Chapter Ten
She perched on the bed, watching TV on mute while wearing one of his big shirts. His heart ached at the sight of her. Some days, Brick could hardly believe this gorgeous woman had chosen him. He knew she had her doubts about them before, but he seemed to have convinced her they belonged together.
“Oh, my God, Brick.” Rose got to her feet and ran up to him, concern written all over her face. “What happened? Are you hurt? Do we need to go to the hospital?”
“Things got a little messy,” he admitted. “But I’m fine. Let me shower and clean this dirt off me.”
Rose bit her bottom lip. She looked worried, and Brick wondered what upset her. “We need to talk.”
“Do I have to be worried?” Brick joked.
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
“Okay,” he said. This seemed serious. “I won’t be long.”
Once in the bathroom, Brick took off his clothes. Ten minutes later, he had washed the dirt, grime, and blood off his body. He put on a pair of boxers and returned to the bedroom. She’d turned off the television.
Brick checked on Stefan, seeing that the kid was fast asleep. He slipped into bed with Rose, surprised she cuddled close to him. Brick slid a possessive arm over her body. He figured he’d done something wrong but maybe he’d made a mistake.
“What did you want to tell me?” Brick asked her.
“Two things,” Rose said. She reached for his fingers and gave them a squeeze.
“Rose, you’re starting to worry me,” he said. “Whatever it is, spit it out. I’m all ears.”
Rose took a deep breath. “Brick, I’m pregnant.”
At first, he couldn’t process the words. Then Rose told him how she kept vomiting during work and how Nancy told her to head home.
She paused and hesitated. “Brick, are you mad?”
“Why would I be? Sweetheart, this is the best news I’ve ever heard in years,” he said. He leaned forward and gave her a deep and slow kiss, and she let out a sigh of relief. Brick could see her nipples rising through his shirt. He wanted to put his mouth over the bud and mark her again, but remembered she had one more thing she wanted to discuss with him.
“Rose, I promise you this. I’ll take care good care of you and our baby,” Brick told her.
“Thank you, Brick. That means more to me than you could ever know,” she whispered. “I’m not sure I could’ve done this alone. Stefan is a handful but having another kid along the way would be hard.”
“I’ll be right beside you, every step of the way,” he assured her. “We make a good team, don’t we?”
“We do,” she agreed. “You’re so good with Stefan, and you’ve always made me feel special.”
“Because you are a very special lady,” Brick said.
This was it. The moment he should tell her that he wanted her to become his old lady. His conversation with Razor got him thinking. Why did he have to wait? Rose looked to be on the same page as him. She was also carrying his child. There was no time like the present. They could have a fall wedding.
Hell, he could call the pastor the very next day. Book the church early. They could have the wedding reception right at the clubhouse. Rose mentioned she’d never been anywhere out of the country.
Brick could take her to Europe or the Maldives for their honeymoon after the baby was born. They’d only be gone for a few days. Maybe he could convince Prudence to look after the kids.
Ah, fuck. He was planning too far ahead, wasn’t he?
“There’s more,” she began, fingering the sheet.
Brick thought after telling him about the baby, she’d be more relaxed, but it was the exact opposite. He tucked a stray strand of wayward hair that had fallen across her face and regarded her.
“I bumped into my brother today,” she finally said.
“Your brother?” Brick furrowed his brow. “Donny?”
He sent some of his guys to Castle Falls and the surrounding areas. Brick told them to keep an eye out for Donny, but they always reported back nothing. Brick presumed Donny had either skipped town or he’d found a good hiding place. He realized it was the latter after Rose told him about the rest of her day.
“So, he’s leaving town tomorrow? All he wanted from you was cash?” Brick asked, unable to keep the rage from his voice. This was the same asshole who left his own sister and baby as bait. Brick remembered the three women they found in the armored truck.
Rose touched his cheek. It occurred to Brick that she’d stopped talking.
“Brick, what’s wrong? Did something happen today? You said your job turned messy,” she said.
Brick sighed. He didn’t want to add more to his plate, but talking to Rose always helped, so he told her. The blood rushed out of her face when he told her about the women they’d found.
If Dragon had gotten to Rose earlier than he did—Brick ended that line of thought. Rose was here with him now. She and Stefan were safe, untouchable as long as they were under his protection. Once he made her his wife, then Rose wouldn’t need to worry about a single damn thing. Brick would make sure Rose, Stefan, and their baby would be taken care of for the rest of their lives.
“What will happen to them now?” she whispered.