Jardin's Gamble (Haven, Texas 9)

“That’s it, I’m hiring you a permanent bodyguard,” Jardin stated. “I’ll get Maxim on it in the morning.”

She sighed and leaned her face against his chest, too tired to fight him right then. She knew it was Jardin’s way of saying he’d been worried. And that he loved her.

“Maybe I should quit work and stay with her all the time.” Okay, that was a surprise. Carrick was usually the sensible one.

“Or maybe you should both lock me in a tower like Rapunzel,” she snarked.

Oh, look, she did have some energy to fight back.

“That idea has merit,” Carrick said.

“Thought you’d object to that,” Jardin told her. “But if you’d rather, we can arrange it.”

“My dad died saving me,” she said numbly. “From Jenny. She hated me because she thought I stole Jardin from her.”

“She’s got more than a few screws loose,” Jardin muttered darkly. “Cops found all these creepy photos of me in her apartment. And more photos of you. She’d been watching you for a while.”

“And here I thought I was in danger from Silvers,” she muttered.

“Our girl seems to be a magnet for psychos and nut jobs,” Carrick commented.

“Not fair, Jenny was after Jardin.”

Jardin grumbled something under his breath.

“He wasn’t a good dad. Not even close. But, in the end, he saved me, so I guess that counts for something.”

Carrick cupped her face between his rough hands. “I don’t like the way he treated you or the boys, but I will forever be grateful to him for saving you. Because I couldn’t live without you.”

“You mean everything to us, Thea,” Jardin added. “You’re the very air we breathe. Nothing can happen to you.”

“I love the two of you as well,” she told them.

“Good,” Jardin said firmly. “Now about this tower . . .”

Epilogue

Five months later . . .

* * *

Thea looked out at the sign welcoming them to Haven. It hadn’t been an easy five months. She still had nightmares of Jenny shooting her father. The boys had had a few nightmares as well. But all of them were slowly healing—with the help of Jardin and Carrick.

The boys were now hers. Forever. Jenny’s trial date was coming up and Thea was nervous as hell about testifying. She hadn’t been granted bail, but had been remanded to a psychiatric unit instead. Silvers trial had just finished. He’d been given life in prison.

She finally felt like she could breathe easier.

“Here we go,” Jardin said from the driver’s seat.

Carrick sent her a smile from the front passenger seat.

The boys had both abandoned them, choosing to go in Maxim’s mustang. Because, apparently, it was far cooler.

Regent and Vincent were in Regent’s Bentley.

Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to convince Lottie to come. But some friends of the family were with her, keeping her company. And Thea had promised to send her lots of photos.

Of the wedding.