He hands him to me, and then he rushes outside as I pull the card off the fridge and dial the number with shaky fingers. But before anyone can answer, blue lights start flashing outside as sirens whoop their presence.
I drop the phone as I stare at Tag, worried what might happen to him if it’s this son of a bitch after me. I see his hands clasp together behind his head as the cops jerk three figures around and cuff their hands.
My heart races as I stare at Tag in his track pants—shirtless as he talks to the cops. I hold Trip to my chest as my lips stroll over his forehead very gingerly. I’m praying this is finally over.
***
Tag
“Thanks for coming out here so fast,” I sigh.
“Your guards called us the second they saw someone trying to break in. We’ll let these guys spend the night in jail. Let me know how you want to proceed, Mr. Masters.”
“I will,” I huff as I jog back up to the house.
I’m sure this is going to be tough for Ash to swallow. She’s probably been on the edge of her seat. As mad as I am, I hate she has to go through this.
As I round the corner, those stormy blue eyes meet mine with tears falling.
“Is it finally over?” Her shaky voice crackles.
I want to pull her in my arms and tell her everything is going to be okay.
“No,” I say in a nearly muted tone. “There were just a couple of kids trying to see if someone famous lived here. The guys let them breach the fence so they could trap them. I’m sorry, but it wasn’t the guy after you.”
She looks down at our son, and more tears fall from her eyes as her body visibly shakes to show her true terror. She’s been holding back, hiding it, even appearing strong, but now, this is breaking her.
“Let’s get back to bed,” I murmur as I head toward her, and she lets a brief whimper free as I take Trip from her arms.
She stares down at her empty hands, more tears falling, and I walk away with a terrible feeling. Despite what she has done to me, this is her son, too. She just stared out and had hope the monster under the bed was gone, only to have reality slap her in the face. I can’t just leave her in here, knowing she won’t sleep - knowing she’ll be worried all night about the son she can’t touch.
I sigh hard while turning around, and I head back toward her.
“Come on. You’re sleeping in my room tonight. You can sleep by the crib, and I’ll stay on the other side.”
She shakes her head while drawing her knees to her chest. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her so vulnerable, and it’s damn near my undoing.
“No. I’ll be fine,” she murmurs, trying to feign a strong tone.
“Ash, it wasn’t a request. We both need to sleep. In all honesty, you need to eat and sleep more. Now come on. You’re sleeping with me. We have a son, and we’re going to have to learn to raise him together no matter how hard it might be. We’ll figure it out one day at a time.”
She peers out from under her lashes, and then she sighs as she stands to her feet to follow me. I put our son to bed, and she leans over to rail to kiss his forehead. I stare at her, looking at her a little differently.
She’s no longer just the girl of my obsession, she’s the mother of my child. I have to show her respect no matter how pissed I am.
Chapter Twelve
Too Weird
Ashiara
“So he’s still not talking to you?” Billy asks.
I adjust the phone on my shoulder as I snap together Trip’s little suit pants.
“He’s not talking to me unless it’s directly related to Trip. He’s not looking at me, or even sitting in the same room as me very often-”
“But you’re sleeping together?” Billy asks, interrupting me.
“We’re sleeping in the same bed, and have been for two weeks. He says he understands I’m his mother and I want to be close to him.”
“I swear I don’t know this guy. It sounds like you’re talking about a stranger instead of Tag.”
“Yeah, well, I’m living with a stranger most days. We’ll be there tonight though. I wish he’d invite a date or ride separate from me, but he and I both want to arrive with our son to reveal him to all the eager people waiting to suck up to Tag and your mom.”
“Yeah, sorry. Mom wouldn’t have it any longer. She thinks of Trip as her grandson. Have your parents seen him yet?”
“They’re in Florence right now. They’re coming in next week to see him. They’re a little pissed, since they didn’t know I was pregnant.”
“What’d you say?”
“I told them to get in line behind his father.”