I lay beside her in bed and rubbed her bare stomach. My hand traveled down her chest and tilted once I reached the part of her tummy that curved outward. I moved up, feeling the soft skin as it swelled with the life growing inside her. I moved to the center of her stomach and pressed my hand against it. There was no movement or sign of life, but I knew there was something beautiful in there.
Something we made together.
She rested her hand on mine. “I don’t think we’ll feel anything for a while.”
“I wonder how big they are.”
“Probably the size of my finger.”
I sat up and kissed her stomach, lavishing the area with kisses. Now that I saw signs of the baby, it made me realize it was really happening. We had a son or daughter on the way. That made me excited and scared at the same time. “It’s strange…”
“What?” she asked.
“How much I love this baby when I’ve never met them.” I pressed my ear to her stomach and wondered if I would hear something. It was quiet inside, nothing but her pulse and the rumbling of her stomach.
Her eyes softened as she ran her fingers through my hair. “You’re going to be a great father, Crow.”
“I don’t know. I’ll do my best.”
“You never thought you would be a great husband, but you’re the best in the world.”
My eyes left her gaze, and I looked at her stomach again, thinking of the way I’d slapped her after she returned from seeing Tristan. I was brutal and cold, losing my temper and doing something horrifying. It was one of my biggest regrets.
“What?” She picked up on my sudden shift in mood.
My hand moved across her stomach, and I stared at her belly button. “Nothing.”
“Crow,” she pressed, looking at me with those demanding eyes.
“I guess I don’t agree with your statement.”
“Why?”
“I just don’t.”
“Well, you’re wrong, Crow. There’s no safer place in the world than by your side.”
I appreciated her love for me, her acceptance and patience. I wasn’t the same man I used to be, and while I’d grown and become a better man, I still had things to change. All I could do was learn from my mistakes and improve. My weapons business was gone, and now I was a clean man. I had a chance to start over, to be the person I wanted to be. I didn’t have to be the cold and brooding man I’d always been. I could be something much better.
There was a knock on the door.
It was nine in the evening, the time when Button and I retired to bed, made love, and went to sleep. Lars didn’t disturb us after eight unless it was an emergency.
And that knock told me this was an emergency.
“Your Grace?” Lars said through the closed door. “I need to speak with you.”
Pearl wore a worried expression as she looked at me.
I got out of bed, pulled on sweatpants and a t-shirt, and walked out. I shut the door behind me since Button was still naked in bed. “What is it?”
Lars stepped back, still wearing his tuxedo despite the late hour. “I have the police on the phone. They tried calling your cell, but I guess it’s off. They called the house phone.”
I usually turned off my phone at night because I didn’t want to be bothered. I didn’t have a criminal business anymore, so I wasn’t on call during the late hours of the night. “The police? Why?”
“Apparently, Cane was arrested for drinking and driving.”
I stared at my butler with the same expression on my face. I was in disbelief, but I didn’t let the surprise creep into my face. I was too stunned to even react.
“They aren’t going to press charges, but they want you to go down there and pick him up. They’re willing to look the other way on the matter since you and Cane have always gone out of your way to ensure their safety over the years.”
Cane and I never hurt a police officer, and neither did our men. Lots of criminal things had gone down during the years, and anytime the police were in a place they shouldn’t be, we directed them away from the warfare. The kind of heists we were performing exceeded their abilities, and the last thing we wanted was good officers to be hurt because of our actions. They were better suited for homicides and petty crime, not drug lords and weapons kingpins. “Fuck.”
“I would go in your stead, but they specifically asked for you.”
“I’ll handle it. Thank you, Lars.”
“Of course, sir.” He nodded then walked away.
I walked back into the room and pulled on my jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.
“What happened?” Button sat up in bed with the sheets pulled over her chest. Her hair was a mess from the way I’d dug my hand into it, and her lips were swollen from the way I’d sucked them so aggressively just thirty minutes ago.