Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
“Almost there,” Knox said.
She nodded. “Did I mention Asher is meeting us at the airport?” She hadn’t been able to talk her brother out of his plan, despite her best efforts.
“Of course he is,” Knox said. To her surprise, he let out a low chuckle. “We need to tell him and the rest of your family about the baby. Not to mention Holly.”
Jade didn’t want to insult him, but she’d given this some thought and bit down on her lower lip before filling him in. “I was hoping I could do that myself. I don’t think it’s fair to subject you to the firing squad.”
“Do you think I’d let you face them without me?” He threaded their fingers together.
If he meant to reassure her, his insistence did the opposite. “I’m not sure I’m ready to see Asher and Zach make a mess of your handsome face.” Though she tried to make light of the subject, she wasn’t kidding.
Nick and Harrison were more likely to deal with Knox using their words. But her older two brothers were better with their fists. And her father? She winced just thinking about him finding out his daughter was unmarried and pregnant by Asher’s close friend.
“You think I’m handsome?” Knox treated her to his sexiest grin, making her both laugh and roll her eyes. Of course he’d pick out that part of her statement.
“I promise I can handle anything your brothers dish out. Now relax while we land. I’ll handle everything,” he said.
“Right. I’ll let the big, strong man fight my battles,” she muttered. From the moment she’d found out she was pregnant, she’d let her thoughts and her life spiral.
Well, no longer. She’d run off to the island to wrap her head around the changes to come, and she felt strong enough now to handle things herself. If Knox thought she’d allow him to make their decisions and control her, he had a lot to learn about Jade Dare.
The plane landed. They gathered their bags and the door opened. Knox stepped out first, turning to take her hand so he could help her down the steps and onto the tarmac. He was a gentleman, and she couldn’t complain about that part of his personality.
They met up with Asher by his car. He immediately pulled her into a long, brotherly hug—one she needed.
“Tell me you’re okay,” he said as he stepped back to study her.
“I am, just like I told you every day when I called you as promised.” She kissed his cheek. “Thanks for worrying. But I’m good.”
Asher looked over her shoulder at Knox, her brother’s worried expression turning into more of a scowl, lips turned down, eyebrows, too.
Jade poked Asher in his side. “Cut it out. Knox took good care of me.”
Instead of being reassured, Asher’s frown grew fiercer. “I don’t want to know how.”
“Eew! Stop!”
Knox stepped forward and extended his hand until Asher had no choice but to accept.
“There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Jade asked. “You told him where I was and arranged for the jet to take him there. So what’s your problem now?”
“I feel like something’s going on, and I want to know what it is.” Asher’s gaze darted from Jade to Knox and back again.
“We’ll talk in private,” she said.
Knox cleared his throat. “Actually, I thought we could all sit down and have an adult conversation.”
Jade closed her eyes, counted to five, then opened them again. She didn’t have time to go for ten. She turned to Knox. “I told you I’d like to discuss this with my brother. Alone.”
Frowning again, Asher held up both hands in a stop gesture. “As it happens, the family is at Serenity and Dad’s house. They expect me to bring you home to see them. Then we can go back to the city.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Really? You ghosted them. We’re not the kind of family that goes without talking and texting almost daily.” He had a point. They had group chats for different types of things. Jade, Nick, and Michael for business, the whole family for check-ins and family gatherings, etc.
She swallowed hard. “How many of them are there?”
“All of them.” Asher folded his arms across his chest, looking smug.
Knox stepped closer to her and whispered in her ear. “No running. Not from them and especially not from me. We don’t want this to turn into a game of hide-and-seek.”
She stiffened at his reminder.
“And Jade?” he asked.
She met his serious gaze and looked into his handsome, tanned face. “I will always find you.”
Something about the way he said that sent tremors of awareness oozing through her veins, much the way arousal did when his lips traveled over her body. That was something he’d done often while they’d been alone on the island. He hadn’t had to talk her into anything sexually. They were already sharing a bed. It made sense for them to be together. Especially the first morning, when she’d woken up entangled in his arms, chest to chest, her cheek against his, her body wrapped around him like a spider monkey. With her being pregnant and them both having been tested recently, sex without a condom had been natural as he’d slid into her wet heat.