Crowed (Team Zero #2) - Rina Kent Page 0,57

broach the subject?

“Is this….” Crow stares between me and the book with confusion. Then, his fingers slide over my bump and his eyes widen.

This is it. Now or never.

“I’m pregnant,” I blurt.

The lightning in his gaze takes my breath away. Then his brows furrow. “Am I the father?”

How can he even ask that? “Of course you are.”

“Good.” He gives a curt nod. “Even if I wasn’t, I would’ve killed the biological father and raised the child as mine.”

I nudge him. “That’s not something to joke about.”

He grins. “Who said I’m joking?”

“Hey!”

His large hand cradles my stomach, expression filled with awe.

“I’m going to be a father.” The wonder in his voice undoes me. He stands. I wrap my legs around his waist as he hugs me so tight, I burst into laughter. Crow laughs with me, the sound is intoxicating.

“Would you have me?” he asks, resting his forehead against mine. “I know I’m not perfect and I haven’t lived a normal life, but I want to start anew with you and our child.”

My heart warms. “You don’t even have a choice. I told you the last time that I’m keeping you. I’m the beast, remember? And I’m kidnapping you into my castle.”

“Is the beast supposed to be wearing my T-shirt?” He growls.

“No?” I don’t know why it came out as a question.

“I want it back.” He grins mischievously. “Right fucking now.”

Epilogue

Two months later,

A kick wakes me up. I groan while I sit up in bed with a hand on my belly. My baby girl is such a sadist. I swear she’s been waking me up this way for weeks.

I’m not the least bit surprised, though. She’s Crow’s daughter after all.

Speaking of Crow.

My gaze looms around the room. A shaft of morning light slips through a little opening between the curtains. Crow never leaves the curtains open. He says there’s always a risk of snipers, even though we have bodyguards that watch from a distance. Crow mentioned they’re the Rhodes’ men and The Rhodes were his disciples. As long as he trusts them, I trust them, too.

Crow’s masculine, leather scent is all over the sheets and me, but there’s no trace of him.

A lump forms at the back of my throat — just like every time I wake up and don’t find him.

For the first weeks since his return, I clung to him all day and night, refusing to let him do anything. The thought of waking up to find out all this is a dream, and Crow is indeed dead, haunts me.

Perhaps he isn’t real. Perhaps I’m going insane.

Crow must’ve felt my distress because he did a wonderful thing. He asked me to introduce him to Céline and her family. We invited them over for dinner. Céline gashed about him for days. We meet regularly now. Knowing that Crow wants to be a constant part of my life put my mind at ease.

I still dislike waking up to this emptiness.

My baby daughter kicks again, and I cradle my stomach. “Take it easy on me, ma petite.”

Charlotte saunters inside and hops on the bed. Her nose sniffles on my stomach. She’s been doing this all the time these past weeks. I’m sure she will be the best of friends with my baby.

Orange, on the other hand, glares at my belly from a distance as if he doesn’t like the idea of a baby in the first place.

I stroke Charlotte’s head then put on a sweater and descend the stairs. The reception area is clean and tidy. The ceilings are freshly-painted. All the wallpaper are renovated.

Papa’s house became a wonder thanks to all the work Crow and I have put into renovating it. Okay, mostly Crow. He’s excellent at using those strong hands.

Papa and Maman would be so proud to see the house they left me in its best shape.

I stand in front of the jar, retrieve a note and write.

‘Camille keeps kicking me the entire time. She has Maman’s name and apparently her temper, too.’

After I drop the note in the jar, I pause in front of the family pictures. I finger a frame with my parents. It was my first baby picture. Maman and Dad look so happy. He has an arm around her shoulder, his eyes dripping with affection for me and my mother. There wasn’t a day where I didn’t feel Dad’s love for us. If only he chose a different path in life.

I didn’t want to hurt Crow’s feelings so I hid everything that has to do with