From This Day Forward (Sex and Vows 3)

I fired one round into the wall behind the sitting man, gaining his complete attention “The woman and the little boy,” I demanded. “Where are they?”

“Fuck you,” he spat. His face was red and mottled, his black hair, dirty and slicked back, making his blood-shot eyes overly pronounced. With his overly skinny body, he looked a little like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings. When his eyes darted to his companion, I didn’t break my stare, knowing Weston would handle it. Unsurprisingly, his gun fired and howling ensued from behind me. A couple of shots were exchanged between the two before Weston stalked by me.

As he passed, Gollum rushed to his feet and his hand dove into a ratty jean jacket. I put a bullet in his shoulder. He screamed like a little girl and dropped the gun he’d been reaching for to the ground.

“Don’t make me ask again.”

Xander chose that moment to step into the room and with a lift of his chin, he took my place. I whirled around, my eyes scanning the filthy room, glancing right over the bleeding man on the floor with Weston’s foot on his neck.

I rushed over to the opposite side of the bed, hoping…but was caught by surprise when the bathroom door opened and a third man came out and dove down to the floor where I’d been heading. As the scene came into view, I froze.

The guy lay supine on the floor, his arm wrapped around Jenna’s neck and a knife poised just under her breast. The little boy, Darren, was huddled in a ball, pressed up against the bed.

“Back off!” he threatened in a raspy voice, his arm tightening around Jenna’s throat. She struggled to take in a breath and the edges of my vison blackened. He’s a fucking dead man.

My eyes focused on the knife and its position. It was pressed against her, but hovering tensely. I took a single step back and the moment I saw him relax, a flash of relief in his dark eyes, I put a bullet between them.

He fell slack to the floor and Jenna scrambled to her knees, immediately pulling Darren into her arms.

“All clear,” Weston called. I dropped my gun and rushed to Jenna, falling to my knees and encircling my arms around them both.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” she soothed as Darren burst into tears. Her body leaned into mine, drawing from my strength and passing it to the frightened child.

My throat was choked up, keeping me mute as I tried to drag in some air. So, I said nothing and simply held them, soaking in the relief at knowing they were safe.

“Are you family, sir?” the nurse asked snootily. I glared at her and she shrank back a little.

“I’m her damn fiancé,” I growled. “So, step the fuck aside.”

She swallowed hard, but drew her shoulders up. “Family only,” she squeaked.

“I’m her brother. Let him the fuck in, woman.” Weston’s voice bounced off the sterile walls as he yelled. I glanced back to see him jogging my way, Aspen hot on his heels. I lifted my chin before spinning back around and darting past the sputtering nurse.

“Room four!” I heard Aspen call, and I waved in acknowledgment. Finding it, I tore open the curtain and stalked to the bed where the love of my life lay, pale and tired. Her face lit up when she saw me, and she put her arms out.

I didn’t hesitate, climbing onto the small bed and crushing her to me.

“Fuck, baby,” I breathed. “I was so damn scared.”

She burrowed deeper into my chest and sighed contentedly. “I knew you’d find me.” A small smile slipped out at her confident tone, and I kissed the top of her head before laying my cheek in the same spot.

“Did you find Darren’s mom?”

I nodded, enjoying the way her silky hair felt against my face. “The team Xander sent arrived a few minutes before Manny and Sylvia. They waited for him to crack the safe and take the ledger so they could nail him for more than breaking and entering.”

“And she’s okay?”

“Yeah, baby. She’s fine. They brought her here, and she’s with Darren. They were both checked over, no worse for the wear.”

Jenna sniffled and I leaned back so I could sneak a hand between us and lift her chin. “I was really scared,” she admitted quietly.

I brushed my lips over hers, then her cheeks, eyes, and forehead. “You’re safe.”

“How come it took you so long to get here?” There was no accusation in her tone, only curiosity. But the question put a stronger edge on my mood.

“Because you aren’t my wife,” I ground out. “I couldn’t get back here to check on my woman and our unborn child because you haven’t fucking married me yet.”

Instead of being bothered by my attitude, Jenna nodded, her face flooding with understanding. “I’m sorry I fought you on getting married right away, Quinn.” Her voice was soft, and it smoothed every ragged edge inside me. “I’ll marry you whenever you’re ready.”

