Blake (Blue Halo Book 3)

Willow stroked Mila’s hair. Her daughter had fallen asleep in her arms the second they’d reached the hospital. Which was a good thing, because Willow didn’t want to leave Blake’s side, but she also didn’t want her daughter to watch bullet wounds being stitched up.

“Okay, I think that should do it.”

Willow lifted her gaze at Sage’s words.

She hadn’t met the doctor before but was beyond grateful the woman was here because, unlike the doctors in Cradle Mountain, she was familiar with the team’s altered DNA and healing abilities.

“No getting it wet for a few days,” she continued, “and in about a week, it should be almost completely healed.”

Willow’s muscles relaxed. Blake reached over, wrapping his fingers around her thigh. He sat on the hospital bed wearing nothing but blood-stained jeans, while she sat on a chair beside him.

He dipped his head. “Thank you.”

Sage gave him a small smile before turning to Willow. “I’ll just step out to see if your blood test results are in.”

Nerves skittered up Willow’s spine. While Blake had been stitched up, she’d asked for a blood test to double check that she wasn’t pregnant. Even though her at-home test had been negative, she needed confirmation.

When Sage left the room, Blake turned to her, his gray eyes so dark they were almost charcoal. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Was the man serious? “Blake, you’re the one who got shot.” Twice. Shot twice. Those words didn’t sound right in her head. “You’re also the one who fought off a group of deranged psychopaths with guns who were trying to kill us and take our daughter.”

Her arms tightened around Mila. Everything about tonight left her feeling so sick that she was afraid her stomach would never settle.

Blake lowered his voice, anger sharpening his words. “They were never going to take her. And I would never have allowed them to kill you.”

The hand on her thigh moved to her cheek, caressing her skin. For the first time all night, his eyes softened. “I’m sorry they got so close.”

She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, needing the warmth and connection more than ever before. “Please don’t say sorry. It’s because of you we’re all okay. I’m just so glad it’s over. That we can go back to living our lives. That Mila will be safe again.” She took a small, shuddering breath. “I can’t believe it was them. I mean, I hadn’t exactly known them for very long, but for the most part, they just seemed so…normal.”

Heck, before all the Blake stuff had come up, she’d considered them friends.

Had there been signs that the three of them were extremists? Signs that she’d missed because she hadn’t been looking close enough?

“They’re either dead or with the police now,” Blake said quietly. “I’m going to ask Steve to pull some strings so I can question Rob and Janet myself.”

Rob and Janet were the only two who had survived the night.

She frowned. “Why do you need to question them?” Even though Blake was beyond capable of protecting himself, she didn’t want him anywhere near them. She didn’t want anyone she loved near them ever again.

His eyes narrowed, that dangerous glint returning. Had he been a stranger to her, she was sure the look would have sent her running.

“Because I need to make sure that they’re it. That the plan to kill my team, to take my daughter, started and ended with them. The only reason those two are even alive is because we intended to question them right there in the yard. But when the police arrived, we ran out of time.”

That was the neighbors’ doing. They’d heard the gun shots and called the police, who had arrived shortly after Blake’s team.

His thumb stroked across the skin of her neck gently, in complete contrast to his words. “Unlike the police, I’ll be able to tell if they’re lying. And I won’t rest until I know that everyone I love is safe.”

She swallowed, giving a small nod. Knowing that she could trust Blake to take care of the situation.

The door opened, and Sage stepped back inside. Blake’s hand lowered back to her thigh. The doctor stopped in front of Willow, face completely clear. “You’re not pregnant.”

For a moment, Willow was silent, turning the words over in her head, unsure exactly how she felt about them. It wasn’t quite relief, but it wasn’t disappointment either. She caught Blake’s gaze. His expression was as clear as the doctor’s.

She looked back to Sage, wetting her lips. “And that’s definite?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know why I might be late?” She still hadn’t had her period.

Sage offered a small smile. “We can run some more tests, but it sounds like you’ve been under significant stress these last couple weeks, and stress can affect hormones and delay ovulation, therefore affecting your period.”

She gave a nod. That made sense. “Okay. Thank you for doing the bloodwork.”

Sage nodded. “You’re welcome. Is there anything else I can do for either of you while I’m here?”

Willow massaged her temple, suddenly feeling the lack of sleep and events of the night. “Maybe if there are any painkillers available for my headache?”

“Of course.”

Sage left the room again, and immediately, Blake climbed off the bed, lowering to his haunches in front of her.

She gasped. “Blake, you should stay in bed! Your bullet wounds—”

“I barely feel them. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Her eyes softened. “My family is safe. I have everything I need right here in this room. I’m more than okay.”

His eyes remained on hers for a beat, hot and intense. Studying. Then, almost simultaneously, they both looked down at their child, sleeping so peacefully in her arms.

And a part of Willow knew that one day, she may just feel ready to have another. But right now, she needed to hold and love and appreciate exactly what she had.