to wake you. I won’t touch you. I’ll get up and leave the room. Please give yourself this. Give us this. You have my word, I’ll get myself safe.”
Brady didn’t answer. I braced for his refusal while reminding myself this wasn’t about me or how much he loved me. It was about him wanting me safe, and even though I hated it, I needed to give him time to work through it.
“Sleep, baby.”
“You’ll stay?”
“Yes.”
I released a ragged breath and relaxed.
“Love you, Brady.”
“Love you, Hadley.”
Yeah, he did.
He loved me a lot.
He’d love me forever.
Knowing that, I realized I could live with him never marrying me. But not having kids would be harder to give up.
By the time I started to drift to sleep, Brady was still awake, protecting me, loving me, afraid to sleep himself because he wanted me safe. So, as my eyes closed I knew I couldn’t give up the dream of having kids. Not only because I’d dreamed of having a big family all my life, but because I wanted to give that dream to Brady. I wanted my kids to have a father who would love and protect them the way he loved and protected me.
But that would be a conversation for a different day.
And when the phone rang in the wee hours of the morning, Brady didn’t jolt awake. His voice wasn’t thick with sleep, he was alert and cognizant.
I didn’t ask, but I didn’t need to.
My Brady hadn’t slept a wink, so I could sleep next to him.
Yes, I wanted my children to know that kind of devotion.
30
“Bayside Motel. Now,” Logan clipped.
A call at three-forty-two in the morning was never good. Logan telling me I needed to get my ass to the motel Wick had checked into—really not good.
“Update.”
I gently but quickly rolled Hadley off of me and got out of bed.
Logan continued. “Davidson made his play. Shocked as shit he came himself. We clocked him the minute he got out of his car, but waited too long. We needed him to gain entry, he did, we were right behind him ready for the takedown but Davidson wasn’t fucking around. Neither was Wick. Gunfire was exchanged. Wick was clipped in the arm, Davidson took one to the forehead.”
“Fuck,” I rasped and yanked my jeans up. “Wick okay?”
“Man is pissed as shit Davidson got the drop but Wick was ready for it. Silver lining is, Davidson’s very dead and Liberty’s safe.”
There was that. But we still needed confirmation it was Davidson behind Berkshire trying to kill Liberty.
“I’ll let Wick fill you in on the rest. But I will warn you, Levi’s on his way and what he knows means he’s off-the-rails pissed, so brace, brother, if Levi’s pissed, so are Clark, Jasper, and Lenox. We got four men we have to lock down so Wick doesn’t end up like Davidson.”
“Fuck,” I repeated and pulled on my socks. “Gotta talk to Hadley, then I’m on my way.”
“Right. See you in ten.”
I tossed my phone on my dresser and finished lacing up my boots before I turned to Hadley now sitting up in bed with only a sheet pulled up covering her naked body.
“I gotta go, baby.”
“What’s happening?”
“I’ll explain everything when I get home. I don’t have a lot of details but just so you can get back to sleep, everyone is safe. Wick was injured but from what Logan said he’s gonna be fine. Now, I gotta get going.”
“My Uncle Wick’s in town?”
“He is. We needed his help on Liberty’s case so he flew in yesterday. Now I really need to go. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“I work today.”
Fucking shit.
“If I’m not back before, call me when you get to the library.”
“Okay.”
Okay.
Simple as that, even though she was scared and unable to hide it. But she knew I was in a hurry and was giving me what I needed to get out the door—easy acceptance.
I pulled my t-shirt over my head and made my way back to the bed. Hadley didn’t move anything but her eyes as they followed me until I bent forward and kissed her.
The kiss was quick but thorough, and when I pulled back, she was no less scared but no longer looked freaked.
“I promise everyone is safe. Totally safe.”
“Okay. Go. Call me when you can or I’ll call you when I get to work.”
“Love you, baby.”
“Love you, Brady. Be careful.”
“Always.”
Then I turned on my booted feet and walked out of my bedroom leaving my woman in my bed after I