"Sounds good. Thanks. It'll take the edge off the whole stabbing debacle. Distract them with a cute baby, and I'll cease to exist."

His face stays serious, so I decide not to take my comedy act on the road. Apparently I've lost my ability to be funny.

"I'll send them up."

Tag "She's one h.e.l.l of a tough girl. Have you ever seen anyone this strong after such a traumatic ordeal?" Wren asks as he props up on the wall beside me in the waiting room.

"No, but then again, I've never met anyone like her."

Bity walks in, his anxiety in place as his girl takes the seat beside him.

"Is Ash okay?" I ask, swallowing hard.

"Sorry, she's fine. Her parents had to scold me for not telling them she was pregnant."

"I explained he didn't know until she was about to go into labor. I didn't tell them she was just shy of eight months along when she had him," Shannon says.

"What was it like? The birth I mean. Was it hard on her?" I ask while sitting down.

"If it was, she'd never admit it. Ash doesn't do emotion very well, as I'm sure you've learned," Bity sighs.

My mind flashes back to the night she fell apart on me, the night I found out Trip was my son. Then I think back to the day at the restaurant. She's shown her vulnerability with me. I've done nothing but handle it poorly each and every time.

"She got the epidural, and then she had him without any problems. When he was born, she told the doctors he looked just like his daddy. That was the only time she teared up. The rest of the time, she was a rock," Shannon elaborates.

"I wish I had come."

"She wanted you there, but she didn't know how to ask you. I think she was worried she'd give it away-call him your son in front of you. She said she knew you'd feel obligated to her, and she didn't want that."

"I do want that. I want to be a part of my son's life. I want to be a part of her life."

Shannon's eyes widen, and I tighten my lips.

"What?" I prompt.

"It's just... she thinks you hate her, and I have to be honest, you're one mixed-signaled mother-f.u.c.ker."

I'd laugh at her crudeness if the contents weren't so tragically true. I do send her mixed signals, but I've never done this before.

"I know. I was going to talk to her when she sobered up, but then Camille-"

"Let's not discuss that wh.o.r.e," Shannon grumbles under her breath.

"I didn't do anything with her."

"I'm not the one you've got to convince. As of right now, Ash is planning on moving out."

"She can't take my son away," I choke out.

"She's not going to. After what happened, she said Trip would be safer with you, and she's taking herself out of the equation. She's worried what will happen if this b.a.s.t.a.r.d gets that close again. Let's face it, the odds of her surviving another shot or stabbing aren't good."

"He's after him, too," I counter with a painful sting.

"She thinks he's only after Trip because she loves him, so she's going to walk away-try to draw this guy out. She's already called the detective working the case. He doesn't like it. He said she should stay with you and let him do his job."

"What did she say?"

"She said if he was good at his job, she wouldn't have been shot and stabbed."

Again, I would laugh if the tragic contents weren't so true.

"She's too d.a.m.n tough and stubborn for her own good, apparently," Wren grumbles. "If this guy hadn't been so c.o.c.ky, she would have died the other night."

"He wants attention. Whoever he is, he wants to scare the h.e.l.l out of everyone," Bity gripes. "He's sure as h.e.l.l got my attention."

"She said she thought it was Evan one time."

"It's not him. I was in the process of getting my a.s.s stomped when she got another heavy-breathing phone call."

"What about one of her other exes? The list isn't that long," I quickly add.

"Believe me, I've grilled then all. All of them were livid when I told them what was going on. Either they're d.a.m.n good actors, or it was a look of pure shock and concern when I confronted them."

s.h.i.t.

"What about work relationships? Did anyone get too close?"

"Not really. Ash is always too professional to lead anyone on. She meets in public places, never her house. Most of the time, she never even does face-to-face. Only some Sterling Sh.o.r.e clients insist on meeting her."

"I'll find out who it is, and I'll gut him when I do."

"I'll help," Bity adds, his teeth grinding.

Until then, I'll take her home with me whether she likes it or not.

Chapter Fourteen.

