Page 27 of Bridles and Bribery

“Yes, so quit dodging the question and tell me what’s wrong!”

“Man, Jills. I really didn’t want to bother you with this.”

“Nothing that concerns your well-being is bothersome to me, Dave.”

“Fine.” Gil was probably going to slap him silly when he found out his best friend had caved and told his wife everything, but he’d deal with that later. “I was shot at last night. More than once.”

“Oh, honey,” she murmured brokenly.

He gave her the short version of his diverted flight and the ambush that had followed. “It’s only a scrape. If you don’t believe me, I’ll send you a snapshot. The bullet did nothing more than graze my arm.”

“Of course, I believe you!” Her words were drenched in sympathy. “Thanks for telling me the truth. As hard as it is to hear what happened to you, it’s better than not knowing. We’re in this together, you know.”

“I would’ve told you sooner, I just didn’t want you to worry.” To distract himself from the pain in his arm, he pictured her hand on his cheek and her head resting against his shoulder.

“As one really hot guy told me recently, you’re mine to worry about now.”

“A hot guy, huh? Should I be jealous?” He was two blinks away from breaking down and squalling like a baby. Loving her and being loved by her in return was the most incredible gift God had ever given him. After nearly a lifetime of being alone, it felt good to matter to someone else. To truly matter.

To his surprise, she changed the subject. “I really wouldn’t have minded seeing the D-Dave Invasion in action again, tackling those monsters on the plane and flying like Spiderman over the railing outside.”

He burst out laughing. “From now on, you get to tell the story, babe. Your version is better than mine.”

“Ha! Just go get those guys for us, sweetheart.” Her voice grew low and fierce. “Nail them to the wall for what they did to you.”

“The police are on the case.” Surely she knew that.

She made a scoffing sound. “They’re the kings of inactivity where this Prophet bozo is concerned, and you know it. I’m more convinced than ever that he’s tied to the case you’re working.”

“Agreed.” Maybe it was her mother bear instincts in play, but she was proving to be an unexpectedly resilient attorney’s wife.

“Do what you have to do in the name of justice, but promise me you’ll be extra, extra careful,” she pleaded. “No unnecessary risks, you hear?”

“Roger that, Mrs. Phillips.” He closed his eyes, imagining the next time her lips would brush against his. “You’ve given me two very powerful reasons.” A thought crossed his mind, making him sit straight up in bed. “I was referring to you and our baby.”

“So I gathered.” Her voice was infused with humor. “Who else would you be referring to?”

“I said two reasons,” he explained quickly, “because I’ve always assumed you’re only carrying one baby. However, a friend recently explained to me that late maternal pregnancies could result in, er…more babies.”

There was a pause on Jillian’s end, followed by a female expulsion of delight. “Oh! My! Lands! Bliss is expecting twins, isn’t she?”

He grinned at her perceptiveness. “You didn’t hear it from me, babe.”

“I kind of did,” she chuckled. “Wow! This is so amazing! Did Gil pass out or what?”

“Almost.” Dave chuckled along with her. “If there’s such a thing as happiness laced with terror…”

“You bet your boots there’s such a thing, esquire,” she shot back. “The past twenty-four hours of my life are proof of that.”

As much as he hated being the cause of her angst, it came with the territory of being married to an attorney who specialized in criminal law. He was kiss-the-ground grateful that she was proving to be up to the task.

“You never answered my question,” he reminded.

“One baby, Dave. That’s all I’m carrying. I hope you’re not disappointed, because the Lord probably knew that was all I could handle.”

“He’s pretty smart.” The relief coursing through Dave was borderline laughable. As much as he was looking forward to starting a family with Jillian, he didn’t relish the thought of juggling two babies at once. “It doesn’t change the fact we’re about to become the godparents of twins.”

“Yeah, but after we spoil them to pieces, we get to hand them back to Gil and Bliss.”

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