Page 18 of Ours

“Mmm...myyy Sunshinee,” Leo whispered, “howsss my boy?”

Stiffening from the dying man’s words, Kade clenched his hands into fists at his sides. The moron still believedhewas the father. He wanted to set him straight and send him to hell with the knowledge that he wasn’t man enough to get her pregnant.

Don’t you dare, Kade! If you pull that crap, you will lose her. Simmer down, ok? Let her believe she’s being merciful and giving him a good death and console her afterwards. Don’t be a prick and just keep your mouth shut,Demitri barked.

Purposefully blocking out the evil trio surrounding her and her husband, Lexi gave him the brightest smile she could muster. There wasn’t any harm in him believing he was the father. She wanted him to cling to that as he slipped away. “He’s good...he’s uh..sleeping right now.”

“Mmm...sleep...I want...to go to sleepp,” he mumbled.

Stifling a whimper, she traced the pad of her thumb along his blackened cheekbone. “I know you do, baby. Hey...remember the night you begged me to let you sleep?” she asked.

Licking his split lips, Leo hummed as his fuzzy brain recalled the memory. That week was the best week of his life. Her excitement had made it even more special.

“Disneyland,” he breathed.

“Yes!” Lexi exclaimed, thrilled that he was coherent enough to recall their vacation. “You took me there for our first anniversary. I had never been, and you surprised me with that trip out to California. I was so excited to finally be at the happiest place on Earth. I dragged you all around that park for hours the first day...remember how I made you ride on‘It's a Small World’five times in a row?”

“That...that damnnn song,” he murmured.

Lexi laughed, “Yes, that damn song! But you were such a trooper, you even wore those silly ears because I asked you to.”

“Hated them...but I’d...do anything...for youuu,” he replied.

Holding in a sob, she carefully pressed her forehead against his, mindful to not press too hard on his swollen skin. “I know...and I willforeverlove you for that,” she said, her voice filled with heartbreak. “You were so tired by the time we had dinner. Remember where we ate?”

“Mmm...Carnationnn Cafe.”

“That’s right! We had hot fudge sundaes and stayed there nursing our coffee until the fireworks,” she continued.

“Ahhh...the fireworksss,” he said.

“Yes! They were so beautiful. Remember how we stayed until they told us to leave? Then we went back to our hotel room at the Grand Californian—”

“Ohhh...that bed,” he interrupted.

Grinning at her husband, she was thankful that he was mentally able to follow along with her story. She wanted him to remember the details of that night. How they had spent hours upon hours creating passionate fireworks of their own. That’s where she wanted him to stay.

“Yes. That amazing bed. Can you remember what we did in that bed?” she asked, ignoring the livid energy radiating from the man standing behind her.

Closing his eyes, Leo quirked his lips into the signature cocky smile that Lexi had fallen for the first time they had met.Oh, yes.He remembered everything.

“Mmmhmm,” he murmured.

Letting out a shaky breath, she raised her right hand and steadied the razor-sharp metal of the switchblade near his neck. Once his flesh was split, it wouldn’t take long for him to bleed out. She was counting on his weakened state to speed up the process. She hoped he wouldn’t even realize what had happened before he slipped away.

“Good,” she said, giving him a long and tender kiss goodbye. “Stay there...just...stay.”

Counting down from five in her mind, she prepared herself to let her alter step in. Nikki was ready and eager to take control, she knew there wouldn’t be any hesitation on her part. The takeover would be fast and vicious. It was how Nikki handled everything.

Five…

Four…

Three…

Two…

One.

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