Gray turns and looks at him in surprise. “You’re going out when she’s this close?”
“She still has five weeks, I don’t think there’s anything toworry about.”
“Have you decided on a name?” Elly asks and tips her cup up to her lips again.
“Beckett Wayne.”
She nods. “I like it. It’s strong.”
“That’s what Sloane says.” Mason says, pride shining in his eyes.
Gray’s eyes move to me. “You told Marley you’re leaving?”
There has been an underlying tension between Gray and I since I told him I’m going to marry his sister. I don’t want there to be any issues between us for Marley’s sake, but on the flip side, I don’t give a fuck if he likes me or not.
“I’m about to go do that right now.” I rinse my cup and put it in the dishwasher so Hallie or Sloane won’t have to do it. Hallie’s still moving a little slow after the beating D gave her when he had them, so is Sloane, obviously. To be honest, if I don’t pick up after myself, I always hear Dimitri’s voice in my head yelling at me to do it.
“Have you told her about the necklace?” He’s still pissed about the necklace, but I plan to tell her when she’s feeling better.
“What about the necklace?” Marley is standing in the kitchen doorway and every head in the room swings in her direction. Her hand instinctively goes to the little horseshoe necklace sitting just under her collarbones.
Fucking hell.
You could hear a pin drop.
“Shit.” Mason whispers behind me before he steps up to her and kisses her forehead. “It’s good to see you up, sis. You feeling better?”
She looks between me and Gray, confusion in her blue eyes. “I thought I was until thirty seconds ago when the atmosphere in the room turned static-y. What’s going on? Areyou talking aboutmynecklace?”
“I’m going to go wake Sloane up.” Mason says and slips out the door with a ‘good luck’ glance in my direction.
Without looking away from Marley, I answer Gray’s question. “No, Gray, I was going to tell her when she was feeling better.”
Her eyes stay locked on me, the little line between her eyebrows getting deeper by the second.
“That wasn’t intentional, I swear I didn’t know she was there. She’s like a cat,” Gray says. I think it’s the first time I’ve heard regret in his voice.
“Hey, Gray, will you help me find my phone in the bedroom? I need to get to work.” Elly says as he clears her throat and grabs his hand.
“Fuck.” I hear Gray mumble and he is shaking his head as he walks from the room behind Elly. He drops a kiss on top of Marley’s head as he walks by her.
Marley is quiet, but it is the loudest fucking quiet I’ve ever heard. The entire fucking family has the gift of being able to wipe all emotion from their face. They have the best fucking poker faces I’ve ever seen in my life. I see Mason, Gray and Mr. Harlow do it all the time. But now Marley’s dark blues don’t waver as she looks at me. Waiting for an answer.
Putting one hand on my hip and cupping my jaw with the other, I look back at her. I always told myself that I wouldn’t have a problem telling her I track her every move, but in that futuristic time in my imagination, she’s not looking at me like that.
“So, there are two parts to what I’m going to tell you, and I’d hoped to work up to the part that might make you angry.”
Her eyebrows pull together, and her fingers are still pinching the little horseshoe. She looks good enough to eat standing there in her little sleep shorts and the t-shirt half off one shoulder. Her long messy hair is pulled up into a fat bunon top of her head that is sticking out in every direction.
Her eyes are still a little puffy from crying after a nightmare last night, and I’m worried that she might think of my tracking habit as a betrayal and cry again. Fuck, I don’t want to be a reason she cries.
“How did you sleep, by the way?” I ask and step toward her.
“Fine, better when you’re with me.” She stands her ground, but I think I see a little bit of hurt there for the secrecy and my pussy footing around telling her the truth.
“Fuck.” I scrub my hands down my face, pulling the skin on my cheeks with my fingertips. Behind my fingers I blurt out, “I put a tracker in the necklace you wear.” Trying to soften the blow, I follow up with. “It’s how I found you when they took you.”
She looks like I just told her I ate her favorite pet for dinner and takes a step back. “How? I never take it off.”
