"Don't ignore those vibes, honey. They keep you safe."
"No, you keep us safe, Pick. Ever since you saved me from that customer who followed me out to my car and Mandy from the guy who cornered her alone by the bathrooms, there's no one in this building I trust more than you. And if you say he's bad news, consider all of us waitresses forewarned."
I nodded, glad she'd spread the word. Now I just had to figure out how to keep Tinker Bell and my children safe.
Chapter 29
EVA
Mason text bombed me before Pick even made it home from his meeting. It was still strange to get an incoming message on my new phone. I wasn't at all the social butterfly I'd been back in Florida. But what my soon-to-be cousin-in-law wrote was even more bizarre.
"Your father is evil incarnate."
I snorted. That was the understatement of the century. "What has he done now?" Dread seized me. "Is Reese okay?"
"NO ONE is okay with that asshole still alive. He bought Forbidden."
I frowned, not sure what he meant. "What?"
"The bar where your boyfriend and I both work. He BOUGHT IT. HE OWNS IT. HE FUCKING OWNS US!"
Shaking my head, I stamped out a quick reply. "That makes no sense."
"You seriously didn't know? What is he planning to do to us? I don't like this."
"Of course I didn't know, you idiot. But I'll find out what he wants." Though I already knew.
"Good. Oh hey. Don't tell Reese about this yet. I don't want her to freak."
Oh, but he had no qualms about freaking me out. Thanks, buddy.
Pick walked in the front door, then. His eyes were hooded, but he sent me a warm smile. "There's my reason for getting up every morning." He swept toward me and kissed me sweetly.
If I hadn't just talked to Mason, I wouldn't have known anything was bothering him. He didn't let me in on any of his troubles, so I assumed he didn't want to worry me any more than Mason wanted to worry Reese.
Stupid boys. Sweet, caring, amazing but definitely stupid boys.
"How was your meeting?" I asked directly.
His eyebrows shot up. "Unexpected. Our boss sold the bar to some rich guy from out of town." Well, at least he didn't lie. But he certainly wasn't telling me the entire truth, either.
"Oh, yeah?" Hey, if he refused to tell me what he knew, I wasn't going to tell him what I knew. That way, we didn't have to worry each other.
Pick nodded, not meeting my gaze. "He's already hired someone else to run the place for him too."
My phone dinged, telling me I had another text. Pick let me check the message while he greeted the babies who were both chewing on toys together on the floor.
"Oh yeah," Mason added. "And he put Garrison in charge. She said if I quit, she'll fire Pick and all the other guys too."
My gut tightened and cold coated my skin. Hands shaking, I typed back, "Pick just got home." Maybe that would shut Mason up for a while, because I couldn't take any more distressing news. I needed some time to think about this.
"Okay, good," he wrote back. "He can tell you the rest."
But Pick told me nothing, which let me know he was just as terrified as I was.
***
We took the kids to the park for the rest of the day. Like Pick, I pretended nothing was wrong or that our happy little bubble wasn't about to pop in the loudest way possible. When we returned to the apartment, I told him I had to run an errand to the grocery story because I had a surprise for supper. Which was about as true as what he'd told me about his meeting.
I left him with both kids, and strode out to my car, the car he'd looked over so thoroughly before buying, making sure it was sound enough for me to drive. I didn't burst into tears until I'd started the engine and was on the road to the store.
My father probably knew everything about Pick by now, where he worked, what he drove, that he had no rights to Julian. If I didn't do what Bradshaw wanted, he'd find a way to get Julian taken away from Pick. He'd destroy the man I loved. I knew that for a fact. Julian would probably get thrown into foster care, and Pick's biggest fear would come true.
I knew how to stop the monster, though. As soon as I went home with him and gave him the façade of a perfect happy family so he could continue to show the public what an outstanding man he was while he kept being a depraved bastard behind the scenes, he'd leave Pick and Julian alone.
The only way to keep them together was to give my father what he wanted. The idea made my hands shake and my stomach clench. But I was going to do what I had to do.
