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After my little adventure over the past three days, I had a feeling he was going to insist we start making those babies he was anticipating sooner rather than later in hopes of keeping me from future trips of the same nature. A smile teased at my lips as I entered our house.
Hearing me, Ryan came out of the office that was off the entrance. As soon as I saw him, all of my exhaustion seemed to drain away, and I ran, throwing myself into his arms like always. “Hello, my heart.” He flexed his hands on my ass as my legs settled around his waist. “Did you miss me?”
“So much,” I told him honestly, brushing a kiss over the tip of his nose. “Did you miss me?”
“So badly that I could barely concentrate on work.” He turned and started up the stairs. “Luckily for me, your brother took pity on me and was able to handle the majority of the transaction.”
“Did you see Justice?” I asked, my heart lifting at the thought of my niece. She was still in the NICU, but if all went as expected, she would be home in the next few weeks. Mom and Cali sent me pictures almost every day, showing me how fast she was growing and how strong she was becoming with each passing day.
“I even got to hold her this time,” he bragged, and I didn’t miss the longing I saw in his dark eyes. “She looks so much like you. Those eyes that are shifting from blue to what I’ve come to think of as Hannigan green. That peach fuzz on her head that is as blond and silky-soft as yours. The button nose.”
“Stop,” I said with a small laugh. “You’re killing me. I miss her so much it hurts.”
“We can visit anytime you want,” he promised not for the first time. With a light kick of his foot, our bedroom door was pushed open, and moments later, I was lying in the middle of our bed, his talented fingers already working on getting me naked.
The moment he sat back to pull my pants down my legs, I knew I couldn’t hide the events of the past three days any longer. The bruise along my right upper thigh where I’d gotten hit by a metal pipe was too prominent for him to miss. Jaw clenched, he traced the tips of his fingers over the dark bruise. “Nova, is there something you want to tell me?”
I bit my lip. “I don’t want to tell you, but I’m going to anyway.”
He sat back, the need in his eyes banked as concern and anger took its place. “What have you been up to, my heart?”
“Your mom and I took a little trip…to Montreal.”
“Motherfuck!” he roared. Shooting to his feet, he thrust his fingers into his hair as he glared down at me. “What were you two thinking? Do you realize how dangerous Bain O’Farrell is? What did you hope to accomplish?”
“We didn’t hope to accomplish anything,” I told him, lifting my chin in indignation. “We did accomplish it. And maybe it wasn’t exactly easy, but no one I cared about died.”
“No one you cared about…” He trailed off, shaking his head. For long moments, he just stood there, staring at me with vacant eyes, as if he were playing out every worst-case scenario in his mind. Finally, he swallowed roughly. “How is she?”
I didn’t need him to elaborate to know he was asking about Ciana. He hadn’t said her name aloud once. His anger with her wouldn’t allow him to. But I knew she was never far from his thoughts.
“She’s good,” I told him with a reassuring smile. “And so are the girls.”
“She had all daughters?”
I nodded. “They’re beautiful.”
“Then they must look just like their mother,” he grumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Where are they?”
I shrugged. “Somewhere Bain won’t ever find them. Scarlett is with them, and Ciro will join them in a few days once he knows no one is following him. We didn’t tell him until after everyone was safe.”
Some of the tension drained out of his shoulders. “Did you get hurt anywhere else?”
I scooted until my legs were around him from behind and pressed my lips to the center of his shirt-covered back. “If I say yes, will you kiss it better for me?” I purred.
“Yes,” he agreed, his hands covering mine pressed to his heart. “After I spank your sexy ass for putting yourself in danger. I was just starting to calm down, Nova.”
He was right. After spending our entire honeymoon constantly within arm’s reach of each other, he’d calmed down a little right after the new year. He hadn’t been nearly as anxious about me leaving the house without him and a small army of guards. Now, I expected that to change—for a little while anyway.
“That’s okay, my love,” I murmured as I began to unbutton his shirt. “You can keep me tied to this bed for as long as you need.”
