Ace
The cops questioned them both for about an hour until he put his foot down and told them that if they had any more questions, they could talk to them both tomorrow. Trinity looked about ready to drop and he knew that she was going to have another busy day tomorrow if Rooster accepted her help.
Coming home to find the authorities in the lobby of his building, made his stomach drop. He knew before he even asked that it was Trinity and Arabella in trouble. The cops didn’t want to let him go up to his place but Repo ran interference while Ace slipped into the stairwell and found his front door open and Rooster holding his woman at gunpoint. He wanted to rush in and beat his old friend to a bloody pulp, but he knew that doing that would only put Trinity in even more danger. He also knew that the cops were going to realize that he had snuck up to his place and they’d be hot on his heels. If they rushed his home, they’d put her in the same dangerous situation that he was trying to avoid.
His only option was to go in and try to keep his cool to deal with Rooster. Losing his temper wasn’t an option, because putting Trinity at risk wasn’t something he’d do. When Rooster complied with his request to drop the gun and kick it over to him, he felt like he could breathe again for the first time since walking into that building. The entire time he stood there all he could think about was what his life would look like if he lost Trinity. He wasn’t lying when he told her that she was the only woman he’d ever loved. She had become his whole world—her and Bella. Losing her would be something that he’d never be able to come back from.
He put Arabella back in her crib and found Trinity standing in the doorway to the nursery. “Let’s go to bed, Baby,” he insisted.
“I was so worried that Rooster was going to get in here, you know? Arabella isn’t even my kid and all I could think about was protecting her. I love her like she’s mine, Ace and that scares me. If Charity gets better, she’ll be back and you’ve promised her that she’ll be able to see Bella. Where will that leave me?” she asked. “It feels selfish even asking that question, but I’m just being honest here. I know that Bella needs her mother, but I’m worried that won’t leave any room for me in her life.”
Ace knew exactly where that would leave her. He wanted Trinity to marry him and be Bella’s step-mom. He wanted to share raising her with Trinity, but Ace worried that now wasn’t the time to admit any of that to her. “I—” he opened his mouth to tell her everything he’d been wanting to say to her, but she covered his mouth with her small hand.
“Let me finish, please,” she begged. “I just need to get this all out before I lose my nerve again.” He nodded and pulled her hand free from his lips, holding it to his chest, sure that she’d be able to feel his heart wildly beating.
“I’ve been so afraid of you leaving me—walking out of my life, like everyone else I’ve ever loved, that I never let myself be honest about my feelings for you.” He felt himself smiling at her like a loon and Trinity looked at him as if he had lost his mind. He was pretty sure that she didn’t realize what she had just admitted to him.
“Why are you smiling at me like that, Ace?” she asked.
“Because you just said that you love me,” he whispered.
She thought back over her words and rolled her eyes. “I didn’t say that I loved you, Ace. I lumped you in with everyone in my life that I’ve ever loved. But, to clarify, I do love you. That’s what I’m trying to tell you in all of this. I’ve been in love with you for weeks now.”
“I know,” he breathed, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I could see it in your eyes every time you looked at me, Baby.”
“I’m sorry that it took me so long to tell you. I’m sorry that I had to go through something horrific to tell you how I feel,” she admitted.
“I’m just happy that you’ve said it now. I love you too, Trinity.”
“I know,” she said, giving him back his words. “So, what do we do now?”
“Well, now I think you should marry me,” he said.
“Marry you?” she questioned.
“Yep,” he agreed. “I never thought I’d ever get married, Trinity. Hell, the thought of asking your sister to marry me never crossed my mind—not even when she told me that she was pregnant with Arabella. I’ve never wanted to be tied down to a woman in my life. Not until now. Not until you. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I had lost you tonight. I don’t want to think about something like that happening ever again.”
“Marrying me won’t keep me out of harm's way, Ace,” she said.
“I’m fully aware of that. I just know that I don’t want to spend another day without you being my wife. Marry me, Trinity. Be my wife. Be Arabella’s step-mother. You were worried about your place in her life? Well, now you won’t have to. You’ll be her step-mother,” Ace said.
“Do you want more kids, Ace?” Trinity asked. He wanted a whole house full if she was up to it.
“I do,” he said. “How about you?” he asked. He knew how important her job was to her. He wouldn’t push her to give any of that up. Hell, he had enough money that she wouldn’t ever have to work again if she didn’t want to.
“I would like to have kids,” she agreed. “And, I’d love to marry you, Ace.”
“Really?” he asked. “You’ll marry me?”
“Any day, any time,” she promised. “I can’t wait to be your wife, Ace. Tomorrow,” she breathed. “Meet me at the courthouse at noon and we can get the marriage license.”
“You know a judge down there who might want to marry us while we’re there?” he asked. “That is if you don’t mind a quickie wedding.”
She didn’t even take a minute to think about her answer. “Yes,” she breathed. “I don’t mind a quickie wedding, Ace. In fact, it sounds perfect.”
“Well, we already have a flower girl,” Ace said nodding over to Arabella sleeping peacefully in her crib.
“She’s a perfect flower girl at that,” Trinity agreed.