Page 115 of Reaper's Rival

I glanced up the stairs, and there she was, standing in the middle of the staircase, looking down at me.

I gulped and swallowed hard.

She slowly walked down the stairs till she was standing within arm’s reach of me.

“Kade.” She looked different, and I couldn’t pinpoint what had changed, but she seemed different.

“You alright?” I asked, thinking maybe that’s why she called me here.

She nodded her head and moved closer to me. It was only when she stepped into the light that I could see the tears swelling up in her eyelids.

“What are you waiting for?” she said, and in that instant, I did what I wanted to do since I walked through that door. What I wanted to do all week.

I reached out to her and wrapped her in my arms, pressing her body hard against mine. She melted like butter against me, resting her head on my chest.

“I missed you.” She spoke into my chest.

“I never thought I would hear you say that.”

She twisted in my arms, popping her head out to look up at me. “Why? You didn’t honestly expect me to walk away from you? I love you, Kade. You might be the Reaper, but you’re my Reaper, and the father to our son.”

“You’re something special, you know that, Abby Harrison?” I brushed the side of her face and tucked her hair behind her ear.

She intertwined her hand with mine and pulled on me to follow. I kicked my boots off and followed her up the stairs. She pushed our bedroom door open and let go of my hand, grabbing something off the bed and putting it in the drawer next to her side.

“Sorry to pull you away from the party.” She looked up at me with a guilty expression. “I was going to wait until morning, but then I didn’t know how hungover you would be.”

I leaned against the doorframe, watching her. “I wasn’t partying. I was in the study, and you can message me anytime, and I’d come.”

“Still, you’re not at my beck and call.” She chewed her bottom lip and nervously rocked on her feet. “Kade, I don’t know how things are going to go back to normal, but I want to try.”

I stepped into the room, sliding my vest down my arms and putting it on the chair.

“Abby, as long as we are together, I don’t care.”

I stood in front of her, running my hand down her bare arms. My hands stopped at the hem of her tank top, and slowly I peeled it off her. Dropping it to the ground.

My eyes ran down her and then froze.

“What’s that?” I didn’t want to touch it as it still looked sore. A line as long as my hand was stitched up across her tummy.

“Um, that’s where they took Matthew out.”

Immediately I felt like an idiot. Of course.

“Oh.”

“I know it’s ugly.” Abby dropped her head, and then she went to cover it with her hand.

“Don’t.” I pushed her hand away. “Scars tell a story, baby, and this one isn’t ugly, it just tells the story of our son.”

She looked up. “You mean the story of how I lost our son.”

“Fate happens. Nothing we can do about it. And for the last time, it wasn’t your fault. If anything, it was mine. I should have come home earlier.”

“You were busy with the clubhouse. If I called when I first had a contraction, then maybe I would have made it to the hospital.”

“All what ifs and should haves. It doesn’t matter right now.” I wrapped an arm around her. “All that matters is I’ve got you.”

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