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“Oh, I’m banking on it.” Sutton’s giggle filled the area.
I laughed. “You’re punny.” I blew out a sigh, then took another bite of my eggs.
“One more thing.”
I stopped chewing my food. “Do I want to know?”
“Yup.” Sutton rose, then walked to a drawer and opened it, removing a little brown bag. “I had Jaxon go into town and pick up an at-home paternity test. Once Zayne had spent the night, I figured you could look for a few strands of his hair.”
My brows briefly knitted together. “That’s why you gave us the master bedroom?”
“Well, and it’s hard to have much fun on a twin bed. The rest of the rooms have two singles.” Sutton opened the bag and removed a box. “Gather what you need, then I’ll have one of the guys drop it off at a FedEx. You should have results in twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”
“If it’s Donovan’s, I’m terminating the pregnancy immediately. I can’t handle having a part of him with me for the rest of my life. I’ll already have the scars from his physical and emotional abuse. I can’t force myself to carry to term for adoption, either. What if the baby turned out just like Donovan, and I was the person that released another monster into the world?”
“Giselle, you don’t owe me any explanation at all. It’s your body and your decision. Don’t let anyone pressure you into making a choice that isn’t right for you.” Sutton slipped the box into the bag again, then tilted her head. “I should tell Zayne what’s going on, but it’s not my place. So take this and go collect his hair.”
“I promise, as soon as the results are in, I’ll tell Zayne either way. He needs to know, but I want more information first.” I stood, then gave Sutton a brief hug. “Thank you for everything.”
“If I were in your shoes, you would do the same for me.”
“I’ll be back. I should get it done before he returns. Whenever that’s...” I hesitated, focusing on Sutton.
“This life is hard, Giselle. The men leaving, working, coming home you’re not sure when … but if you love Zayne and want to be with him, he’ll do his best to share what he can.”
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “It is worth it?”
“I love Pierce with all my heart, and it would be harder to not have him in my life at all. And my circumstances are different than yours will be because I work with the guys. Normally, I’m behind the scenes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I have a lot to think about.” I nibbled on my lower lip. “One thing at a time, though.”
“Exactly.”
I left the kitchen, then headed upstairs. Hopefully, it would only take a few minutes to find what I needed. Afterward, I would dive into one of the hardest conversations I’d had in my life. My throat tightened, and I paused as I reached the door to the bedroom where Zayne and I had spent the night together.
I ran my fingertips over the iron footboard of the bed, staring at the pillow Zayne had used. The bright sunlight spilled through the window, and I resisted the urge to crawl onto the mattress and inhale his woodsy scent that lingered, but instead I sat on the edge of the bed and smiled as it creaked. Our evening together had been magical, but he’d also admitted that part of his job was taking out the monsters in life. He would be in danger anytime he was gone, and I wasn’t sure if I could handle any more heartache. I’d had enough for ten lifetimes.
Reminding myself of why I was in the room, I started to search for strands of Zayne’s hair.
53
Zayne
It had been three long-ass days away from Giselle, and I was ready to kidnap her and run. After we cleaned up all of the evidence, Pierce and Vaughn took a long way back to Spokane while Jaxon and I began the two-day drive to the new safehouse where Sutton had moved the girls. Even though she had kept us all up to date when transporting everyone to the home in Montana, it was still hard not talking to Giselle myself, especially when she had to say goodbye to Ashley again.
“We’re almost there,” Jaxson said, fiddling with the stereo, hoping to find better music than country. “I gotta ask the boss to subscribe to Sirius XM. This shit is killing me.”
I chuckled. “You don’t need satellite radio when you have Spotify.” I grabbed my phone from the leather dashboard and pulled up the app, paired it with the car’s Bluetooth, and selected the playlist Giselle and I had listened to when Donovan had bugged my car. At least that wouldn’t ever happen again.
The fucker was dead, and I didn’t feel guilt over what I’d done. Not even an ounce.
“Breathe In Bleed Out” by Jared Lee thumped through the speakers.
Jaxon scrunched up his face like he was in pain. “Are you fucking with me?” he asked, peering over his sunglasses in my direction.
“Lay off, man. It’s on the playlist I put together for Giselle. She likes this song.”
Jaxon shook his head. “Whipped. P-U-S-S-Y whipped.”
