Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 Dana Mentink (e books free to read TXT) 📖

“Some people will always see you as a bad guy, Beckett. The question is, do you?”

He was silent, staring at his hand placed on her stomach. Before he had time to answer, they were whisked into the local clinic. This time, no one had suggested a helicopter ride to Las Vegas. “Beckett, will you…?” she started to ask as she was rolled into the examining room. His big frame crowded the doorway and she knew it was a silly question. He wouldn’t leave her, unless she asked him to keep the promise he’d made to her earlier.

Should she? Shouldn’t she? The echo of betrayal still sounded deep in her soul somewhere, like a badly played note. Ah, but the other notes, the music that had grown watching him change, to grow into the man God meant him to be… Didn’t that drown out the rest? Suddenly she was too tired to think anymore, and she closed her eyes and let the doctor finish the exam without her help. She awakened just long enough to hear about “strained tendons, pulled muscles, mild dehydration, abrasions,” but all that fell by the wayside when she heard the last bit.

“The baby is just fine, Mr. Duke,” the doctor said.

Too tired to open her eyes, she let the tears leak down her cheeks until someone whisked them away with a tissue. She did not need to see to know who it was.

* * *

“I want to go home.” Laney did not want to talk about anything, it seemed to Beckett. There was something weighing on her. Residual trauma from the abduction? Physical discomfort? He drove her back to the hotel. Her brows were drawn together, and even his suggestion to supply her and Muffin with a milkshake did not bring more than a polite “no, thank you.”

Uncertainty stripped him of confidence. He knew what he had to do, had to ask, but now he was not at all sure of the answer he would receive. At the hotel, he looped Laney’s arm in his as he guided her through the lodge, where Dan Wheatly greeted them with a smile and news. His assistant stood with him.

“Irene is being charged with the murders of Pauline and Rita. Kenny is also being booked. It will take some more convincing for him to believe that you aren’t to blame, Beckett. The cops got Uncle Leonard too. Jude said to tell you he will be here later. I’m on my way to the station to make sure the paperwork is all in order.”

“Thank you,” Beckett said. The two men shook hands.

Willow launched herself out of the cabin as they approached, Admiral yipping joyfully as he tried to keep up. She hugged both Beckett and Laney at once, pulling them close and squealing. “You’re okay. You’re both okay.” She repeated it over and over until they managed to detach themselves.

“I promised I’d tell Aunt Kitty the moment I clapped eyes on you, but I’ll bring dinner.”

Beckett smiled. “It’s ten thirty in the morning.”

“Oh. Breakfast, then. Scones.”

“When was the last time you made scones?” Laney asked.

“Never, but Aunt Kitty makes great ones. I’ll go fill her in and we’ll return with baskets full of food. Promise.” She smacked a kiss on both their cheeks.

Laney sighed. “I think we are about to be buried in piles of carbohydrate comfort.”

He pushed open the door and held it as she entered. “Worse things could happen.”

Admiral was panting and wheezing, so she lifted him tenderly onto his cushion on the sofa.

And then they were alone. His palms went clammy.

“Laney, um, do you want to sit down?”

“No,” she said with a groan. “My back is complaining from the ride.”

He was about to suggest she lie down and let him fetch her an ice pack when she turned to him.

“I’m not sure what to do from here.” She blinked. “All of a sudden this is awkward, isn’t it?”

Torture, was more like it. He cleared his throat. “I need to say something, and then I’ll go if you want me to.”

She cocked her head, sending hair tumbling across her brow. He longed to touch it.

“I’ve messed up everything in my life since high school. I can’t undo some of the damage, and maybe I’ll always have people whispering behind my back.”

She pressed her lips together and he could not read her thoughts for anything. Shifting, he started again. “You and Muffin… I mean, you deserve a husband and daddy you can be proud of. I want to be that man, but I don’t know… I mean, I’m not sure you can grow to feel that way again, like you did before.”

Still she did not answer.

“I love you,” he said. Her mouth pinched tight, and she looked down.

“I thought I knew who I was and what love meant. I didn’t. Love is…” His voice broke. “Love is when someone is ready to stand by you in the worst moments of your life. You were willing to do that for me then and now. I never knew how strong you could be, but your love is made of steel.”

She still didn’t answer.

“I don’t know if it’s too late, Laney. I promised I’d leave you alone, but I’m going to ask one more time. If you say no, I will honor that, support you and the baby from afar.” He gulped. “I love you. You make me better. You’ve shown me what it means to put everything on the line for someone. You taught me what it means to love for better or worse. I’ve given you worse, but I promise, I want to give you and the baby better.”

She bit her lip. In anger? Forgiveness? Dismissal?

Abruptly, she turned on her heel and left him to go into the bedroom. He wondered if she would slam the door, shut him out of her life.

Beckett, you don’t get a second chance. Not this time. He closed his eyes, trying to keep breathing, to summon the strength to