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“How do you turn it off?”
“Biometric scan, fingerprint, and voice recognition. The works.” Tristan places the phone down and looks up at me. “You and the baby are as safe as you’re going to be, Isabella. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
I choke on my drink and sputter. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I know you’re pregnant.” Tristan holds his hand out, and I bridge the distance between us. After handing him the bottle, I lower myself into the chair across from him.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice the throwing up, the weird food cravings, and the vitamins you ordered?”
“I thought you’d give me a little privacy,” I grumble, mostly to myself. “Or are you going to be hovering over everything I do?”
Tristan has the good sense to look apologetic. “I got worried when I noticed how often you were throwing up. Then I watched you and put two and two together. I take it Carter doesn’t know?”
I take a long sip of my iced tea. “I left him a note. He should find out when he goes home.”
“He’s been spending all his time at Anita’s,” Tristan replies between sips of his drink. “I don’t think he can stand to be in the house without you there.”
“That makes two of us.” I sit up straighter and set my glass down. Then, I link my fingers together and clear my throat. “Have you told him yet?”
“No, and I’m not going to. It’s not my business.”
“You didn’t seem to have a problem getting involved before.”
Tristain winces. “Fair enough. I know I fucked up, Isabella. I’m not going to do that again. For the record, I didn’t have anything against you. I just didn’t like how Carter acted around you.”
“And now?”
Tristan exhales. “Now, I know you’re here to stay, so I might as well make peace with it.”
It’s not the ringing endorsement I’m hoping for, but it’s the most I’m going to get from Tristan.
For now.
I can’t expect anything else, given our history.
Tristan takes a long sip of his drink and sets it down. “For what it’s worth, I think that is one lucky kid. You’re both going to be great parents.”
I raise an eyebrow. “So, you think Carter will want to be a part of the baby’s life?”
Tristan pauses, and his expression turns thoughtful. “It’s hard to say, but yeah. I think he will, and it’s going to make him more insufferable.”
His words ignite a spark of hope inside of me.
And the warm feeling stays as I climb up the stairs and turn in for the night.
Chapter Forty-One
Carter
I hoist the enemy up the scruff of his neck and pull my lips back to reveal my teeth. “Where did the Natoris go into hiding?”
The man with a bloodied and bruised face presses his lips together and doesn’t say anything.
I punch him again, aiming for the wound in his stomach. He wheezes, and his blood pours down the sides of his face and his nose. Still, he won’t say a word. He’s a lot harder to crack than I thought he would be.
All the Philips and Natori men are. It makes me wonder what they do to traitors.
By now, our inside man is probably long dead, his body dumped in a shallow grave somewhere.
