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Her grin became a giggle that took his breath away. He had no right to be as happy as he was right now. But he wasn’t about to let Gray or Black Velvet or this investigation steal this contentment from him.

He pressed another soft kiss to her lips. The sat phone in his pants’ pocket buzzed. With a curse, he extricated himself from her embrace and rifled through his pockets until he plucked the device free and found a text from Kane:

Storm knocked out all power. Staff scrambling. Gray losing it. Surveillance down. Talk freely but stay alert.

Nash frowned. He didn’t want to interrupt this moment with Haisley, but business had to come first. Quickly, he typed back his reply.

Good time to call the office and make plans.

Not happening.

Came back Kane’s immediate reply.

Been trying. Storm is preventing connection to satellite.

That made sense, but damn it.

Good time for you and me to strategize on leaving this rock?

We can…but I think it’s better to make contact with some of my informants while no one is watching.

Valid point. Kane’s contacts might have intel they needed to bring this ring down for good—but he and the team weren’t ready yet. And while Nash would love to take advantage of this security lapse and leave the island, he had no plane. No boat. And no means of sidestepping this nasty storm. Besides, no way would he simply abort the mission now, not until they’d taken down every one of these assholes and ensured that they tasted the justice they deserved.

His thumbs flew across the keyboard in response.

Unless you need something, I’m staying with H. Keep me posted.

Kane sent back the saluting emoji, and Nash tucked the device away.

Heart thudding, he leaped onto the bed and drew Haisley to his side. “The cameras are down. We can talk.”

“Seriously?” She stiffened against him, then slowly lifted her head from his chest. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah. Don’t know how long it will last.” Surely, a place like this had backup generators waiting and ready to go at a moment’s notice.

“Okay.” In the next flash of lightning, he watched her suck in a shaky breath. “Good. I was praying for an opportunity. I didn’t think it would be this soon, but?—”

“What do you want to tell me, baby?”

“Why I left Lafayette—and you.” She pressed a hand to her chest like she might hyperventilate. Her voice trembled. “But I’m terrified.”

His arms tightened around her, and he shook his head. “Nothing you say will make me let you go.”

She let out a shaky breath. Then she opened her mouth before closing it. Her eyes glossed over with tears. “I—” She bit her lip, clearly digging for courage. “Two years ago, I left because I was pregnant.”

His stomach clenched. Blood pounded in his ears, drowning out the sound of the storm.Pregnant?

He tried to form words, to grasp what she was saying, but his mind was a wrecking ball slamming into every assumption he’d ever had. “What? You were carrying…mybaby?”

“Yes. When we were together, there was never anyone else.”

“I know. I just…” He didn’t know what the fuck to say. To think.

“We were careful, but…” She wrung her hands in her lap. “When I realized… When the doctor confirmed, I panicked. You’d made it clear you didn’t want children. I knew you’d grown up with too many siblings and too much responsibility and?—”

“Oh, my god.” Emotions—shock, confusion, hurt, anger—crashed through him. But mostly a bone-deep ache as pieces of their past clicked into place.

The tears sheening her eyes spilled over as she sniffled. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”