“I thought you’d want to show me more. Where the baby’s room would be.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Where we’d make more babies.”
“Not today. I think… I just want to go back to your apartment. That’s where home is now.”
“It is?” God, he was such an asshole for sounding so excited when she looked devastated.
“I thought… Do you not want me there now? I could stay above Lachlan’s shop?—”
Hawk closed the distance between them and took her hand in his. “Don’t even finish that thought. Home is with me. My apartment is yours. Now.Forever.”
“I’m ready.”
“Are you sure? If this is because of what happened at dinner?—”
“It’s not. I promise. I was going to tell you tonight. Before the break-in. Before everything went to shit. I’m ready. I want our family to be together. I want to be with you.”
He bent down, his hands wrapping around her bottom as he lifted and spun the two of them across the floor.
“Careful,” she giggled. “I still feel a bit off.”
“Shit. I got so excited I forgot. I’m sorry.” He placed her back on the ground and swept some of her hair from her face.
The floorboard above their head creaked, and Hawk’s stomach dropped as he instinctively pulled Jessie behind him.
“What was that?” she hissed.
“Shh.” Hawk pressed his fingers up to his lips before his eyes went to the ceiling. The creaking continued, foot falls clomping quickly. It sounded like multiple people were about to walk right down the stairs. Who the hell was up there?
“Is it the person from before?”
“I don’t know, Jess. Just try to stay behind me and I’ll handle whatever it is,” he whispered.
Jessie inhaled sharply as two white, furry legs came into view.
“Oh my god! I’m going to kill Beau!” Jessie darted from behind Hawk. “Baby! What are you doing here? Did Beau leave the gate open again?”
“I said stay behind me,” Hawk groaned.
She laughed. “You don’t need to protect me from this fur ball. He’s my baby.”
“I’m about to get jealous, you’ve called him ‘baby’ twice now. Who exactly is this creature that seems to be my competition for affection?”
Her eyes darted up at Hawk, who gave her a smirk and winked. “Hawk, meet Lucky. Lucky, this is Hawk.”
The goat bleated, and Jessie sighed.
“We need to get him back to hisownhouse. Lucky, this place isn’t fit foranyinhabitants. Two or four legged. You know better. Don’t make me tell Beau you don’t need your afternoon snacks.”
Lucky huffed at that, prancing towards Hawk. He held his hand out as Lucky lowered his head and playfully rammed into his thigh.
“Ouch! Easy there, buddy. Come on. Back to the barn for you. I’ve got to get my family home.”
Nineteen
The plans for Trident II were up on Hawk’s laptop, but his mind was a million miles away. It had already been three weeks since the family dinner from hell, and Jessie was struggling. She’d given up working at the diner. She wasn’t talking to her mom or dad, or half of her brothers. The only time she wanted to leave the apartment was on the days she still helped out at Lachlan’s shop.
Colt and Lach had dropped off her things in just a couple of cardboard boxes a week after the dinner. She’d smiled until her brothers left… Then the tears came. And he didn’t know how to make it better. So, he’d given her his credit card to get things that would make the apartment feel like her space. And he hadn’t said a single word as she rearranged everything in some sort of rage nesting that now meant his shirts were where his shorts normally were and the coffee was kept in the place where he’d always put his cereal. He could adapt. But nothing seemed to settle her.
Even his sister and his friends hadn’t been able to get her to come out of the apartment. So now, there was only one thing he could think to do, and he’d put it offlong enough.
