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“Blythe, I’ll be forty next year. I’ve been a frugal guy overall. These are my first children. I saw the nursery design you like the most. This will be perfect. Unless you can give me a good reason not to buy this set, it’s a done deal. Do you like another one more?”

I couldn’t lie. He’d know if I did. “No, I don’t like another better, but it’ll cost a fortune. We could spend the money on other things or save it.”

“You’re not going to win,” Jessamy whispered.

“Okay, fine, we’ll do the cribs and bedding,” I gave in.

However, my man had other ideas. Given the size of the nursery closet, he conceded there was no need for two matching dressers.

However, he was adamant that we needed two rocking chairs and changing tables.

He argued that he’d be changing or rocking one while I did the other.

Eventually, I conceded and thought we were done, but he took me to look at the bassinets.

“Bones, we’ve got the cribs!” I exclaimed.

“Yes, but if we want them in the bedroom with us for a night or to take a nap there or the living room, you don’t want to run to their room,” he said.

“You should consider one of these. We loved ours for Bran, and look, they have one set up for twins,” Joli said excitedly.

She was pointing to a playpen with two bassinets that sat on top of it, and it was foldable.

So you could have the babies in the bassinet, or when they are older, or if you went somewhere, they could lie in the playpen.

It was a great idea. I saw Bones’s face light up.

When he looked at me, I waved and didn’t argue as I said, “Get it.”

I swear the man was like a kid in a candy shop.

We were going through to finish checking that we hadn’t missed anything.

He’d grabbed the tags, so they’d order the nursery furniture, playpen, and bassinet combo when we went to the front to check out.

Both carts were full. I was ready to sit down.

The guys were ahead of us, chatting away. The ladies were with me.

“It’s so good to see Bones so happy. I’ve never seen him smile or act this happy and content in the four years I’ve known him. He’ll make a wonderful father, and he loves you so much,” Joli told me.

“I know, and it shocks me that he does, and it happened so fast for both of us. It seems like a dream. Sometimes I’m afraid I’ll wake up and find it was and I’m still with you-know-who.

I don’t know what I’d do if I did or were to lose Bones.

” Just the thought made me sick to my stomach.

I placed my hand there without thinking.

It was like he had ESP. Bones whipped around, saw me holding it, and was back to me in a flash.

He put his hand over mine and asked, “Are you alright? Are the babies?”

“I’m okay, just the thought of losing you or this not being real made me sick,” I admitted.

“It’s real, and you won’t lose me. You’re stuck with me,” he winked.

He held me as we finished up. It was funny to see us at the checkout and other customers staring.

I kept laughing. Since we had so much, the other two couples checked out first. Thoryn and Soren had come back to be close to us.

They had to be relieved that we were done.

After this store, I didn’t think we needed to go to the others.

When the total was announced, I almost fell to the floor—thousands of dollars. I knew it was a lot, but I hadn’t kept count, or he slipped in more than I saw. It would dent my savings. I was retrieving my wallet to get my bank card when Bones whipped out his wallet and handed over a card.

“Honey, wait, I’ve got it.”

“No, I do. I’m not having you spend your money on this. I picked most of it out, so it’s on me,” he responded.

“Well, at least let me go half,” I suggested.

“Nope. Besides, it’s not all my money.”

“What does that mean?”

“The club gives a couple two thousand dollars each time a baby is born to help with expenses. Agony started after they had the twins, and he saw what it cost. Of course, he wasn’t going to partake of it himself, but we insisted if we were to do it, and we all voted for it, that he had to do it,” Dare explained.

“That’s so generous of everyone. I’ll have to thank the others. Two thousand will help a lot, but I can still help.”

“It’s two thousand per baby. We’ve got four from the club, but even if we hadn’t, I would buy everything we have. I’ve got this,” Bones insisted.

I was stunned, so I allowed him to pay and confirm when they could deliver the items we weren’t taking with us.

We made it to the two vehicles outside. It was funny to watch the guys figure out where to put everything.

I joked that we’d have to ride on the roof since there was no room. Somehow, they got it all in there.

We gathered outside the stuffed vehicles to decide our next move.

“I don’t think we should bother to go to any more baby stores.

Even if we wanted to buy something, which we don’t need to do,” I gave Bones a warning look, which he ignored.

I continued. “There’s no room for it. And I’d like to sit for a bit.

All that walking and standing made my back hurt,” I confessed.

Immediately, Bones had his hands on my lower back and hips, rubbing them. I groaned. He asked us, “Who here could eat?”

It was a unanimous yes. I was hungry, too.

After a quick debate on places to eat in the area, we decided on Mexican food.

They chose that because both Joli and I confessed we craved it.

Everyone liked it, so there were no complaints.

I was ready for chips and salsa, although I might have to opt for the medium salsa to avoid heartburn. I loved the hot kind the best.

The restaurant they chose was a quick fifteen minutes from where we were. Now that food had been mentioned, I was starved. As Dare drove, Bones asked if I was feeling okay other than my back. I assured him a short rest and I’d be as good as new.

When we arrived, the parking lot was full. It was a good sign. We found parking, but it was toward the back. I hoped they wouldn’t make us wait long. Inside, people were sitting and lining up, waiting. Mace was the one to approach the hostess stand.

“Hi, I called ahead for a table for eight. The name is Mace,” he told her.

She looked at her tablet and nodded. “I have you right here. Your table will be ready in about five minutes. Take this, and come back to see me when it buzzes,” she said with a smile. He nodded and took it.

“Good thinking,” I told him.

“We’ve come here before, and it’s always rather busy, but they allow you to call ahead to get on the list, unlike many places,” Jessamy said.

