Page 129 of In the Dark

“He did not.” I rolled my eyes and then looked at Romeo. “He was the perfect gentleman, right, Romeo?”

Callahan held out a treat for my orange tabby, and the traitorous cat pranced over to him.

“He agrees with me.” Callahan smirked, and I sat down on the bed with a sigh.

“My cousins and aunt are coming tomorrow. I don’t want them staying in this room.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s mine.”

“Your room is with me,” he said in that grumpy tone.

“You had me in here for long enough, and this is where I feel like I belong now,” I teased him.

Instead of answering me, he scooped me up and started walking me down the hall. “I’ll show you exactly where you belong, Mrs. Knight.”

I started laughing as the doorbell rang. “Go to the door, Callahan!” I screeched at him as he kept walking toward his room.

“They can wait.”

“Absolutely not.” I wiggled in my PJs that were getting much too small for me. “What if it’s Lucille? She might have a new Paradise Grove article for us to read.”

I was becoming obsessed with them after two months. They had gossip about everyone including me, but my favorite part was how she described Callahan as the man who’d been protected from Fitzpatrick at the gates. I was the protector, and Callahan was the damsel in distress.

“That woman is a menace,” he said like he was crabby about it, but he turned around.

When we got to the front door, Archer was there with bruising on his knuckles and a look of worry on his face. “You guys see Marian?”

“Marian?” Callahan didn’t put me down but frowned at Archer like he didn’t even know the name.

“Mia’s sister! Have you seen her? She was supposed to be at the coffee shop earlier this morning, and then she goes to the library. She’s always home after that, but Mia said she wasn’t, and …”

“Are you tracking her?” Callahan gave him a look.

“Don’t judge me, asshole. I know you’ve done worse.”

“You know what?” Callahan didn’t deny it. “Call my brother with your stalker tendencies. I’m with my wife, and she’s tired. She’s growing a baby.”

“Callahan!”

He shut the door on Archer.

“That asshole …”

“He cares about Marian.”

“He’s obsessed with Marian.”

“That a bad thing?”

“No. I’m obsessed with you and our baby. It’s why I married you.” He turned to go back upstairs.

“You married me because of a contract.”

“Viper, I was going to marry you either way.”

“Oh, really?”