I'd stopped crying by the time I'd reached the store, thank goodness. On autopilot, I pushed a shopping cart down the aisles, picking up the ingredients for chicken parmesan, Pick's favorite dish. Then I wheeled past the bedding section to browse.
Pick had detailed to me every one of his glimpses. If I was going to break my promise to him and end up leaving him the next day to go back with my father, then I could at least make one of his visions come true tonight.
***
We had a late supper, waiting until the kids were asleep before we ate. He put them to bed while I cooked. The meal I prepared pleased him. His eyes lit as soon as he strolled into the kitchen and saw his favorite. Shaking his head, he grinned at me as he pulled out my chair for me to sit. "You spoil me more than I deserve."
I could never spoil him enough. A hitch in my chest caused me to glance away. I could spend the rest of my life cooking him his favorite supper every night, and it still wouldn't be enough.
If only I had the rest of my life to show him that.
Too observant for his own good, he touched my chin. "Hey." His gaze softened into a confused frown as it traveled over my face. "You okay? You seem extra quiet tonight."
I nuzzled my cheek into his hand and then hugged him around the legs, resting my chin on his abs so I could look up at him. "How can you even ask that?" I murmured, smoothing my hand over his taut ass. "I'm here with you. My life is perfect."
He chuckled and leaned in to kiss my hair. "You keep touching me like that and you might get lucky tonight, woman."
"Mmm. Sounds nice. But what if I touch you here." I smoothed my fingers around to feel how hard he'd already grown.
He sucked in a breath. "Food now, or later?"
"Later," I said.
He groaned, his brown eyes swirling with need. "God, I love you."
Sweeping me off my feet, he carried me to our room, where tonight, I was going to be as loud as I could possibly be.
He set me down gently on top of the main comforter, but I shook my head. "I want it between the sheets."
Pick's eyes squinted with suspicion but he complied, ripping the blankets back to reveal the final surprise I had in store for him.
He lurched back when he saw it, as if it were a snake waiting to strike instead of brand new sheets. "What the hell?"
It hadn't been easy keeping them from him since he'd been home all day. I'd had to hide them under a pile of socks in the clothes basket to get them washed and ready. Then I'd piled both kids on him in the living room to keep him preoccupied while I'd made up the bed.
"Fuck me," he breathed.
I stood up and bit my lip, not sure if he was scared of the bed, or just in that much awe. I shifted nervously. "You never mentioned what color they were."
"This . . . " His voice croaked off before he cleared his throat and pointed to the sheets. "This color," he said. "Exactly this same pale blue color. Oh my God." He turned to me, looking dazed. "You . . . "
For some reason I was still nervous. "They're not silk. You said silk. But they didn't have genuine silk sheets at the store, so I had to settle for a microfiber blend."
Pick stepped toward the bed and hesitantly reached out to run his trembling fingers over the mattress. Yanking his hand back to his chest, he turned to me, still looking awestruck. "No, this is right. This is exactly how they felt. Christ, I can't believe you found the exact same sheets from my . . . " He shook his head, still flabbergasted. "You are the most amazing woman ever."
Suddenly, I was no longer nervous. Feeling on top of the world, I sauntered toward him and caught the hem of his shirt. "So, Mr. Ryan," I murmured, lifting the cloth up above his perfect abs and chest. "Our babies are in bed for the night, and we have this room all to ourselves. Are you ready to make a glimpse come true?"
"Oh my God. Yes." He caught me by the waist and flung me onto the bed.
I laughed as I bounced. Ripping his shirt the rest of the way off, Pick rushed to shuck his jeans next. The entire time, his hungry gaze never left mine.
Just as famished for him, I lifted my hips off the mattress and peeled off my own clothes. He paused at the nightstand for protection before crawling on top of me. Sitting on his knees naked above me with his legs imprisoning my hips, he gazed down at me as he rolled the condom on. Watching the plump wet head disappear inside the latex before he stroked himself, he teased me by letting the massive column bob out in front of him directly above my face so I had a very intimate view of the show he put on. Further up his body, his nipple ring glistened in the overhead light.