Stubborn People Ashiara "It was lovely to meet you, Tag," my stepmother giggles.

It was lovely to meet you, Tag. Oh please. Get some dignity.

"You, too. Maybe you can come out to the beach and visit us soon. We'll be staying there until this guy is caught."

I won't be staying there.

"Definitely. Take care of my girl," Dad says while shaking hands with Tag.

"I will. I promise you that."

Great. My dad has made friends with the Devil.

They hug me quickly, and then they leave the room. Tag comes over to stand beside me.

"Well, let's get you out of here," he murmurs softly while taking my bag.

"I'm going back to the hotel. You and Trip should go on to the beach house though."

It breaks my heart to send my son away, but if it'll keep him safe, I'll gladly do it. This b.a.s.t.a.r.d wants me, so let him come after me and me alone.

"Not happening."

He starts walking out, and I follow him, my mind bogged by rage.

"Tag, you can't force me to come with you."

"Watch me."

His c.o.c.ky, smug att.i.tude is normally my undoing, but right now it only infuriates me all the more.

"Tag, I'm going back to the hotel."

He smiles as Bity and Shannon walk away with wry grins of their own, and they carry Trip in front of us as I clutch my side and follow Tag.

He hands my bag to Wren, and then he turns around to scoop me up, despite my attempts to swat him away.

"Sir, she has to be wheeled out. It's protocol," a nurse scolds.

"I've got her," he says dismissively before boarding the elevator.

"Sir!" she barks while rushing toward us, but the door closes before she can argue with this stubborn a.s.s.

"Let me go, Tag."

He just laughs, and then his soft, perfect lips find my forehead as he pulls me closer.

"Not happening, Ash."

The way he says it... it sounds like it means more than it does. I stop struggling, partially because it feels good to be held by him, getting kissed by him, and partially because it's pointless to struggle. He's so much stronger than me.

Instead, I nestle into him, and then I return his kiss to my forehead by kissing his neck, saying to h.e.l.l with his rejection.

His breath hitches, and he swallows hard when he feels my lips. But I don't stop. I kiss him again, dragging my tongue across his neck, and he shifts to suddenly press his lips against mine.

Oh d.a.m.n.

He tastes so good right now, and I can't let him go. My hands tangle in his hair as he holds me to him, and my lower half throbs with antic.i.p.ation.

"You're staying with me," he murmurs against my lips.

"Okay," I surrender, and his devouring kiss starts up again as he carries me off the elevator.

"s.h.i.t," he gripes against my lips while pulling away. "I forgot you were on painkillers."

Painkillers?

His eyes turn distant, refusing to look at me. I guess he wasn't as ready for that kiss as I thought he was.

I fight back the tears as he carries me to the car where a guy is holding the door open to the back seat of a SUV for us. Trip gets strapped in the very back with Shannon and Billy, while Tag places me in the second row.

He quickly takes the seat beside me, his arm slipping around my shoulders, and then he nods to the driver before we pull out into traffic.

"That was scary, by the way," Billy mumbles from the backseat.

"What was? The elevator?" I ask in bemus.e.m.e.nt.

"Funny," he grumbles under his breath.

"Seriously, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You d.a.m.n near dying, that's what I'm talking about," he strains out in a near whisper, and Tag's grip on my shoulder tightens.

"The doctor said there wasn't any problem," I say a little too casually.

"That's not the point. If Tag hadn't gotten there when he did-"

Billy can't finish, and I look to see a tear hanging onto Tag's eyelid as he looks away. Why is his arm around my shoulders when he pulled away from the kiss for no good reason?

His phone rings, and he drops his grip on me to answer it, his breath growing heavy as he pulls it to his ear.

"Detective," he murmurs softly.

Tag "Mr. Masters, you wanted to know if I had any news, and I do. We've just confirmed the knife used to stab Ms. Branderwood is indeed the one missing from your kitchen set, though the suspect carried it with them when they fled."

Why would someone use my knife?

"Do most of your murder suspects break in and borrow weapons?" I ask, feeling Ash's body tense beside me.