“I let Conrad know that he should stay with Nikki,” Kade said.
“Is there something wrong with her?”Ivy asked quietly as she sat next to Beau.
“She’s pregnant,” Beau said.“And could have lost the baby recently.”
“Everything turned out okay, though,” Chloe quickly added.“Nikki is healthy and early in her pregnancy.The abduction was brief, and she came home fine.”
“It could’ve turned out very differently,” Beau said.
“There are no guarantees in life,” Chloe said.“As much as we all wish there was a crystal ball that could tell us if we were in danger or about to be slammed into by a car, there isn’t.We’re all living on a wing and a prayer.”
“Excuse me,” Ivy said as hot tears pricked the backs of her eyes.She needed to get to the bathroom before she broke down in front of strangers.
“What did I say wrong?”Chloe’s face twisted with concern.
“She lost her mother and brother to a boating accident,” Beau said.“But you didn’t say anything wrong.It’s just been on her mind, I’m sure, with everything going on with her father.”
He brought his sister up to speed as Archer and Owen walked through the back door.Hudson followed a step behind, shook his head.“We had to reschedule.Cassie is disappointed but remains hopeful she meet her son soon.”
“Sorry to hear that, man,” Beau said.He had enough strength to stand up this time.That was a positive.“I know how much meeting him means to her.”
“It’ll happen,” Hudson said.“We just have to stay positive.”
Beau nodded.“I’ll go check on Ivy while you fill the guys in.”
Thankfully, the bathroom wasn’t far.He stood at the door and knocked.“Everything okay, Ivy?”
A few sniffles broke the silence.
“I will be,” she said.The shakiness in her voice said she was barely holding it together.The hesitation meant she was holding on by a thread.
“I’m just going to stand out here and wait for you in case you want to talk,” he said.He hoped the reassurance would be well received.
A long, quiet pause followed.
Since she didn’t tell him to get lost or go to hell, he took it as a good sign to stay.
A minute passed.Then, two.
The handle jiggled before the door cracked open.A sliver of her face was all he could see and was better than nothing.Red-rimmed eyes framed those violet irises.If anything, she was even more beautiful.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” he said, leaning against the doorjamb.
“I hope your family doesn’t think I’m crazy,” she said.“The way I took off like that.”
“Everyone needs space every once in a while.”They wouldn’t judge her for that.“Believe me when I say they understand.”
She bit down on her bottom lip.“How did you make it all the way here without falling on your backside?”
“I have many talents,” he quipped.
“Good to know.”She opened the door all the way.“You can’t be comfortable standing here.Let’s go back.”
He caught her hand in his before bringing her exposed wrist to his lips.He feathered a kiss there, and one on her palm.
She grabbed a fistful of his shirt with her free hand and tugged him closer until their lips crashed into each other.A bomb detonated in his chest like he’d never experienced before, threatening to shatter him the second their mouths parted.He wanted more.
Beau looped his arms around her waist and hauled her against him.The rise and fall of her chest matched the rhythm of his own pulse—a pulse that was rapidly rising.Her hands shifted to his chest, where her fingernails dug in.More of that live voltage pulsed through him, seeking an outlet.
