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We’ve given up on all pretenses of having separate rooms. He stays in mine almost all of the time now. Only going into his when he needs something out of the closet or dresser.
“What are you doing?” I loop my arms around his neck, clinging tightly. Though I’m not worried he’s going to drop me. He has a firm hold.
“Taking you to bed and stripping you naked,” he murmurs, bending down to drop a kiss on my smiling lips. “We should have sex. To commemorate this moment.”
I laugh, trying to ignore the niggling worry in the back of my brain. That we’ve already forgotten something major.
Like the fact that Seamus is still out there. Still lurking around. Still hoping to get at me. Or even at my husband.
Or our child.
And Perry still believes he has to take care of him his way, and damn the consequences.
Now that I’m pregnant, I have even more to lose. If that means I need to remain a hermit in our apartment until Seamus is found, then so be it. I’ll do what it takes to keep our baby safe.
But what about Perry? He’ll still have to go to work. Seamus was headed for Halcyon before they lost him. What did he have planned?
What did he want to do?
Chapter Twenty-One
Perry
Ikeep mybaby news to myself, wanting to savor it for a few days with just my wife before we let the whole world know. It’s kind of exciting, having a secret that only Charlotte and I share.
And I’m not keeping it a secret because I’m ashamed of the fact that we’re having a baby, or that I want to keep it from my family for whatever reason. That’s not the case. People are going to be happy. My mother is going to be beside herself at the news of another grandchild. My siblings—specifically my brothers—are going to think I’ve lost my damn mind that I’m this excited about being a dad at such a young age.
I think of my own father, and how I wish he was still alive so he could see me now. Not like my old man ever considered me a major fuck-up, but my parents put their all into Winston and blew me off as the second son with no responsibilities. I fell into that role perfectly. The good time guy with no worries, even as a kid.
It’s a shame my father never got to see me grow up into the man I am now. Working at the business he started, side by side with my older brother, who respects me. I worked damn hard to gain that respect too. I earned it.
I’ve earned a lot of things. Instead of just going through life with no plan, I was thrust into a marriage that I first believed I didn’t want.
Turns out I didn’t mind that either.
Didn’t mind. Two words that don’t even come close to describe my feelings for Charlotte. That woman belongs to me. With me. She makes me feel territorial. Possessive. I look at her and immediately want to touch her. We’re in a room together with other people and I want to put my hands on her, making my claim. Letting everyone know that she belongs to me.
I’m in love with her. I have to be, and I tried to tell her, but she wouldn’t let me that night, when she announced her pregnancy. She said some tough things—things that made me angry, but I’ve turned her words over and over in my mind ever since she said them, and I’ve come to realize she’s right.
I hate McPrickface with everything I’ve got, but I can’t let my anger destroy what I’ve got with Charlotte. When he’s found—and he will be—I’ll let the authorities take care of him.
No matter how badly I want to finish him off.
We haven’t discussed that conversation again, but I’m going to tell her how I really feel about her soon. Maybe even later tonight.
It’s a Saturday night and we’re getting ready for the annual winter holiday party at Halcyon. All employees and family are invited. Hell, Winston even invited Charlotte’s family and the majority of them are coming, save for her youngest brother who’s still in school.
Her parents are showing up, which is major. Something I warned my wife about a few days ago, after Winston’s assistant let me know that they RSVP’d. I’m not about to let her come upon her parents at the party unprepared. I’m not that cruel.
I’m standing in front of the mirror in my rarely-used bedroom, buttoning up my light gray dress shirt when my wife strides into the room.
“I have a tie for you to wear. It matches my dress,” she announces as she heads toward me.
My gaze snags on her in the mirror and I swear to God, my heart fucking stops. She’s absolutely stunning in a red strapless dress. It molds to her body perfectly, showing off her smooth skin and of course, the skirt is short. I can’t stop looking at her legs.
“What the hell are you wearing?” I practically growl.
She stands next to me at the dresser, checking herself out in the mirror, her eyes wide and full of mock innocence. “You don’t like it?”
