“Baby, tell me where you are. Please. I need to explain what you misheard.”
“No. I didn’t misinterpret anything. You and Ria deserve peace and safety. My life is too crazy right now. I’ll be in touch.”
I hang up on him, then open my text messages. I read all the ones he sent. He goes from begging me to come back to telling me he loves me.
I want to say the words back, but I can’t. I won’t as long as this person is after me. I’ll do everything I can to protect this baby. When they catch my stalker, if Callum still wants us, I’ll go back to him. Until then, I’m staying here, hidden and safe.
“I’ll protect you, little one.” I rub my stomach. “Your daddy is an amazing man.”
I fall asleep cradling my phone to my chest, thinking about everything Callum told me. I’m not scared of him. He’d never hurt me. I know he’s a good man who was put into a messed-up situation.
CHAPTER 11
COWBOY
It’s beenfive months since I’ve seen her. She only turns on her phone every couple of weeks. She’ll send me a text to tell me she’s safe and happy. She said she finally rode her horse, and I’m excited for her. She sent me an email that bounced through so many servers even Gambit’s computer guru couldn’t trace its origin. I know Butcher is helping her. I’m glad he’s there to protect her.
She still hasn’t told me that she loves me, but I know it will take some time before she trusts me again. On top of that, she’s trying to keep herself hidden so she stays safe. I haven’t heard her voice since that one time back in May. It’s now October, and I’m tired of waiting.
I’m sitting in the living room of the house I bought for us, watching Ria roll around on the floor. At eight months old, she’s already crawling. She grows so much every day. I take pictures of her and send them to Andi.
My phone pings next to me, and I see it’s Browser.
“Hey, nerd. What’s up?” I answer the phone.
“I have her.”
I jump up from the sofa. “You do?”
“Yeah, but Ridley wants to see you before you head to her. I promised I wouldn’t say anything to you. Come to the office in about an hour.” He hangs up.
I reach down and pick up my daughter. She’s officially mine. It took some time, but I passed all the tests and inspections.
“Let’s go get your mama back, baby girl.” I kiss her forehead.
I carry her to her bedroom attached to the primary suite. I change her bottom and clothes, then get her into her car seat before heading out to the garage. There, I secure her seat into the base in the back seat of the large SUV I purchased a couple of weeks after Andi left me.
By the time I make it to Ridley and Julian’s office building, only forty-five minutes have passed. I pull up just as Striker and Amelia do. Another couple steps out of the back of their SUV. The woman bears a striking resemblance to my girl. I know exactly who she is.
“Why is he here?” Penelope, Andi’s mom, asks.
I walk over, ready to grovel to this woman if I have to.
“Hello, I’m Cowboy. This is my daughter, Ria.” I hold up her car seat. “I’m Andi’s boyfriend.” I want to say I’m her man, but I can’t be that over the top with her parents.
Her mom just stares at my hand, but her stepdad reaches out and shakes it.
“Hello, I’m Jon. Don’t mind my wife. She’s overprotective of our girls.”
“Good. I am too.”
“That’s good to hear, but you did let her run in the first place.” Jon doesn’t pull any punches.
“She overheard Striker and me talking. She didn’t stick around to hear the whole conversation, or she would have known I said I wasn’t letting her go.”
“Yeah, sometimes these Forbes women react before thinking or waiting to hear everything.” Jon chuckles, and Penelopesmacks him on the chest. He laughs harder as he takes her hand and kisses the knuckles.
Together, we walk into the refurbished warehouse. The elevator feels crowded, but I still get on, not wanting to give them any reason to think I don’t want to be around. When we reach the second floor, Ridley directs us to the conference room, where Browser is already sitting. He’s typing away on his laptop, and I get the sense he’s avoiding eye contact.