I started to answer but an older, male doctor entered the room, reading a chart. He glanced up and when he saw our position, he frowned. I returned the expression with even more threat in my eyes. I wasn’t going to fucking budge.

“I need to examine Ms. Davis, Mr…?”

“This is my fiancé, Quinn, Dr. Cooper,” Jenna replied.

“Yes, well. As he’s not your husband, he’ll have to step out while I exa—”

“Not a fucking chance in hell,” I growled, making his eyes widen behind the small, round glasses perched on his nose. “And where the fuck is the ultrasound machine? She’s pregnant. You need to check on the baby. What kind of quack doctor are you?”

“Quinn.” Jenna patted my chest softly as she tried to get my attention.

“A quack?” Dr. Cooper sputtered.

“I’m sorry, doctor,” Jenna apologized, her tone sheepish. If she expected the same from me, she had another thing coming.

“He’s just worried about me and a little worked up.” She patted my cheek, and I took a break from glaring at Daffy Dick to look into my girl’s face.

“They’ll send an ultrasound tech in to check the baby, okay. Just be patient.”

My eyes narrowed, but she smiled sweetly and I couldn’t do anything but give in. So, I nodded and relaxed my hold on her, though I didn’t leave the bed.

Dr. Cooper glared at me, and I just shrugged. With a huff, he worked around me, checking her over. A nurse came in and drew blood then he declared that she looked fine, but would return after he had the results of her blood test and ultrasound.

Weston and Aspen came in just as the doctor was leaving. “You took a year off of my life today, sis,” he told her as he kissed her forehead. Irritation grumbled to the surface, and I pulled Jenna closer. Weston rolled his eyes, but stepped back. Aspen hugged Jenna quickly, then Weston tucked her into his side and they chatted with Jenna for a few minutes before the tech arrived with the machine to check the baby.

“I’m Violet. I’m here to do your ultrasound, Jenna” she said with a perky smile. She looked at me with sympathy before saying, “I’m really sorry, but you’ll have to move for the procedure. But, as soon as I’m done, you can go right back to where you were.”

I finally relented and climbed off of the bed so she could lie flat on her back. The steady thump thump thump of the baby’s heartbeat finally eased the last of my tension.

“Looks like baby is just fine,” Violet said as she captured a few measurements. A little machine on the cart spit out some pictures and she handed them to us. “Congratulations. The doctor should be in with your discharge paperwork shortly.” She smiled brightly and bounced from the room with a wave.

Dr. Cooper finally returned after what felt like a fucking eternity. “You’re all set to go, Ms. Davis.” I clenched my hands and held them tight against me so I wouldn’t punch something at hearing her called Ms. Davis again. “I suggest you rest for a day to give it some relief from the stress of your ordeal. But, otherwise, you’re free to re

turn to your normal activities.”

“Thanks,” she murmured as she signed the papers on the clipboard he handed her. After she returned it to him, he left without another word.

Aspen sighed. “Seriously? There aren’t going to be any doctors left who will be willing to treat our families if you two don’t stop being such ogres to them.”

Weston rolled his eyes, mirroring my internal sentiment about her opinion. “Let’s go, baby. I’m sure Jenna wants to get home.”

“Call me if you need anything,” Aspen tossed out as Weston herded her from the room.

“Thanks, guys,” Jenna responded as she began to climb off the hospital bed. I quickly scooped her up and gently set her on her feet.

“The doctor said to take it easy.” I frowned. “You shouldn’t strain yourself.”

“I’m not going to break, Quinn,” she snorted. “I’m fine, the baby is fine. Put away your inner caveman.”

“We’ll see,” I grumbled, ignoring her sigh.

9

Jenna

“Jenna, baby. No.”

In all the years we’d been together, it was the first time Quinn had turned me down when I’d propositioned him. It had been a long night, and we’d barely gotten any sleep. Between the trip to the hospital and the police needing our statements, we hadn’t gotten home until after three o’clock in the morning. I’d crashed, face-first and still dressed, on our mattress and didn’t remember anything after that. When I woke up to pee at ten, I was wearing my panties and one of Quinn’s T-shirts. There was a glass of water on the bedside table, along with a bottle of aspirin. The clothes I’d worn to work the morning before were spilling out of the top of the laundry basket in the bathroom. It looked like Quinn had thought of everything, and I’d been so out of it that I’d slept through it all.