Page 106 of Thaddeus

“I am as long as the end game is they’re all in the ground.”

“They will be,” Zane told him.

“Thad?”

“I get it. I’m cool.”

“No, you’re not. But you will be. I swear it, brother, been where you are and I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had to wait to kill the fucker who took my woman and was a hair’s breadth away from violating her in the worst way a woman could be violated. But tonight, your woman’s with you. By some stroke of luck you convinced her to marry you tomorrow. And soon, I promise you, you’ll get the rest of what you need. Stay with me. It will be taken care of.”

He was correct all on fronts. I wasn’t cool having to wait.

But tonight with Emmy pressed close, I would get what I needed to get there.

And tomorrow when she agreed to be my wife, I’d get even closer.

And the next day, when I took her to the doctor to get that thing out of her arm so I could plant my kid in her belly, I’d get another step closer.

But it wouldn’t be until I put the fucker who took her into the ground that the burn in my gut would finally extinguish.

Luckily, I was a patient man.

Emerson

“I really don’t want to do this,” I whined.

We were still lying in bed. Thaddeus was behind me, his arm around my middle, and his hand was slowly stroking the bare skin on my stomach.

Thankfully, Brooks and Tatiana had a two-bedroom suite at The Del. After everything that had happened yesterday, I needed a comfy bed so I could snuggle close to Thad.

“I know you don’t. But I’ll be with you.”

He was talking about me calling my parents. Something he felt strongly about. I had confided in him how much I missed my mom and how guilty I felt for disappearing on them the way I had. They’d lost everything. First Autumn, then each other, and lastly me.

We’d never have the once-happy family back but I could give them peace of mind that Autumn was alive.

“Later?” I tried.

“Now, agápi mou. We’ll be busy later.”

Yeah, we would.

We were getting married in a few hours.

“Fine. Can I use your phone?” I huffed.

Thad rolled to his side and grabbed his phone. Before he handed it to me he leaned forward and took my lips in a delicious kiss that had my toes curling, and all thoughts of phone calls flew out the window.

He broke the kiss, hauled me up so I was sitting, arranged the pillows behind my back, and finally handed the phone to me.

I dialed my childhood phone number and hoped my mom hadn’t moved or decided to slide into the twenty-first century and get rid of her landline.

“Hello?” My mom’s pretty, albeit sleepy voice, surrounded me like a warm blanket.

Damn, I missed her.

“Hey, Mom. It’s—”

“Emerson,” she breathed. “Is that you? Are you okay? Where are you?”