‘I’m also going to buy the biggest gun I can find,’ he croons tenderly. ‘And the first boy who comes anywhere near you is in big trouble.’
‘Now you know how my brothers feel.’ I choke out a laugh through my tears.
Cole turns his head to face me. There’s no missing the love lighting his eyes. ‘I want to meet your parents. Then we can deal with your brothers.’
I nod, because I can’t put it off forever.
Even if I want to.
It’s time.
‘My mother will love you,’ I sniff. ‘My father…’ I trail off.
‘Leave your father to me.’ Cole offers a hand to help me up. I smooth down my blouse and stand slowly. ‘Everything will work out, Zara, I promise.’ His tone oozes confidence. ‘One way or another, it has to.’
I just hope whatever way it works out, I don’t lose my old family, because there’s no way on earth I can give up my new one.
‘And I want to meet your mother—one day,’ I add. ‘I know your relationship is difficult, but babies make everything better. Especially Beckett babies,’ I tease to lighten the tone.
He scowls just as I intended. ‘Hartmann babies, you mean.’
‘Please! Over my dead body!’
A frown creases his forehead, and his jaw tightens. ‘Don’t even joke about that.’
‘Don’t worry, Daddy, I’m not planning on going anywhere. Not now that things are getting exciting.’ I run my hand over the back of his bicep soothingly and his expression softens.
‘We’ll have to think up a new name for our princess. We can’t name her Tiernan,’ Cole muses, placing a protective palm on the base of my spine.
‘But we could call her Tierney. What do you think?’ I glance at him sideways as we walk towards the door.
He shakes his head softly, like he’s in awe of me. ‘Did I tell you that I love you? And you’re the best damned thing that ever happened to me?’
‘I think you might have mentioned it a couple of times.’ I lean my cheek against his shoulder as we step out into the hall. ‘The feeling is mutual, by the way.’
‘The morning I woke up, and you were gone, it felt like you tore my heart out of my chest and took it back to Irelandwith you,’ he murmurs into my ear quietly. ‘I told myself that it was my pride that hurt. No woman has ever ran out on me before, but it wasn’t pride—it was you.’
‘I promise you, Cole, I’ll never run out on you again, no matter what.’ Our eyes lock. That familiar chemistry zips through the air, but it’s so much more than sheer attraction. It’s a silent exchange. An unspoken vow. Our family will come first. No matter what.
He feels the enormity of what I’m saying, even though I haven’t spoken a word. His feet slow to a stop, and he reaches for me, manoeuvring me until I’m flush against his chest. I tilt my chin up, and his lips catch mine. Softly, tenderly, his tongue slides into my mouth, quietly claiming and commanding. I reach up, palming his broad shoulders and melt against him.
The clack of shoes somewhere else in the building sounds through my ears, getting louder as they approach, but I can’t bring myself to break this moment, to tear my lips from Cole’s.
‘Zara?’ Rian’s familiar baritone rings through my ears.
I jolt back from Cole like I’ve been electrocuted. Cole whips around as he comes face to face with my brother.
‘Cole fucking Hartmann.’ There’s no missing the animosity in Rian’s tone, even without the F bomb.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I squeeze my eyelids tightly shut, willing this not to be happening, yet when I open them again, Rian and Rebekka are still there with shocked and stony expressions on their faces.
I told them I didn’t need them to accompany me. I specifically didn’t reveal the day or time my scan was in order to avoid something catastrophic like this happening.
Still, out of all my brothers, Rian isn’t the worst. Things would be a million times worse if Killian had waltzed in.
‘What the fuck?’ Rian marches towards us, his long legs eating up the distance between us in three swift strides. Rebekka is hot on his heels. Worry lines crease the corners of her eyes.
