Page 71 of Dagger

And when I finally spoke, it was with the calm certainty of a man who knew where he belonged.

“With you,” I whispered, brushing her damp hair off her forehead. “And I ain’t going anywhere.”

Chapter 37

Sinclair

Katey was gentle and thorough as she examined me. Her hands were sure, her eyes kind, and her words soft.

“Everything looks good,” she said, peeling off her gloves and dropping them into the trash. “No concussion, though I’ll want you to keep an eye on the swelling on your forehead. There’s no spotting, I’ll get you an appointment with an obstetrician just to make sure, but everything is looking okay, you were lucky.”

The words made my chest squeeze. Lucky didn’t begin to cover it.

After what had happened… after Nicholas… after the fear and helplessness… I was still here. And so was the baby.

Dagger stood close the whole time, one big hand wrapped around mine while Katey examined me. He didn’t say much, but his presence was grounding.

After Katey left, he helped me into the clothes that Ellie had brought, and we sat for a while in his room, listening to the hum of conversation and movement from the rest of the clubhouse.

“You good?” he asked, voice low.

I nodded. “Yeah. I think I am.”

He leaned in and kissed the side of my head. “We’re doing this.”

And we were. But first, we had to tell Dani.

My stomach twisted—not from nerves this time, but something else. Anticipation, maybe. Fear of ruining what we already had.

Dani adored me. I adored her. But kids didn’t always take kindly to change. Especially changes involving their parents and that little girl had already been through a lot.

“She’s smart,” I murmured, brushing a hand through my damp hair. “She probably already knows.”

“Maybe,” Dagger said, rising to his feet and holding out his hand. “But let’s make it official.”

“I don’t think we should tell her about the baby yet,” I said. “I’m not going to show for a few more weeks. I think it’s best she gets used to the idea of us first, is that okay?”

“Sure.”

We found her curled up in a big leather chair, blanket over her legs, eyes on her tablet with Chopper curled up at her feet. She looked up as soon as we walked in.

“Miss Bronson!” she beamed, pulling off her headphones. “You’re okay!”

I smiled and crossed the room to her. “I’m okay, sweetheart. Thanks to your dad.”

She got to her feet and hugged me tightly. “I was so scared.”

My throat clenched, but I held her tighter. “I know. But I’m okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”

She sniffed, then looked up at me. “Is your head better? Do you need a Band-Aid?”

I laughed softly. “It’s getting better. Katey checked me out. Everything’s going to be fine.”

Dagger came over and sat on the arm of the chair, watching us closely. After a moment, he reached out to ruffle Dani’s hair.

“Kiddo,” he said, “we need to talk to you about something kind of important.”

Her face grew serious as she looked between us. “Is this about school? ‘Cause I didn’t forget to do my homework, I swear.”

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