He smiled down at her. “Yes, and just so you know, I just put a baby inside you.”

“You don’t know that,” she replied with a smirk on her face.

“Oh, trust me, one of my boys found his way into your special spot, and right now, they’re partying like crazy. You just wait and see, I have definitely knocked you up.”

“Do you honestly think that after all that hot and wild sex we’ve been having didn’t do the trick, but tonight it did?”

“Yes, I’m absolutely sure.” He rolled off of her and onto his side, pulling her into his arms. “Good night, beautiful.” He slept well that night, knowing that he would soon be a father.