Page 123 of Rogue
“Francis is dead. An overdose, or so it appears. He’s no longer a threat to us, you, or your sister. Now you can put Diego back on.”
Shit. Oh shit. Just him mentioning Madelyn sends a jolt of fear down my spine.
“Shhh, fireball. It’s fine. Why don’t we take the next flight out of Paris and go check on her?” Jaxson murmurs.
“You heard?”
“Everything.” He nods to Diego, who’s disconnected the call. “We good?”
“Perfect.”
“You coming with us?”
“Nope. New orders. Looks like I better brush up on my Spanish.”
I snort.
Jaxson chuckles and turns to me. “Stud service?”
“Hey, I’m not complaining.”
“Dios mio. Why don’t you two get a room? If the hotel will allow it.”
The three of us burst into laughter. And for the first time in a long, long time, I’m worry-free.
Epilogue
St. Petersburg, Florida
Iwiggle my toes in the sand, feeling settled and for the first time in agesgrounded. My heart thumps wildly as I watch Jaxson interact with Madelyn at the water’s edge. He’s thrown an arm around her shoulder and has her tugged protectively up against his side. Is it even possible to love him any more?
We’re picnicking at a private beach in St. Petersburg, Florida. Doing what normal families do. Normal, yeah right. The word makes me chuckle. I’m content, alive, and hopelessly, desperately in love.
Except I can’t give full reign to my happiness until I sort things out with Madelyn. Jaxson suggested I hire a psychologist. For one crazy moment, I considered it . . . just like I considered having root canal. We’ll do this together, Madelyn, me, and Jaxson.
Madelyn breaks free from his hold and makes her way back to our blanket, while my lover, wise beyond his years, stays behind. Allowing my sister and me precious time to reconnect and begin the healing process. We’ve been through so much. Though she hasn’t yet confided in me the full extent of what happened to her while I was running rogue. If I ever get my hands on Declan, I’m going to show him how much I’ve improved with knives . . . firsthand. Because I have a sneaking suspicion that whatever has my typically upbeat sister so bleeding forlorn, that cold bastard is at the heart of it.
“I like you much better since the last time I saw you. You no longer look like a circus clown,” Madelyn tells me, flashing me a quick smile that fills me with hope. “No more secrets, okay?”
I nod. Except there’s one more thing I haven’t mentioned to her. I stare at her, thinking how I never want to be far away from her again. “Better share my major life-altering decision with you before I agree,” I joke, excited to tell her about my plans.
“Kylie,” she exclaims, then a funny look flashes across her face. “You’re pregnant?”
For a second, even the tide seems to stand still as her question carries across the short expanse of sand.
“No, that’s not what—”
“Fuck, yeah. Woot, woot. This is great!” I hear Jaxson shouting like a maniac as he jogs toward me.
“Jeez, I’m sorry I yelled that,” she whispers, her gaze widening on Jaxson a heartbeat before he goes down on his knees, swoops me clear off the blanket, and spins us around in circles.
Terrific. How am I going to break it to him that I’m not carrying his baby?
Or maybe . . . I put into motion remedying the fact.
“I want you inside me now,” I say in a low, seductive voice. Then I press my lips to his and show him I mean business. Our tongues collide and all sense of reason goes out the door. Just as it always does when I’m with him.
He breaks our kiss. “I’m going to be a father.”
