Gypsy King (Tin Gypsy, #1)(105)

Maybe I hovered.

In the past year, I’d kept a constant eye on Bryce. It was rare she went anywhere alone, and even then, I had someone watching. Today, that person was Lane. Bryce hadn’t complained, not once all year, because she knew I needed it. I needed to make sure she was safe and she gave me that. But she needed freedom. To live without watching me worry myself in circles.

I’d be the first to admit that after Xander was born, I’d gone a little crazy with security. The system I’d installed at home was better than the one Emmett had put in at the clubhouse.

But I wasn’t taking any chances with my family, not after the losses I’d suffered.

Maybe I’d loosen up eventually.

Maybe not.

I was taking things one day at a time, doing my best to become a decent dad. Bryce told me constantly I was good with Xander, but the fuck-ups were coming. I’d do something wrong and take a misstep here or there.

But what I could do was protect what was mine. I’d failed once when Bryce had been kidnapped. That had been the first and the last time.

“He’s out.” Bryce pushed herself up from the chair, nodding for me to follow her to the nursery.

I grinned, walking close behind her down the hallway. At the door to Xander’s room, I placed my hands on her shoulders, bending down to drop a kiss on the bare skin of her neck. She’d worn her hair up in a ponytail today. Xander had just started to grab at things and her hair was his favorite thing to pull.

Maybe I’d wrap it around my fist too.

When she smiled over her shoulder, the blood rushed to my cock. We’d been working hard to make up for those six weeks postpartum when her body had been off-limits.

Bryce took Xander to the nursery, laying him in his crib. His arms immediately went above his head. Then she turned on his sound machine, the gentle sway of ocean waves filling the room. She tiptoed out, quietly closing the door.

I captured her hand, giving it a tug for the bedroom, but she stopped me.

“Wait. I need to ask you something.”

“What’s up?” My eyes scanned her from head to toe, making sure nothing was wrong. “You okay?”

She bit her bottom lip. “How would you feel about more kids?”

“Uh . . .” A deep conversation about our family wasn’t exactly what I’d planned to have during naptime, but the question was out there now. How would I feel?

Having Xander was amazing. Even as a baby who ate and slept his way through the day, he was a blast. And when he got older, we could do stuff together like play ball in the yard or build a tree house or build a go-cart to race like the ones I did as a kid. That would be incredible.

“Good,” I said, surprising us both. “Real good.”

“Phew.” Her frame relaxed and her smile was wide. “Great. I’m pregnant.”

“Say what?” I stuck a finger in my ear, clearing it out. “You’re pregnant? Already?”

“According to the tests I took this morning, yep. I mean, I stopped breastfeeding and didn’t get on the pill. I have the pack to start next week but I didn’t think it could happen so soon.”

Pregnant. Was I still scared? Definitely. But this time around, I wasn’t going to let the shock of her announcement chase me away. So I wrapped my arms around her, breathing in her hair. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” She melted into my chest, her arms snaking behind my back. “I was sure you’d freak.”

I chuckled. “Not this time. We’re going to kick ass with these kids.”

Bryce leaned away, rising onto her toes for a kiss. “Hell yes, we are.”





The Tin Gypsy series continues with Riven Knight. Turn the page for a preview.





Want more Bryce and Dash? Click here for a Bonus Epilogue.





Preview to Riven Knight





Please enjoy this preview to Riven Knight, book two in the Tin Gypsy series.





GENEVIEVE


“I’m disappointed.”

I’d take a slap across the face any day over that statement. It was especially sharp and painful today of all days, coming from Mr. Reggie Barker, a man I’d considered a mentor and professional hero.

“I’m sorry, Reggie.”

My boss—former boss—sighed on the other end of the phone. “Given the way you chose to leave the firm, I’m unable to give you a reference.”

I winced. “Oh, um . . . okay.”

Reggie felt that giving one week’s notice instead of two was a snub. It didn’t matter that I’d worked as his paralegal for the past four years, that I was the first person to arrive at the firm each morning and the last to leave each night. It didn’t matter that, while paralegals in the firm could study for their LSAT exams during work hours, I’d saved all my studies for home, ensuring every minute of my workday was dedicated to helping Reggie.

I’d pushed taking the exam four times because he’d cautioned me to be ready—stated in a way he didn’t think I was.

I’d trusted him. I’d valued his opinion above all others at the firm. I’d given him all that I’d had to give, and apparently, it wasn’t enough.

I was disappointed too.