Rich Bastard {mxm}

Twenty Three.

"Being me is a type of perfection no one else could hope to have," -C.T

Time stood still as Joaquin and Holly stared at each other, their lips quivering as shock consumed them whole. 

I could see absolute confusion, grief, and happiness switching on their faces with the speed of a second. "Daddy?" Holly's voice held extreme doubt as her lips started quivering, her green eyes watering automatically. Joaquin was no different. His mouth was literally hanging to the floor as he held up shaky hands, moving them between his eyes as if she was just some mirage that appeared out of thin air.

Holly rubbed her eyes, thinking that this was a dream, but she was completely fooled when she realized that he really was standing there. Joaquin took a staggering step towards her, a tear leaving both of his eyes as he bit his lip, hard enough to draw pain. Maybe he was telling himself that if he could feel pain, then this was a beautiful reality.

"Daddy!" The girl ran like the Flash from that television show that Tomas kept talking about, her arms wide enough to wrap around his waist. "It's really you!" There was so much euphoria coming out of Holly, so much that it was enough to move me as I stared at the scene before me. "My baby girl?" Joaquin's voice cracked as he bent down to her level, cupping her face in his arms. "Oh my god, it's you..." He whispered, his eyes softening before he pulled her head into his chest gently as if he was savoring every touch.

Holly's whimpers filled my ears as she clutched her father's shirt, trying to commit the feeling to memory. "I'm sorry baby," He sniffled, squeezing her tightly as if he was trying to convey the amount of regret he felt. I didn't think I had seen anyone cry this hard before in my life, but seeing Joaquin let go without any control let me know that this was the moment that everything change. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered and Holly rubbed his back.

"It's okay, daddy," She said with a hopeful voice as a smile came to her lips. She clutched him to her tightly, or was it her to him—I didn't know, but my heart was tight as I stared at the sight before me. The way they crashed into each other, the way they embraced each other, it was as if a beautiful and radiant light was brightening up inside of each other once again. 

"You're here now."

Their reunion wasn't meant to happen like this, but in several ways, I'm glad it did. 

I turned to walk away, a pleased grin on my face. Everything was going to be okay. Holly would walk around with glee every day, and Joaquin would finally smile. I decided to give them some time alone but as soon as I was five feet away, I felt thick arms wrap tightly around my waist and a forehead was pressed into my back.

"Huh?" I jumped in shock, turning to see Joaquin burying his face into my back. I felt my body getting warm at the way that he was holding me. "How, Cheyenne, how?" His voice began to crack as the feeling of hot tears soaked my shirt. I smirked softly, patting his arm. 

"Baby when you're me, there are no bounds that you can't cross."

He couldn't stop the tears, squeezing my body even tighter, to the point where I couldn't inhale as freely as I wanted to. I would've told him to let me go, but I decided to bear it because I knew how much he needed this. I wasn't going to tell him the conditions of Holly's former home or how I got her because knowing him, he would feel extremely guilty. He already held guilt for getting her taken away, and he didn't need more.

Especially when he was seeking so hard for redemption. "Thank you," He whispered in a soft voice, one that I didn't recognize as his. I softly grinned, my heart pounding for an entirely different reason as I turned around in his arms, wrapping my own around his neck. "Thank you so much," I fought the urge to run a hand through his hair as Holly joined us, a few tears of her own soaking my skin.