Page 47 of Missing Marcus

“The woman sitting in there feels terrified. Her BP went down, butshe isn’t out of the woods. I’m not your brother-in-law. Idon’t need to practice patience or worry about hurting your tender feelings. If you want a healthy baby, I suggest you figure out how to make her feel better about her situation,” Patch advised.

Knight bit back the scathing remark on the tip of his tongue. Everything Patch mentioned was the truth. He walked past them and entered the cabin. He made it halfway down the hall when he heard Bryanna and Gabby talking.

“I’ll always love him,” she whispered. “I must focus on what’s best for the baby and me. Too much has happened now. I can’t forget how he treated me. It hurt Bryanna. I don’t have family and when I tried to tell him about the baby, he told me to talk to his lawyer. I’ve spent the last six months in a crappy apartment, penny-pinching to take off for maternity leaveand preparing myself to go it alone. I’m scared. Most of all, I’m lonely. At this point, I want this divorce done and over with. It will almost be a relief.”

“You’re not alone. You’ll have me, Saint and my Serenity family. We’ll find you a place here and help you,” Bryanna informed her.

Gabby’s voice sounded despondent. “I don’t know if I can see Marcus and get through this. I hoped we might use you as a drop-off point to share custody.”

“Oh, Gabrielle. Of course, you can. I hoped you and Marcus might reconcile before the baby arrived.” Bryanna responded.

“Marcus made it clear. He doesn’t want me.” Gabby sobbed. “My heart hurts and I can’t get over the pain. There’s nothing he can do to make me feel different. He even doubted he fathered our baby,” Gabrielle confessed.

She only spoke the truth yet the knife twisted inside his chest. The bullet wound he received hurt less than her words. Gabby held little hope for them and he only had himself to blame.

He turned to leave only to discover Patch and Taco standing inside the door. By the thunderous expressions on their faces, he knew they heard his wife’s admission. They parted, allowing him to slip past them and outside. He stood on the deck, sucking in the cold air as he bent over, holding his knees. How did he let things get this far?

Determined to speak with Gabby, he stormed back to his truck, grabbed her bag and walked to the door as his sister and the men came out the front. He hugged Bryanna, not wanting to meet her gaze after hearing her conversation and ignored the guys.

He found a red-eyed Gabby on the sofa, holding her stomach. When she saw him, she straightened and picked up an empty pan before entering the kitchen. Words failed him. He already apologized, knowing it didn’t mean anything to her. As a SEAL, he prepared for everything, thought about every possible outcome and knew his way out of situations. For once in his life, he felt overwhelmed by chaos. Knight didn’t know how to stop the hurricane of destruction threatening to overtake him and harm the ones he loved the most. Knight went to his room to escape the tension. He didn’t want to cause her more stress. His phone dinged with a text.

The plates were stolen, registered to an eighty-year-old woman outside of Seattle.

Saint reported.

Where did they go?

He asked.

Two suspectsstopped at a bar and drove to an abandoned warehouse by the port area. Leo and Jose are staking it out. Shadow and I will relieve them in four hours.

Saint replied.

Do you want me to come help?

Knight offered, hoping to fix some of his mistakes.

Three dots appeared, then disappeared.

No. Stay with Gabby.

Saint ordered.

Knight swiped along his jaw nervously as he paced the room. He turned the handle to his door and stepped into the hallway. When he heard nothing, he entered the kitchen area where he last saw his wife. When he didn’t see Gabby, he turned and headed toward her room. Noticing the closed door, Knight slowly approached and placed his hand on it to knock when he heard Gabby crying. He leaned his forehead against the wood in frustration. Would she welcome him or shun his efforts to comfort her if he walked in?

In the end, he returned to his bedroom. Knight didn’t know how to fix the lives he shattered. Without any friends and his sister mad at him, he felt the loneliness weighing him down. He deserved every bit of it after causing Gabby to spend months alone, believing herself unloved and saving for their child’s future. He only focused on how badly she hurt him. Knowing the truth of the situation didn’t make him feel any better. In fact, it made him feel worse. The demons he fought alone whispered in his mind and he accepted he’d never win Gabrielle back.

26

Gabby walked down the hall and entered the kitchen. Her stomach growled and she needed water. Knight stood at the stove, making his famous mac and cheese. She resisted the urge to wrap her arms around his waist and press herself against his muscular back. Instead, she went to the fridge and opened it.

“I bought some apple juice without sugar added and a carton of orange juice,” he said quietly as he stirred the sauce into the noodles before dumping it into the baking pan.

“It smells good.” Gabby took out the apple juice. Knight set a glass on the counter for her. She poured it and returned it to the fridge before sitting on one of the stools at the kitchen bar.

“I made enough for leftovers. I’m flying out tomorrow night. Ragu or Patch will stay with you,” he informed her quietly.

“Oh. I thought you retired from the military,” she said, disappointed.

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