Pure Temptation (Priceless)

I know he wants kids. Hell, the first night he brought me to this house he showed me which rooms he thought would be best for kids. It was sweet. This whole house is freakin’ sweet. It’s a dream come true. I keep thinking something has to go wrong.

“I’m pregnant,” I whisper seeing the two lines on the test.

I let out a little squeal, doing a happy dance. I would have been okay if I wasn’t. We have time, but damn, it’s going to be nice being pregnant with Vee and Ollie. I’ve become so close to them I was starting to feel a bit left out.

Now what am I going to do? I can’t tell anyone until I tell my Captain. Gah, who knows when he is going to be back. The minutes are going to drag by.

I overheard him make the call and speak to a woman. At least I’m guessing it’s a woman because he called her Tara. For a second, I let my jealousy and doubt get to me, but I quickly shook it off. Captain isn’t a cheater, and I won’t get all pushy with him about it either. I trust that man. I drop my robe, heading into the closet to at least get dressed.

I slip into some shorts, an oversized sweater, and some sneakers before pulling my hair up into a ponytail. I go to leave the closet but pause when I see that the safe is open. I know it’s where Kane always keeps his handguns. He must have really been in a hurry. I open it the rest of the way knowing I’m going to see a small arsenal in there. What I wasn’t expecting was to see a ring box.

“Don’t,” I tell myself even as my hand is already making a grab for the box.

The hell?! Why would he leave this like this? I have no self-control. He knows this! I’ve been wondering when he was going to pop the question. I knew it was only a matter of time.

I grab the box, willing myself to have some self-control. I’m kinda dying to know what kind of ring Captain would pick for me. Thankfully, my phone rings right before I crack it open.

“Hey,” I answer.

“What’s going on?” Carter yawns into the phone, making me yawn with him.

“Something came up for Kane so we won’t be over to move till later.”

“I got a missed call from him. Everything okay?”

“Yeah. He had to go to work.” I check the time.

I always worry when he goes off to work. I can’t help it. He even took his gun with him this time, so clearly something is going on beyond popping into the police station.

“All right. I still have a few boxes to pack. Maybe—" Carter cuts off suddenly. “The fuck?” He mumbles before a crash sounds in the background.

“Carter?!”

“Hold on,” he whispers back. I hear him shuffle around, getting out of bed.

“What’s going on?”

“I think—” He pauses again. “Fuck.” He hisses before the line disconnects suddenly. I call back immediately, but it goes straight to voicemail.

I can’t help but worry. I’m sure it’s nothing. I bet something just broke or fell over. There are boxes and things stacked up all over our apartment right now. Even as I tell myself that, I’m already heading down the stairs and into the garage. I grab the keys to the Jeep. I’ve been driving it for the past few weeks.

Kane has his truck, but he also owns a Jeep. Carter has pretty much been using my car full-time now. I climb into the Jeep, backing out of the garage. I don’t see the harm in heading over to the apartment. I can check on my brother and help him pack up the rest of his stuff. We’ll wait to move things until Kane gets back with the truck. I know I won’t relax until I know Carter is okay.

I use the Bluetooth in the car to try to call my brother, but there’s still no response other than voicemail. I swear these past ten minutes have felt like an hour. I finally turn down the street to my apartment and instantly see Kane’s truck.

What the heck are they up to? Are they trying to move without me? I swear the man wants me to sit on the sofa and never work a day in my life. I’d go stir crazy.

I actually applied to take a few summer college courses this year to see about sticking my toes in the possibility of maybe getting a degree in teaching.

Captain said I didn’t have to work at Hart Bonds, that I could just focus on school. It’s a sweet offer but I think I can handle both. If anything, I’ll give up working at the club. I make my way toward my apartment. When I get to the front door, I notice it’s cracked open. I nudge it to push it open the rest of the way.