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The slamming of the front door made her jump.
Shell pressed a hand to her chest as it ached with a vengeance.
He’d left.
Walked away from their home in anger.
Something he’d never done before and had told her he’d never do.
That just left one question.
Was he coming back?
“Mommy,” Beth said as she appeared in the doorway.
“Yes, honey?” Shell turned her face to the side and quickly swiped the tears away. Her daughter didn’t need to see her in such a messy state.
“Are you and Daddy yelling at each other?”
“Uh, no sweetie,” she said, keeping her face averted. “We weren’t yelling at each other. Just talking about some grown-up stuff. Sorry, were we talking too loud?”
She nodded, but didn’t seem remotely concerned. “Can we finish the cookies now?” Her little face was so bright with eagerness. The kind that only came once a year. The Christmas kind.
The last thing Shell wanted to do was put on a happy face, pretend everything was rosy, and decorate cookies. But she stood, smiled at her daughter, and nodded. “Yeah, baby. We sure can.”
Hand in hand, they headed back down the stairs and into the kitchen.
She could do this. She’d been alone before and survived.
One big difference, though; this time, she’d know what she was missing.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
LITTLE JACK
“Holy shit, babe! What the fuck are these?” LJ yelled with a full mouth after shoving a cookie in his trap. A box of them sat open and beckoning to him on the counter. He had another between his teeth before he’d even swallowed the first.
“What?” came the muffled reply. He heard something he couldn’t make out, followed by the word shower. No worries, he had plenty to amuse himself while he waited for Holly to get out of the bathroom.
A few seconds later, she appeared in one of his T-shirts with a towel wrapped around her head. Damn, that sight got his dick hard every time. “Woman, you look—”
“What are you doing!” she shrieked so loud he couldn’t believe the windows didn’t crack as she rushed him.
There went his happy cock.
Holly ripped the half-eaten cookie out of his hands, giving him a deadly scowl. “How many did you eat?”
She looked like the most adorable angry person in the world, and LJ couldn’t help but laugh at the exaggerated scowl on her normally cheerful face.
“Excuse me,” she barked. “There is nothing funny about this. How many of these cookies did you eat?”
“Uhh, three?”
“Three?” Her eyes bugged.
“Well, three and a half. You gonna give me my cookie back?”
“LJ!” she whined, pinching the bridge of her nose as though dealing with a difficult child. This time he wisely cleared his throat to cover his laugh. “These aren’t for you. They’re for Izzy. She specially requested them.”
“What?” he said with a laugh. “What does she need cookies for? She’s fat enough as it is.”
Now her hands were on her hips, making his T-shirt ride up enough to give him a peek of his favorite creamy thighs. This was too fun.
“Excuse me? Fat? She is not fat. She’s nine months pregnant.”
He shrugged. “It’s not like you can put it back in the box.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “What?”
He pointed to the piece of cookie she still held in her hand. “That cookie. I ate half of it. It’s not like you’re gonna give it to her now. So can I have it back?” He blinked his eyes, shooting for an innocent and pleading look. “Please.”
“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes as she held out the partial cookie, one hand still propped on her hip. “You’re such a child.”
“Maybe,” he said as he stuffed the half cookie into his mouth. “But you love that I love your cookies.”
That had her smiling. “Well, that’s true.”
“Why are these so amazing? They just look like sugar cookies with white chips.”
With a sheepish look, Holly stole one out of the box and took a bite. “They’re blizzard cookies. Made with cream cheese.”
“Look at you, you little hypocrite,” he said with a laugh as she took another bite of her cookie. Her cheeks turned a light shade of red.
“What? I can’t give them to her without making sure they aren’t poisonous first.”
LJ crowded her against the counter. “Pretty sure I took care of that for you already.” He yanked the towel off her head, letting the heavy wet strands of hair tumble past her shoulders. “I’d be dead on the floor if you’d poisoned them.”
“One day…” she said with a wink.
LJ threw back his head and laughed. “Fuck, I love you, Holly Lane.”
“Love you too, Jack,” she said on a gasp as his hands slid under the T-shirt and over her bare tits.
He kissed her, reveling in the taste of the sweetest woman he’d ever had.
His woman.
“Mmm,” he said on a groan against her lips. “Almost as good as those cookies.”
“Hey!” Holly whacked him on the arm, but her laughter let him know it was playful. But then she grew serious. “LJ, how worried do I need to be about the Chrome Disciples?”
