AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His nostrils are flaring, his gaze never leaving mine, and he presses his lips together as he inhales through his nose, then lets it out his mouth slowly. He does it again, and then I begin to match his breaths.
In and out.
Slowly.
“Are you good, sunshine?” he asks.
Tears fill my eyes, and I can’t blink them back, they roll down my cheeks. I hate myself. Instantly. I’m tired of being a little crybaby. I feel like that’s all I’ve done the past few months, and with this baby, my emotions are all over the place. I can’t remember the last time I felt this much all the time.
“I’m trying to be,” I breathe.
He chuckles, lowering his head and running his nose along mine. “You’re gonna be good. I’ll make sure of it. Every fucking day of our lives. Every single day.”
“Every day,” I whisper.
His eyes search mine. “Yeah, sunshine. Every single day, I will do what I can to not only make you happy but keep you that way. You’re my everything.”
My heart stops beating in my chest at his words. Every single word fills me with a hope that I didn’t think I could ever have. Hope for me. For this baby, for the future. This is what I have always dreamed of, but is this what I want?
With this man?
Now that I know more about who and what he is, is this how I really want my life to be?
Chapter
Twenty-Six
HENDRICK
A shadow has crossed Allison’s face, but before I can delve deeper into it, I hear one shot, then two, then three. I’m not sure what else happens because Allison gasps, and I slide my arms around her.
Gripping the back of her head with one hand, I shove her face into my neck. With my other palm, I press against the center of her back and hold her to me. Lifting my gaze to the house, I watch as my brothers emerge with my father behind them.
I don’t know who I expect to follow them, but when it’s just Tatum, I can’t deny I’m shocked. My father makes his way toward me, his gaze focused on us, and he dips his chin in a single nod as the others peel off and head toward an SUV.
“Harlow?” I ask.
He snorts. “She was a wealth of information, but you can start looking into what she said. She didn’t give me any names, nothing spectacular.”
“You killed them all?” I ask.
He dips his chin. “Tatum will go home to his mother and sisters. Tait will be taken in his place. Though I’m not sure I’m going to kill him. I do know that he did not agree with what his father was doing. I’m going to feel him out before a decision is made.”
“Trust you, as always,” I murmur.
He lifts his hand to touch the top of my head the way he used to do when I was a kid and then drops his arm to his side. “You’re a good boy, Hendrick. Let’s go home so you can make an honest woman out of the mother of your child.”
I should probably be pissed off at him for trying to get rid of Allison the way he did, for paying her off and giving her a contract that would make it so that I never knew this baby was mine. I should be angry at Allison, too. But I’m not. This world isn’t black and white, especially with the family.
Stepping back from Allison, I release her before we turn and face the SUV. I place my hand on the small of her back and guide her toward the back seat. Opening the door, I help her into the car. Wells and Coleman aren’t inside yet. They’re leaning against the bumper, waiting for me and Dad to approach.
“Update me,” I murmur.
They lift their gazes to meet mine, their eyes searching my own before they both flick their attention to Dad, who is standing next to me. He clears his throat, then he lets out a sigh. I know he’s getting ready to spill some shit, and I’m fucking here for it.
I want to know just what exactly is going on and what my father knows, because it’s clear to me that he knew something before he had me watching Samson.
“Samson was my cousin, but as we’ve discovered recently, blood does not make you loyal. I knew he was up to something. His finances were fucking wild, and he wasn’t doing the kind of work to make that scratch, so I knew he had to be doing something on the side.”
