Be My Hero (Forbidden Men 3)

He shook his head as if he didn't want to think about what had happened back there, but then he glanced at me. "So is yours."

I gulped. "Yeah." Oh, God. I didn't want to go there either. "I guess that means you're in about as much shock as I'm in right now, huh?"

"Basically." He took my hand and squeezed my fingers in companionship, letting me know everything would be okay, eventually.

Quinn glanced between us, his eyes wide. "I should probably pretend I never heard any of that, huh?"

I thought I'd be horrified to realize yet another person knew my deep, dirty, dark secret, but honestly, it didn't matter anymore. Pick had pulled me from all the horrors that had haunted me, and now I could find a way to deal with it.

But thinking about Pick made me crave him even more. If Quinn had texted him an SOS, why the hell hadn't he come? I needed his—

And then, as if my cravings had drawn him there, I heard him shout my name. At the entrance of the club, he was being waylaid by a group of police officers holding him back and telling him he couldn't enter. When he spotted me, he shouted my name again and tried even harder to break through the barricade.

I hopped off the stool and hurried to him. "It's okay. He's here for me."

A leery copy shot me a look but finally let Pick in.

He almost broke a rib he crushed me against him so hard.

"Oh, baby. Shit. Are you okay? I've been freaking out so bad since I read that text." Spotting the blood on me, he paled. "Why're you bleeding? Where're you hurt? Did he touch you? What happened?"

"I'm okay. It's not my blood. I'm okay." I hugged him back, definitely feeling better because I was finally where I wanted to be most in the world. In his arms.

And yet now that I had him where I need him most, all the emotions I'd been bottling up spilled out. Clutching him tighter, I buried my face in his neck, breathed in drudges of his soothing coconut smell, and cried.

"That's it," he murmured, cupping the back of my head and rocking me. "Let it out, baby. Just let it all out."

He had no idea why I was crying, or what I'd just survived. He just knew I needed to release all the fear, horror, shock, and distress that was crowding its way through my system.

I have no idea how long he held me there until my tears dried up, but I was dizzy from how hard I'd sobbed, and my head ached. I pulled back to look up at him, and he kissed my cheek, then wiped my face dry with his palms.

"What took you so long to get here?" I said.

He shook his head, looking dazed. "A social worker showed up at the garage to talk to me."

Oh, shit. And here, I'd barely scratched through the surface of the numb shock of what had happened in the office. This shoved another cold wash of dread through me. "Julian?" I whispered, clutching his arm.

Thank God he was with Reese. No officials would know where he was; they wouldn't be able to steal him away. Maybe Pick and I could sneak over to Mason's place and run off together with the babies, somewhere no social worker would ever find us.

Pick nodded, but he didn't look worried. "Before she died, Tristy wrote on a napkin that she wanted to give me guardianship of him. The state is taking that into account as well as a statement from one of the police officers who saw me taking care of him. They're going to put it under review, but she thinks I have an honest-to-God chance of being able to adopt him."

"Oh my God," I screeched and flung myself at him for another hug. "That's so amazing."

"I know." He began to pet my hair. "Hamilton's text came in while she was talking to me. I didn't read it until after she'd left. And then . . . fuck, Tink. I have never been so scared in my life." Clutching my face in his hands, he stared at me hard before growling, "How could you be so stupid?"

I blinked, not expecting that question. "What?"

"You want to know why I didn't tell you about him buying this place? Because I knew you'd try to pull this. Well, no. No fucking way. If you left, I would've come after you and I would've kept looking until I found you. You made me a promise. You said you'd never leave. And I swear to God, you're going to keep that promise."

I nodded, and my lips trembled. "Okay."

He frowned at my easy acceptance. "Okay?"

"Okay, I will keep my promise. I'll stay with you forever."

His shoulders relaxed. "Yes, you will," he murmured before kissing me hard and pressing his forehead to mine. "God, I love you so much."

Crap, I thought I was done with my tears for a while, but more crept down my cheeks. "I love you more,"