-

Forty-Nine

Making love to Troy had been long overdue. Madison sat on the couch afterward, feeling euphoric, and cuddled with Hershey. Her bruised ribs and tender stomach were far from her mind.

“Want anything?” Troy called from the kitchen.

“Actually, I’d love another one of those decaf coffees.”

“You got it.”

He joined her a few minutes later, shooing Hershey off the couch and sitting next to her. He handed her the coffee, and she thanked him.

There was a wave of anxiousness that lapped over her, just anticipating the conversation to come.

Troy blew out a deep breath, his cheeks swelling like a chipmunk’s stuffed with peanuts, then deflating. “I left last night because I just needed to think everything through.”

She was afraid to really probe what everything was. “We can’t just walk out when we want to think, Troy. We’re a couple. We should work things out together.”

“I know. I was wrong. Hence breakfast in bed…” He smiled in his typical fashion that barely curved his lips. “This is hard to say, but sometimes it feels like…” He met her eyes and seemed hesitant to continue.

“Feels like?” she prompted.

“You’ve been intent on bringing down the Russians for so long, and now on taking out corrupt cops, that I feel…I don’t know, second place.”

His words chipped at her heart. “Never,” she said, but she was deceiving herself. That’s exactly where she’d been placing him—if not in third place. Her job, her side mission, then Troy. She inched along the cushions and tucked herself close to him.

“It’s just how it feels sometimes.”

“I’m sorry for that.”

He dipped his head, accepting her apology. “I don’t like feeling second.”

“No one would.”

“I do know why you’re—I don’t want to say obsessed again—but why you’re determined to clean up Stiles, the city and the police department. It’s who you are, and I’d never want you to change. It’s just…now you’re carrying our baby.”

“Trust me. I’m aware.”

He took her hand. “I never actually asked you how you feel about us having a kid.”

She could tell he was still excited, and she wished she could say the same, but if they were being honest with each other… “I’m adjusting.”

“I know being a mother’s not really where you saw yourself.”

She shook her head and put a hand on her stomach. “I’m sure I’ll love the child, Troy. I just need to get used to the idea of becoming a mother.”

He nodded. “I can appreciate that. Came as a shock to me, too, but I think we’re ready for this.”

She bit her bottom lip, thinking, Ready for a baby but not marriage?

“And just for the record,” he started, “I’m still angry, but not at you. At the Russians and Murphy for ramming your car.”

She shifted straighter. “You believe me now?”

He sighed. “Maybe I did from the start? I just didn’t want to. He’s a fellow officer, and he stood up for Cynthia’s husband at the wedding.”

“Again, I’m well aware.” She filled him on the confrontation she’d had with her best friend. “It’s killing me that she’s mad at me, but I get her side too.”

“It will probably take some hard proof, but she’ll come around. In the end, Cynthia’s a good person.”

“She is.”

“If you’re going to continue to pursue this—” he rolled his hand as if to summon the right word “—operation of yours, can we do it together?”

She scanned his face and pulled back. “I don’t want you involved. They almost killed me.”

“And our baby,” he fired back. “Probably why I reacted so strongly yesterday. I trust that you can handle yourself, Madison, though I still fear for your safety, but our baby makes me need to get involved. Not just for what they did to you, but the mob and the corrupt cops need to be exposed. I’m prepared to stand by you, but I want to do this by the book. Legit. We bring in Andrea.”

There was some relief that would come from working with him. She’d have someone watching her back. It still didn’t change the fact she was pregnant—not that she needed to be put in bubble wrap, but she had to think of the baby’s welfare. “Maybe we step back before something happens that can’t be reversed,” she started. “Murphy didn’t know I was pregnant.”

“If he did this to protect himself, do you think he’d have cared if he had known?” There was a level of conviction in his voice that hadn’t been there before.

“Probably not,” she said solemnly. “What you’re saying is…you’re in whether I am or not?”

“Yeah. In the least they need to answer for the hit-and-run.”

She held his gaze and blinked slowly. “Okay, then let’s do this.” She proceeded to fill him in about Club Sophisticated, her stakeout, and the storage unit. With every new tidbit, his eyes widened, and his brows raised.

“You’re like a female James Bond.”

“I just want to end this.”

“So do I, but it’s not going to be something that happens overnight.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I have no idea just how deep the Mafia reaches into the department yet.”

“I can tell you that my sister can be trusted.”

She was just about to tell him about Tatiana Ivanova and Roman Petrov’s miraculous resurrection when there was a knock on the door. She looked at Troy. “You expecting someone?”

He gave her raised shoulders and a funny face. “But maybe you should get the door.”

“Ah, it’s probably Terry. He texted last night, and I just responded this morning.” She got up and answered the door.

A woman was standing there with a huge smile, holding a vase wrapped with a red ribbon, and Hershey’s bars were poking out.

She turned to Troy and raised a brow.

“Madison Knight?” the woman said.

“Yes.”

“Here you go. Have a great day.” The woman left, and Madison returned to the living room.

“You like?” Troy smiled.

“Like? Love! Who told you Hershey’s is my favorite flower?” She chuckled and set it on the coffee table.

“Just don’t mow them all down in one sitting.”

“Please, I’ll show some restraint.” She snatched one of the larger bars and tore through the wrapper.

“Oh, right now? We’re doing this right now?”

She bit off a chunk and swallowed. “You must have been feeling really bad about walking out last night.”

He pressed his lips and gestured to the bouquet. “Believe that says it all.”

“I love you, too.” She plastered a huge, wet, chocolatey kiss on his cheek.