Page 56 of Ours

“Shhh...don’t cry, Sweetheart,” he cooed.

Leaning into his touch, she lifted her lips into a tiny smile. “They’re happy tears...I... I just can’t believe you came back to me.”

Quirking his head to the side, a look of amusement washed over his face. “I’ll always come for you...you should know that by now,” he teased.

With a bright smile, she nodded her head. He was indeed a man of his word. How many times had he laughed in the face of death? No matter what, he would always find his way back to her.

Cupping her sweet face, he swiped the pad of his thumb across her skin. Meeting her red-rimmed eyes, he wished there was a way for her to know just how much she meant to him. “I love you, Lexi,” he whispered, knowing the words weren’t nearly enough.

Turning her head, she kissed his open palm. Smiling against his skin, she committed this moment to memory. She never thought she would ever hear him say that to her, again.

“And I love you, Kade,” she replied.

Giving his hand another warm press with her lips, she was hit by the realization that they were far from being out of the woods. As much as she wanted to stay here like this, these tender moments would have to wait. Taking in a sharp breath, she asked the question that filled her with dread.

“What do we do now?”

Eyeing her seriously, he paused for a handful of seconds. They were both in for one hell of a fight. It wasn’t anything that they couldn’t handle however, now that they had each other.

“We go back to the City and get our daughter. Then we leave the country,” he answered matter-of-factly. “I have connections all around the South Pacific that havenothingto do with Bloodbayne. We can live anywhere. He’ll never find us...I swear it.”

Shaking her head, Lexi’s anxiety spiked through her veins. The simplistic plan wouldn’t work in a million years. They couldn’t run for the rest of their lives. Not with two children in tow.

“We can’t just leave the country, Kade, they will keep coming for us. Again and again. They won’t stop until we’re both dead.Reallydead. We have too much to lose, now. We can’t jeopardize Loey or the new bab—”

Dawning on her that he didn’t have a clue about her pregnancy, she stopped herself from finishing her sentence. She was going to tell him the night of the incident, but obviously never got a chance to.

Arching a brow, Kade physically perked, “What?”

Knowing that in her current position it was difficult to notice, she stood from the mattress. Standing before him, she took his hand and placed it over the curve of her lower abdomen.

“He’svery excited to meet you, daddy.”

Swallowing hard, he glanced back and forth from her face to her belly. Opening his mouth, he found himself at a complete loss for words. How did he not notice this until now? He had no clue she was pregnant; Valentina hadn’t said a word to him about this. It turned all his plans inside out.

“He? He’s for sure a he? How...when…oh my God,” he said, his deep voice shaking slightly.

Searching his shocked face, she prayed that he was happy. She could tell his mind was going a mile a minute. Now it was her turn to answer some questions.

“Yes...he is a boy. Confirmed through amniocentesis. Bloodbayne ordered the OB-GYN to perform one. He didn’twant another surprise,” she began, wincing as she remembered the fear of having the unnecessary procedure. “I... I’m almost nineteen weeks. I found out the morning everything happened. I was...I was going to tell you after dinner but…well.”

Staring at her belly, his mind jumped from emotion to emotion. At the core, he was blissfully happy. He couldn’t believe how lucky they were to have another child, and a little boy at that. He loved their daughter with all his heart and knew he would love their son just as much. But in an instant, his blood began to boil. Valentina had told him what Bloodbayne was making her do, how he had turned her into his very own killing machine. The scarred fucker would finally pay for everything he had put her through.

Biting back his anger, he leaned his torso forward. Knowing that she needed to feel comforted in that moment, he pressed his lips against her abdomen. Letting his kiss linger, he made a silent vow that this time, he would keep his family safe.

Grinning down at him, Lexi felt her heart swell. This was better than any of the fantasies she had created over the past four months. The only thing missing was their baby girl. It added a bittersweet layer.

Almost as if he had read her mind, he pulled his face away from her belly. Slowly standing to full height, he kept his eyes on hers. Reaching for her hand, he gave her a reassuring squeeze. He would secure his family’s future. Their nightmare would be coming to an end very soon.

“Pack your things, Sweetheart. It’s time to get our daughter back,” he said.

“But what about Cyris?” she asked, lifting a brow.

“Don’t worry about him, Lacey has it covered,” he replied.

Giving him an odd look, she wracked her brain trying to think of who he was talking about, “Lacy? Who the hell is that?”

“The front desk girl. She’s distracting him in his room right now, and when they’re done, she’ll give him a dose of heroin laced with fentanyl. It’ll stop his heart before he even gets a chance to enjoy the high,” he said confidently.

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