Chapter 1 #2
His brother moved with his usual agile grace. He wore his dark hair longer than Vander, dark curls falling over his forehead. He was quicker to smile and had an easy-going charm Vander could never claim.
“Not for me.” Brynn sat on the elegant cream couch.
They hadn’t told the family about the pregnancy, yet.
It was still early, and she wanted to wait until she hit the three-month mark.
Tonight, she’d had a couple of cocktails that were actually mocktails.
He’d slipped the bartender some cash to ensure they were alcohol-free.
So far, Rhys and Haven were none the wiser, but his brother was a hell of an investigator.
It wouldn’t take him long to work it out.
“Nothing for me, either.” Haven dropped into an armchair. “I can’t fit another thing.”
Vander watched Brynn cross her legs. It hit him again that she was pregnant. His muscles tensed. She didn’t look any different.
But there was a child, their child, growing inside her.
An ugly taste filled his mouth. He’d seen the worst the world had to offer. He’d spent more time in some of the worst places, seeing the cruel things people did to each other, than he liked to admit. He knew the dangers that lurked around every corner.
A part of him was terrified to bring an innocent child into that. He’d worked hard to accept the overprotectiveness he felt for Brynn. The overwhelming love. She was his heart, his everything.
He’d even accepted her work, especially when he’d seen her in action.
Then she’d told him that she was pregnant, and before he could process that, she’d been stabbed on the job.
He took the glass of bourbon from Rhys and nodded. He lifted the crystal snifter and drank most of it in one long swallow.
Rhys raised a dark eyebrow. “You’re on vacation, big bro. In Italy. You’re supposed to be relaxed.”
“Does Vander ever relax?” Haven asked.
His wife stared at him, worry back in her eyes.
“I’m relaxed.”
Rhys snorted. “Sure. You keep telling yourself that.”
Vander’s phone beeped.
His brother frowned. “That better not be work.”
“Saxon is holding down the fort.” Vander sat beside Brynn. “Everything should be fine.”
Brynn grinned at Haven and Rhys. “It won’t be Saxon. It’ll be Easton and Harlow.” She paused. “With dog pics.”
Vander’s oldest brother, Easton, and his wife had agreed to dog sit.
“Oh, they’re taking care of Shadow?” Haven asked.
Brynn nodded.
Shadow was a growing Belgian Malinois pup she and Vander had rescued from an illegal dog-fighting ring. Hell, two years ago, if someone had told him that he’d be married, have a dog, and a baby on the way, he would have thought they’d lost their mind.
Brynn elbowed Vander. “Someone here needs constant reassurance that his dog, one that he hadn’t wanted, is okay without him.”
Haven laughed and Rhys grinned.
Vander just glared at them.
“Let’s see the photos.” Haven leaned forward.
Vander held out his phone. His phone’s wallpaper was an image of Brynn and Shadow at the dog park. He pulled up the new images that Easton had sent.
Shadow was front and center, tongue lolling, looking like he was smiling. He had a black face and ears, while his strong, solid body was tan. Another photo showed him zooming through the dog park. In the final one, he was snuggled up with Easton’s wife, Harlow, on a couch.
“See, he’s fine,” Brynn said.
“I knew he’d be fine,” Vander grumbled. He rose. “I think I need a refill.”
“Top me up, too,” Rhys said.
The conversation ebbed and flowed as Vander and Rhys finished their drinks.
“We’d better head back to our villa.” Rhys pulled Haven to her feet and into his arms.
She nodded. “Yes, we need to get a good night’s sleep. We have more exploring to do tomorrow.”
Rhys lowered his head and nibbled her ear. “Oh, I’m not planning on letting you sleep, angel.”
She blushed prettily.
Brynn grinned at the pair.
“I’m going to see an old military buddy tomorrow,” Vander said. “Justin Clarke. Remember him, Rhys?”
“I do.” He slung an arm across Haven’s shoulders. “We crossed paths but didn’t serve together. Good guy.”
Justin and Vander had been in Ghost Ops together. The secret government program that pulled together the toughest, hardest, most skilled soldiers in the military into a single team. A team that did the toughest, hardest missions. Vander had been the team’s commander.
“After he retired, Justin married an Italian woman, and lives here. Want to come with me?”
Rhys tilted his head. “Sounds good. I’d like to see him.”
“That means we have a girls’ day.” Haven looked at Brynn. “Shopping?”
Brynn grinned. “There’s room for a few more pairs of shoes in my suitcase.”
The women hugged.
“Night.” Rhys slapped Vander on the shoulder, then led Haven outside. It was a short walk back to their villa and the path was lit by lights.
Vander headed to the bar and poured another drink. The edgy feeling he hadn’t been able to shake lately was riding him. He didn’t like it.
“You okay?” Brynn asked softly.
“Fine.”
She sighed, then rose with a rustle of fabric. “Vander, please talk to me. We’re a team. I get that having a baby will change so many things. We have a lot to learn, but we’ve got this.”
He turned. “And when some criminal stabs you, or shoots you? What about when you’re lying in a hospital bed, connected to machines?” His voice turned harsh. “When you leave me alone with a baby?” The thought of not having Brynn shook him to the core. His fingers clenched on the glass.
She pressed into him. “I have no plans for that to happen. Your job is dangerous, too.”
“I’m trained.”
“So am I.” Her gaze narrowed and she set her hands on her hips. “You’ve trained me as well and taught me even more than my law enforcement training. I hope you’re not going to give me some BS about men being able to do dangerous jobs but women can’t. It’s not like having a penis can stop bullets.”
He growled. Frustration and fear were choking him, and she was making jokes.
“All I know is that I don’t want you hurt.
And—” Fuck, the baby would come and then there’d be a baby who looked like Brynn.
Another small person that he would love unconditionally.
And he’d drown in the urge to protect them.
“And what?” she asked.
He set the glass down on the coffee table with a click and shook his head. “I’m going for a walk.”
A stricken look crossed her face. “Don’t shut me out, Vander.”
“I just… Need a few minutes.”
So he didn’t say or do something he regretted while he was all fucked up about this. “You go to bed. You’re tired.”
She was silent as he walked out. He knew he’d hurt her.
Fuck.
He needed to get a handle on this, one way or another.