Page 114 of Tell Me Why
I head through the kitchen and out the back door, wondering what Christian is up to. The air outside is crisp and smells like the ocean—salty and fresh.
Lowe is standing guard in his usual spot, watching for any sign of Shadow and Ash. With Sin being held in the basement, the Sacred Sons have had to double up on their security.
Lowe smiles when he sees me. “Afternoon.”
I give him a little wave as I walk by. “Afternoon. How’s the family?”
He scoffs. “You know, crazy as usual.”
With a laugh, I head down the path to the beach, curious about what Christian has planned. I don’t have to wonder for long. When my feet hit the sand, I see it—a blanket laid out with a basket of food sitting next to it. A cute little romantic picnic.
But no Christian.
Looking up, I see him a few yards away, wearing nothing but his swim trunks, throwing a ball, a golden retriever chasing after it. It’s such a picturesque scene, and I take a moment to soak it in.
Then, kicking my sandals off, I walk across the warm sand and stand next to him. “Who’s this?” I laugh, pointing at the dog who’s now prancing back proudly with the ball. “Did you get a dog?”
Christian turns to me, and that smile hits me like always. God, that smile. If only he knew how powerful it was, he never would have had to intimidate me. One quick flash of those pearly whites, and I would have melted instantly.
“There you are,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist, picking me up. He buries his face in the curve of my neck and pulls in a deep breath, breathing me in. “I missed you.”
With a laugh, I squirm and push against his chest until he sets me back down on my feet. “You’re insane. We woke up together…an hour ago.”
He snaps at me with his teeth—the big bad wolf, always hungry for me. The guy is seriously insatiable.
The dog drops the ball at Christian’s feet, tail wagging excitedly.
“This is Lucy,” Christian says, crouching down to pet her. “She’s just under a year old.”
“Who does she belong to?” I ask, smoothing my hand over her soft face. She’s so unbelievably cute, her tongue lolling out of her mouth, looking up at us, just eating up the attention.
“She’s yours,” he says simply.
I pause and blink up at him. “Mine?”
“She’s trained to detect trace amounts of nuts,” he says.
My gaze slides back to Lucy. “What?How?” I ask, shocked. “I’ve looked into allergen detection dogs, and getting one is an insanely lengthy process.”
He shrugs. “Turns out, a hefty donation to the organization speeds things up considerably.”
I gape up at him. “Tell me you didn’t take this dog from someone who’s been waiting…”
Hooking his finger under my chin, he lifts my face up and looks directly into my eyes. “I knew you’d be worried about that. Rest assured, Lucy’s potential owners stepped aside willingly.”
“You bribed them,” I say flatly.
“Yes,” he says easily. “AndI created a grant, so even more dogs can be trained and given to people who can’t afford them.” He lowers his head and brushes his lips over mine. “So, you see, thereareways I can get what I want and not be an asshole. I’m learning.”
I smile against his lips. “You’re impossible.”
He reaches under my shirt and rests his large hand on my flat stomach. “When you went into anaphylactic shock, it scared the shit out of me,” he says, his voice heavy with emotion. “And I’d hand over every fucking cent I have, if it meant keeping you and our baby safe.”
I pull in a stuttering breath at the reminder that I’m pregnant. I can still hear the doctor’s calm, clinical voice in my head saying, “The test was positive.”
In that moment, my whole world tilted on its axis. I knew it was a possibility, but hearing it, knowing it, was still a shock. I didn’t cry, didn’t speak, just sat there staring at the linoleum floor while my heart tried to claw its way out of my chest.
Then I felt Christian beside me. He took my hand, laced his fingers through mine, and whispered, “We’ve got this.” And somehow, those three words hit harder than the panic. Because he meant it, and right then, I knew everything would be okay.
