Wicked Ever After (Wicked & Devoted #2) - Shayla Black Page 0,57
things go my way, I’ll be back for you two. I’ll meet your father and explain everything.”
“Then we’ll live the rest of our lives?”
“Yeah. That’s what I want.”
“Do you, really?”
“More than anything, Brea Felicity Bell.” He took her hands and stared into her eyes. “I do.”
His words rang with the solemnity of a wedding vow, and she felt his commitment all the way to her soul. “Pierce Jackson Walker, I do, too.”
They sealed their impromptu vow with a lingering kiss that Brea wished would go on forever.
But an unexpected tap on the door cut it short. The clock in her line of vision said it wasn’t even five a.m.
“Brea?” Her dad’s voice had her eyes widening in panic.
He never knocked this early.
Pierce gripped her shoulders and whispered, “It’s okay. I’m going. I’m leaving my phone behind, so I’ll be underground for a while.”
She tried not to cry again even as she clung to him, wishing she could melt into him and become one with him. “You haven’t even left and I’m terrified.”
“I know.” He kissed her forehead. “But I’ll do everything in my power to come back.”
“If you don’t?” She barely managed to get the words out.
“Be happy and don’t forget I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she sobbed. “Pierce…”
“Shh. Take care of you both.” He dropped his hand to her belly.
“Brea?” Daddy asked a bit more loudly through the closed door. “Who are you talking to?”
“J-just a minute.”
She didn’t dare speak another word to Pierce. Instead, he pressed his lips to hers, lingered through a few short heartbeats, then eased away with a caress. She was still clutching his hand when he climbed out the window, looking back at her with a black-eyed stare full of longing she’d never forget—as if he meant to memorize her.
Then he was gone.
With her heart wrenching and clutching, she tried to stem the tide of her tears as she smoothed her hair, tossed on a robe, padded to the door, and pulled it open.
Daddy stood in the portal, his phone in hand. He raked her body up and down, focusing on her middle. A frown furrowed his brows. “We need to talk.”
Her heart stopped. He’d read the gossip. He knew she was pregnant.
It had become an ingrained habit to conceal her relationship with Pierce, along with the life that had resulted from it. But she was tired of hiding her love. She wasn’t going to keep acting as if she was ashamed. Yes, she’d be cautious about Daddy’s heart, have her phone ready and an aspirin nearby. But she was done burying her head in the sand.
Pierce was facing their obstacles head on. It was time for her to do the same.
“All right.”
“I’ve made a pot of coffee. Why don’t you get dressed and come to the kitchen?”
After a quick few minutes with her toothbrush, she dragged on some yoga pants and a baggy T-shirt with shaking hands. Everything else in her closet was getting too tight. Once she’d donned fuzzy socks and pulled her hair back, she padded out to the kitchen, grabbed the bottle of aspirin, took a deep breath, and met her father’s gaze. “You want to ask me if I’m pregnant.”
He looked taken aback by her directness. “Yes.”
“I’ll save you the breath. I am. I’m sorry if that disappoints you—”
“It’s not Cutter’s, is it? You’re pregnant by the man who left you.”
“Pierce. That’s his name. Yes, the baby is his, and I love him. He didn’t leave me, Daddy. In fact, he was just here to explain how he intends to keep me safe. His job is dangerous and—”
“Now that you’re expecting, his most important job is to take care of you. And he’s…where? It seems as if he’s shirking his responsibility.”
She got mad on Pierce’s behalf. “You don’t get it. He’s leaving tonight, alone, to hunt down a man the whole world views as a criminal. For me. And all he’s asked me to do is wait here and continue pretending I’m engaged to Cutter so I don’t become a target. Pierce is risking his life in the hopes the three of us can have a future together, but we both know full well he may never come back. And he still didn’t hesitate for an instant to put his life on the line for us.” She cradled her belly as her tears fell. “So don’t lecture me about his lack of responsibility. And don’t tell me that what I’ve done is an affront or a sin to