We were off to the side, trying to stay out of the way of people leaving or being taken to their tables.

The discussion turned to what our favorite Mexican foods were.

We didn’t finish telling them before the buzzer went off.

We followed Mace to the stand where he handed it back, and another person took us to a large table.

I saw a few upset looks from people waiting.

I guess they didn’t know about the call-ahead option.

Our table was rambunctious, but not overall so, I thought.

We laughed, talked, and enjoyed the conversation.

It was nice to get the prospects to relax and join in.

They weren’t relegated to a separate table.

I teased them about how bored they were at the store.

They denied it. I told them they didn’t need to lie.

“It’s not a lie. We paid attention more than you know. One day, if we’re lucky, that’ll be us. We want to be sure we know what to expect. And to make sure we save enough now so we don’t have to take out a loan,” Soren said, smirking.

“Or have to sell a kidney,” Thoryn threw in.

“How old are you guys?” I asked.

“We’re twenty-eight,” Thoryn answered.

“You have plenty of time. I’m thirty-nine. Agony was forty before he found Eliana,” Bones told them.

“We do, but we’re not opposed to settling down younger if we find the right person,” Soren replied.

The food was great, and the company was even better.

I had so much fun. We took our time and enjoyed it.

By the time we were ready to leave, many people had cleared out.

We walked across the parking lot to our rides.

I wish I could ride with Bones. He refused while I was pregnant, which was wise, but I’d always wanted to ride a bike.

He promised to take me out one day after the babies were born.

The prospects were behind us. Mace, Jessamy, Dare, and Joli were ahead.

Dare called back to Bones, and he sped up, but I slowed because I had a rock in my shoe.

I heard the rev of a car engine but didn’t pay attention until I heard Soren, I think, yelling for Bones to watch out.

I looked up to find a car racing toward him.

I froze. Arms wrapped around me, and I was picked up and carried backward, away from Bones.

I screamed his name as the car bore down on him. I couldn’t look away.

I didn’t know how he did it, but Bones jumped up in the air, came down feet first on the hood, then tucked himself into a ball and rolled across the hood to land on the other side in a crouch.

The car sped away. There was yelling and screaming.

I knew some of the screaming was me. As he straightened, I saw he looked unharmed, and my legs gave way.

I would’ve fallen if I hadn’t been held up by one of the prospects.

Dare and Mace had run back to Bones. They had their guns out and surrounded Bones with their women safely tucked beside them.

“He’s alright. Don’t you faint on me, or Bones will think I squeezed you too tightly and beat my ass. If he asks, tell him Thoryn grabbed you.” Now I knew it was Soren, and he was trying to ease my worry.

“Let’s get you to him so you both can see that the other is okay,” he added before lifting me in his arms and walking me over to Bones.

“What’s wrong? Is she hurt?” he asked Soren urgently.

“No, she’s just a bit weak in the legs. I thought I’d give her a lift. She’s worried about you,” he explained as he set me on my feet.

Bones opened his arms, and I stumbled into them. I wrapped my arms around him as he did the same to me. I burst into tears.

“Shh, Firefly, I’m okay. Not a scratch on me. Did you see how I did that? I should be a stuntman,” he joked.

“Don’t joke, Bones. You could’ve been seriously injured or killed. That driver wasn’t stopping.” I told him as I thumped his chest lightly.

“I know, but I’m fine.”

“Did you get a look at who was driving? The windows were so dark, I couldn’t see anything,” Dare remarked. Everyone, including Bones, shook their heads.

“Let’s get everyone in the vehicles. Thoryn, Soren, you two keep your heads on a swivel. I don’t think that was an inattentive driver or an accident. You’re the most vulnerable,” Dare warned.

“We’ll stay alert, VP,” one of them said.

I remained teary-eyed and shaky until we were in the SUV, and we got on the road to return home. As we drove, the topic I had waited for to be mentioned came up.

“The driver seemed to be aiming at you, Bones. Blythe was also out in the open lot, but he didn’t aim for her. As far as I know, you don’t have any enemies except Deon Morton,” Dare said softly. He was watching me in the rearview mirror.

“Dare, can we talk about this back at the clubhouse?” Bones asked. I was sitting in the middle seat with his arms around me.

“No, don’t do that. You can talk about it.

Dare is right. Who else would it be but him?

I didn’t recognize the car, but he could easily rent or borrow one.

He’s crazy. And he thinks if you’re out of the picture, he’ll be able to get me or the babies.

And he has no idea there are two of them.

Why is he so desperate for a child? I don’t get it.

But I can’t have him hurting or killing you or anyone else,” I told him.

“What do you mean by that?” Bones asked.

“If being near you or anyone at the club places a target on you, then I can’t be there.

I need to leave. There are children and other women there.

Joli is pregnant. She could’ve been hit.

” As I explained, my voice got louder. I was on the verge of hysteria, but it was mixed with fury.

If Deon were standing in front of me right this second, I’d kill him.

“Blythe, I need you to listen and hear me. Under no circumstances will I allow you to leave. Yes, we were surprised by this. However, we’re now aware of what lengths he’ll go to.

The club will be alerted to what happened and the precautions to take.

The last thing you need to do is leave. If you try, I’ll follow your ass and bring you back.

So get rid of that idea right this minute,” Bones growled.

“I couldn’t live with myself if one of you were killed because of me,” I sobbed.

He whispered words of comfort and promises the entire ride back. I half heard them. I was a ball of misery. I stopped crying, but I couldn’t forget what almost happened. What would it take to get Deon out of our lives for good?