“I’m not on any kind of birth control and I don’t want to get pregnant.”
“Right now or ever?” he asked seriously.
I gaped at him. “What?”
“Do you mean you don’t want to get pregnant right now or ever again?”
“Well,” I started and chose my words carefully. “I hadn’t planned on having any more children after Braxton, so I wasn’t really planning on having any after Sienna, but it’s not something I’ve given a lot of thought to.”
“Give it some thought. I want more kids,” he said. “With you.”
My breathing increased and my heart started to pound against my chest. “You what?” I squeaked.
“I want to have more babies with you. I’ve always wanted to have a large family,” he said quietly.
And suddenly I understood. He only had his grandfather after his parents died. Having a large family would have prevented some of the loneliness I’m sure he felt.
“Kellan—” I started.
“I shouldn’t have brought it up after everything that just happened. Put it on the backburner to think about. If it’s about money, I have plenty of it. If you’re worried about the physical aspects of pregnancy and birth, maybe we could adopt,” he suggested.
I exhaled slowly and tried to stave off the panic attack that was working its way onto the scene. I could think about it. Later. Much Later.
41
Savior
When Avery and I arrived at her house, I was supposed to change clothes and go straight to the clubhouse for Church; but, after one look at her face, I knew I couldn’t leave her to share the story with her parents by herself.
“Happy New Year!” Frank greeted as soon as we stepped through the front door. “Did you two have a good time?”
Avery shook her head and burst into tears. Frank wrapped his arms around his daughter and glared at me over her head.
“What happened?” Claire asked from her perch on the sofa.
I looked around the room. “Where are the kids?”
“Upstairs,” Frank and Claire answered in unison.
“An intruder broke into the cabin early this morning and attacked Avery,” I said carefully.
Claire gasped while Frank immediately pushed Avery back to look her over. His eyes hardened and his jaw clenched when he saw Avery’s bruised and swollen face. “Has a doctor looked at this?”
“Yes,” I answered since Avery was still sobbing in her father’s arms. “Two paramedics and a physician looked at it.”
“And where in the hell were you when this happened?”
“Daddy,” Avery cried. “H-he, he,” she started but couldn’t get the words out.
“I was asleep at first, but the yelling woke me. I knew something wasn’t right, so I grabbed my gun from the nightstand and walked around the outside of the house to come in from a different angle. I didn’t see him hit her, but he was going to kill her, so I shot him.”
“Oh, my baby,” Claire cried. “Bring her to me,” she ordered Frank, who immediately complied. He helped Avery to the couch where she practically fell into her mother’s open arms.
“It was Mark,” she wailed.
“What?” Claire asked.
“It was Ian’s friend, Mark,” I clarified. “Apparently, he’s had a long-standing obsession with Avery. He admitted to being the one who hit me and the kids,” I explained.
