Fearless (Broken Love, #5)(70)
I hadn’t heard from then since and prepared myself to never again after Greg’s trial.
“Thank you for coming with me. Dash is swamped with catching up since he went back to work, and he doesn’t want me alone since I’m close.” Willow managed to convince me to leave my woes behind in their apartment for a day of baby shopping.
“Are you excited?”
“I like to think what I’m feeling is like an exciting terror, but I am ready to gain back control of my own body again. I think whatever future pain promised will be worth it.” Her pale skin whitened more if possible, and I figured she was thinking about the birth..
I picked up a onesie that read, ‘Mama’s Baby, Daddy’s Hatin’. “What about this?” I showed it to her as a distraction. She turned wide eyes on the tiny blue garment and squealed. After snatching it from my hand to check the size, she then threw it in her cart.
“These clothes don’t have enough color or personality,” she grumbled. “I’m thinking about making all of his clothes myself, but my fingers have gotten so fat, I can’t even stand to look at them.”
I looked down at her fingers, which were a little swollen but not enough to cause her dramatics. I knew telling her at this point that she was still a beautiful curvy delight was a waste of time, so I changed the subject.
“You said Dash is back working. How is he otherwise?” I knew getting shot must have been traumatic for him even though he’d never admit it. Guys liked to bottle their feelings until the emotional overload obliterated who they once were.
“He’s had his days, but he’s still Dasher.” She sighed and got a faraway look in her eyes.
“Dasher, huh?” I teased and bumped her shoulder.
“He insisted I use his name when we…”
“Got it.” I didn’t need any more detail about their sex life. I’ve already had the front seat showing. “Doesn’t it get weird since his mother also calls him Dasher?”
“Not like me.” She winked, and I had a full on laugh—snort and all. “Besides, since he only lets his mother or me call him Dasher, I figured why not.”
“And Santa Claus. How does he feel about being named after a reindeer?”
“Oh, God. Don’t let him hear you say that. You’ll never hear the end of it. Although…” She looked thoughtful as she chewed on her lip, “you did save his life so you might get a free pass.”
“I didn’t save his life.” The regret in my voice caused her to drop her smile. I shook my head when the memory of him being shot assaulted me. “If he hadn’t been trying to protect me, he wouldn’t have gotten shot. It’s my fault. I made him take me out there to find Laurie.”
“And that woman would have died if you hadn’t. Her girls would have been motherless and I know you, of all people, don’t want that for them. Keiran told me about Cassie. I think what you did for her was amazing.”
“I didn’t do anything. She punched the kid in the nose.”
“And I bet she’ll do it again if she has to. Besides, I doubt she’ll have to. That kid got his lights knocked out by a girl. He’ll be licking his wounds until he’s thirty, at least.” I laughed and we shared silence while we looked over baby clothes. “Did you know the bullet hit him half an inch from his heart?”
I felt pain near my own as I said, “No, I didn’t.”
“The doctor said he should have died. The way the bullet entered was clearly a direct path to his heart, but at the very last moment, it was redirected and that alone saved his life. He said he must have tried to get out of the way, or the shooter had a change of heart.”
“Dash would have never done that since I was behind him and that son of a bitch didn’t have a heart to change.”
“Precisely. You and I both know you tried to push him out of the way, so I repeat—you saved his life, Lake Monroe.”
“He weighs a ton. I barely moved him, and he still got shot.”
“Doesn’t matter. It was enough to save his life which was exactly what you did.”
“I don’t understand why he would risk his life for me when he has you and the baby.”
“Because he loves you, too. We all would have done the same thing and so would you. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m hungry and my feet hurt. I’m sure I have everything.”
“Dash bought out like three different baby stores when he found out you were pregnant. Where’s he keeping all that stuff anyway? Spare bedroom’s empty.”
“I wondered the same thing, but whenever I ask, he would say he found the perfect spot. Whatever that means.” Willow rolled her eyes up, but then her eyes brightened with mischief. “I say we look for them.”
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s hiding them for a rea—” I stopped when I noticed a woman appear around a pillar up ahead and head straight for us. I told myself I was being paranoid, but the way she watched Willow wasn’t the casual glance of a harmless stranger. When I started to warn Willow, it was too late. She stood in front of us, blocking any escape.
“Hello, Little Tree. It’s been a while,” the woman greeted. She awakened vibes I hadn’t felt since being kidnapped by Mitch, and when Willow stiffened and retreated, the vibes became a screaming demand to run.