She sucks in a shaky breath.
"I'll drive your car back. You go on the jet with Colt."
She shakes her head. "N-no. I'll come with you. I don't want to fly." She pauses. Her hand finds mine. "I don't want to leave you."
I can't argue with her. Because I don't want her out of my sight either. Not now. Not for a long time. Maybe not ever again.
"Gianna told me to call you," she says quietly. "She said she'd allow you in LA to come get me."
I arch an eyebrow. Turn to Colten to make sure he clocked that. He did. His jaw tightens. I don’t trust that, not after the attempted stabbing earlier.
"She did?" I question.
"Yes. I went to her for help a few days ago."
Shit. That isn't ideal. Gianna knowing I'm in her city, on her turf, is information I'd rather she didn't have.
"Gianna isn't the bad one here, Ace. She tried to help me."
I study her face. She believes it. Fully. And maybe she's right. Or maybe Gianna Milano is playing a longer game than any of us can see.
"Okay, baby. Okay."
I stand and help her to her feet. She rises slowly, one hand in mine, the other cradling her belly. And it's at that moment that I really see it.
The bump.
The tears fall before I can stop them. I don't try.
Carefully, I pull her shirt up. Just enough. The swell of her tummy catches the light, and I drop to my knees.
I press my lips against her skin.
"Daddy loves you," I whisper against the bump. "Daddy's here. And I ain't going anywhere."
Her fingers run through my hair. I feel her body shake with a sob. But this one's different. This one isn't grief. It's the sound of something finally being okay. It’s relief.
I stand. Tip her chin up to me.
"Get your car keys. Reverse it up to the door. Then sit in the car while we load him in."
I give her a kiss, and she does as I say. No argument. No hesitation. She grabs the keys from the counter, steps over the blanket without looking down, and walks out the front door.
Colten steps beside me. We stand over the covered body.
"You're going to be a dad?" he asks.
"Yep. I am."
He nods. Doesn't congratulate me. Doesn't crack a joke. "Well," he says. "Let's get this dead body out of here and get the fuck out of this hellhole."
I laugh. Because what else can you do? I'm standing in a billionaire's kitchen in Los Angeles, about to dispose of a body, with a baby on the way and a woman in the driveway whom I'd die for. My life is insane.
Colten pulls back the blanket. We both look down at Hudson Blake.
TheForbes 30 Under 30crystal award is in pieces beside his head. The engraved letters of his name are cracked clean through, scattered across the tile.
"She used his fuckin' award." Colten shakes his head. "What a woman."
