Page 156

Suddenly, he’s gone but I don’t even get to breathe a sigh of relief before he’s standing in front of me and wrapping his large hand around my neck. He squeezes and my eyes widen and start to water as I struggle to take a breath.

“Shut up!” he seethes. “After we leave here, I don’t ever want to hear you talk about him again. You belong to me. End. Of. Discussion.” When I remain silent, he loosens his grip slightly.

Nix groans and my breath catches in my throat.

Ryan quickly moves behind me again and pins my arms to my sides. Nix’s eyes flutter open and he looks around the room in confusion. His blue gaze finally lands on me and his eyes widen as he staggers to his feet. When I can tell that he is okay, tears of relief drop down my cheeks. He stares at me and I can see the torment that this is causing him.

“How nice of you to join us,” Ryan sneers and Nix looks to him for only a moment but when he focuses back on me, I can see the rage lighting up his eyes.

“Let her go,” Nix demands and Ryan laughs.

Nix takes two quick steps forward but freezes at the same moment that something presses against my belly. When I glance down, I see a pistol pointed right at my babies. In a panic, my eyes fly back to Nix, who looks equally horrified.

“That’s right. We wouldn’t want to do anything to hurt the little bastards, would we?”

Nix’s entire body tenses and fury builds in his eyes. He looks capable of murder.

“You hurt my girl or my kids and I can promise you that it will be the last thing you ever do.” He never once takes his eyes off mine as he delivers the threat. We stare at each other, silently saying so much. Ryan’s grip gets harder around me and I wince from the pain. Only then does Nix look to Ryan and his intent is clear. He is going to kill him.

Ryan shakes his head as the gun digs into my skin. “She’s not yours.” He squeezes me and tears start falling down my cheeks. I’ve never been so scared in my whole life. I don’t know how to get all the people I love out of this mess.

“Take a look, asshole. That’s my ring, those are my kids, and I’m the one that she can’t take her eyes off of.”

“Shut up!” Ryan roars and his body is shaking with anger. What is Nix doing? How is making Ryan mad going to fix anything?

“Face it, Ryan. As long as I’m alive, you’ll be second place in her book. A consolation prize.”

Jesus, what the hell is he doing? His plan becomes clear just as Ryan pulls the gun away from my belly and points it straight at the love of my life. A sob racks my body as I shake my head at Nix. He just gives me that easy smile that I adore, his eyes shining with so much love and devotion that I know he’s prepared to die for me, for us. It makes me cry even harder and Ryan is getting angrier by the second, his body shaking in rage.

“Shut up!” Ryan yells, shaking me. He cocks the gun and the fear works its way up my throat, clawing at me, choking me.

No! I can’t lose him.

Come on, Emma! Think! Think of something.

“Even if you kill him, I’ll never be yours again. If he dies tonight, he will be immortalized in my mind as the love of my life and I’ll blame you for as long as I live. I will hate you.”

A look of absolute horror creeps over Nix’s face as Ryan lets out a shriek of frustration and points the gun to my head.

I blink away my tears and lock eyes with the man in front of me. I need to see him. A part of me wants to tell him to look away but I can’t waste one second of what’s left of my life on anything but him. It’s selfish, I know, but I need it. I hope he knows how much I love him. I hope I’ve done enough to let him know that he is everything I ever wanted and that I’m so incredibly lucky to have gotten the time I had with him.

Ryan buries his head in my hair again and Nix’s gaze flicks to him for just a moment. I can practically see the all-out war going on in his head. He wants to rush over to me, to go after Ryan, but he also realizes that it could get me killed just as easily. I know what he’s feeling very well, the fear of not knowing what to do leaving you paralyzed.

“Why do you make me do this to you, Emma? If you had just done what you were told, we could have been happy again, but you chose him. You’ve left me no choice.” He presses the cold metal into my skin and I can feel his hand shaking. I take a deep, ragged breath. This is it. This is the end.

I want so many things in this moment, to walk down the aisle and marry Nix. I want to watch our babies be born and see how they grow. I want to grow old with him, sit in rocking chairs on our front porch, and watch our grandkids play in the yard. The terrified part of me that can’t even move right now wants to close my eyes and just wait for death, but I can’t take my eyes off of this wonderful man. He’s shaking his head frantically. Intense pain clouds his eyes as he looks at me and I know he’s trying to think of some way to get me out of this.

“I love you,” I whisper.

“Emma, no,” he chokes out and takes a step toward me just as a shot rings out.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Now

“It’s perfect!” Mama sings as she stares at my reflection in the mirror.

Twisting to the side, I catch sight of the back and sigh. She’s right; the dress is absolutely perfect. I knew it was the one the second I laid eyes on it. It’s a V-neck sheath dress with beaded lace appliqué and a stunning low back that dips all the way to the small of my back.