“Can you stand on your own?” he asks, his voice barely a low rumble.
I nod, because I’ll stand even if it kills me.
“In the corner of the room, baby. Was he armed?”
“Just a knife that I saw.”
“Okay, in the corner,” he orders again, and I watch him signal to his friends. They move to either side of the door while Jared stands directly in front of it. My heart pounds.
The seconds seem to crawl by.
Then the door opens and I can see the exact moment my attacker knows he’s screwed. He sees Jared first pointing a gun at him and reaches back—for his knife, I assume—but before he can move Beanie slips in behind him and grabs him in a headlock. I watch my attacker go limp in his arms before Beanie lowers him to the ground.
Jared moves to the chair and collects a length of rope that was attached to me just moments before. He kicks the man onto his back and binds his hands and feet together, hogtying him.
Then Slider gets on the phone, and I hear him asking for the police.
I keep my eyes locked on the downed body of my attacker as Jared returns to me.
“You okay?” he asks.
“We missed the zoo.”
He snorts, his forehead pressing to mine. “I don’t give a fuck about the zoo, Nee. Are you okay?”
“I will be,” I assure him.
“I was so worried I’d lost you.” His hands cup my jaw and I melt into his touch, needing, wanting to feel him closely. “I love you, Nia.”
I jolt. He loves me? He loves me?
“You don’t have to say it if you’re not ready,” I whisper to him.
He brushes his mouth over mine, then says, “I’m ready. I should have said it a long time ago. I love you.”
“I love you too,” I admit. “I think I have from the moment I met you.”
He pulls me into his arms and says, “I’m sorry you got hurt, but I’ll never let anything touch you again. I promise.”
I burrow my head against his chest and I believe he truly means that.
Epilogue
Jared
Twelve months later…
The zoo is busy with families and younger kids. Nia keeps hold of Coop’s hand as we walk and I keep my hand locked in hers. I can’t believe it’s been twelve months since she was taken. The guy who took her is safely locked up in jail. The judge threw the book at him and while he will get out eventually, it won’t be for a really long time.
“Do you see the penguins, Coop?” Nia asks my son, pointing toward the enclosure.
“They’re funny.” He starts to imitate their little waddle and Nia laughs.
I peer at my woman, my heart swelling. She loves my kid and she loves me, which makes life pretty damn special in my view.
“Maybe we should think about getting some food,” I say. There’s a slew of cafés and restaurants near the middle of the zoo that we can visit. My son doesn’t do well when he’s hungry, and we’re having such a great day, the last thing I want is for him to throw a tantrum because he needs feeding.
“That’s a good idea,” Nia agrees and reaches down to pick up my son.
We head home a few hours later, tired, but happy. When I pull up on the driveway of our four bedroom brand new house, I can’t help but feel a sense of fulfillment. This is what I always wanted, a family and a good home.
Now, I have Nia, I feel like my life is complete. She fills that hole inside me that felt empty after Robyn died. My son loves her too, and that’s important to me.
I put Coop to bed when we get home. He’s exhausted after walking around the zoo all day, even though he did some of the day in his stroller.
Once he’s drifting off, I head back downstairs to find Nia in the kitchen, making us a drink.
I watch her move around from the door like a voyeur, just enjoying the view. The ring I have for her is burning a hole in my back pocket, but I just haven’t found the right time to ask her to marry me yet. I want it to be perfect.
She notices me and smiles. “Is he asleep?”
“Out like a light. It was a big day for him.”
“Yeah, I’m tired too and I’m not four-years-old.”
Nia sold the painting that was worth a million dollars and used it to buy our new family home. It’s a fresh start for the three of us. The rest, she’s put into an account for the future. Nothing else has changed. She’s still working at the antiques store and I still have the garage. She did use some of the money to pay for a fancy lawyer who managed to get her divorced from Thomas in record timing. I was glad for that because I want Nia to be mine in every way possible. I’ve been carrying around an engagement ring for weeks, waiting for the right time to present itself. I want her proposal to be perfect.
I move into the kitchen, my hands circling her waist. “Are you happy here?”
“Yeah, are you?”
“So happy,” I tell her, capturing her mouth and nibbling at her bottom lip. My hand slips up the back of her shirt, even as my other cups her through her jeans. I want to be inside her, now, but the kitchen isn’t exactly the place to get down and dirty—not when you have a kid in the house.
“Do you want to know a secret?” she whispers in my ear as I rub her through her clothes. I can still touch even if I can’t do anything more to her here.
“You’re keeping secrets? Naughty girl.”
“Only a little one. You’ll like it.”
“I will, will I?” I lick inside her mouth and we make out like we’re teens for a few moments.
When we break apart, I can see the uncertainty suddenly cross her face and I feel my own anxiety grow.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, Jared.”
“What’s wrong?” I repeat. I know my woman well enough to know when something is bothering her, and right now something is bothering her.
“Would you be happy if I was pregnant?”
I blink. Then I blink again.
“You’re pregnant?”
She smiles and it’s a contented smile I’ve never seen on her face before. “Yeah, honey. I’m pregnant.” I watch as the uncertainty returns.
My brain is a little slow to catch up. “You’re pregnant?”
“Do you need me to write it down?” There’s a hint of humor in her words.
I shake my head and pull her into my arms as all my joy floods me. We’re having a baby!
I kiss her senseless and when I pull back, she laughs. “I take it you’re happy about this?”
“Happy? I’m ecstatic.” I take her mouth again. “Thank you, baby, for this gift.”
Her hand flutters to her stomach. “Thank you for this life you gave me.” And I’m not sure if she’s talking about the one in her belly or the one she’s living.
“Marry me,” I say, my voice low.
This time, she’s the one slow blinking. “What?”
“Marry me, Nia.”
“We don’t have to get married just because we’re having a baby.”
“I’m not marrying you because of that,” I tell her, my hand moving to cover hers on her stomach. The thought of our child growing in there makes me feel a joy I haven’t felt since Cooper was born.