Page 79 of Maverick

Even though, logically, I knew the threat from Trent was non-existent, one word from her that even hinted at concern caused me to worry. It didn’t matter that she was healed, that all traces of her bruises had disappeared, that she’d woken up screaming fewer and fewer times since leaving the hospital six months ago. She’d settled here with me, enrolling Sophie in school and seeking employment. She was better, I reminded myself constantly because she was. Sure, there was sometimes that faraway look in her eyes that told me she was thinking about that day, but it happened less and less.

I jumped off my bike and rushed inside, where I found Grace sitting on the living room sofa and staring into space, the same way I had shortly after she’d moved in with me. My heart dropped in my belly, and I rushed to her side. “Gracie, baby, what’s going on? Did something happen to Sophie?”

She blinked and looked up at me with a half-smile that never failed to make my heart speed up just a bit. “No, Mabel and Mrs. P came by earlier, they’re taking Sophie and Leo to watch that new movie. But we need to talk, some things have happened,” she whispered softly, and patted the cushion beside her.

“Good things?” I asked and dropped down beside her.

“Some more than others,” she answered ominously, and gathered my hands in her much smaller ones. When she brought my hands to her mouth and brushed a kiss across my knuckles, a ball of tension coiled in my belly.

“Grace?” I wasn’t a man who scared easily, but her text message and now her actions had me worried.

“The police called again today.”

Her stay in the hospital had inevitably brought the police into our lives, but I was more focused on getting her help than anything else. “What did they have to say?”

She shrugged. “Not much. I stuck to our story, that he’d come and assaulted me.”

In the moments before the paramedics arrived, my club brothers had gotten rid of Trent’s body, and we’d cleaned up as best we could. Mabel had insisted that I tied her to a chair to make it more realistic. “I said he hadn’t contacted me at all, probably because he was worried the police would come after him for what he did to me.”

“Good girl,” I sighed, and stroked the side of her face.

Heat flared in her eyes when I called her that as it always did, but she smiled and shook off the momentary arousal. “They asked why I didn’t file for divorce before he came here, and I told them I didn’t want him to know where I was, but once he found me there was no point hiding.”

We’d gone back and forth about whether filing for divorce was the right thing, and now I was glad she’d eventually agreed with me. Nevada law meant that divorce was possible even if the spouse couldn’t be found, it might take a while, but it covered our backs—and should any suspicions arise that the bastard was dead, it took the heat off us. “Any leads or sightings?”

She gave me a look and then rolled her eyes. “Nope. They asked that I let them know if I heard from him.” She smiled and kissed my hand again. “Told them if or when he gets the divorce papers he will, unless he left the country.”

I pulled her in my arms, happy as fuck that she was mine now. That we were building our life together here in Nevada. “Good. Perfect.”

She sank into my embrace, hugging me back tightly. “That’s not all,” she said against my chest.

“Okay. I’m listening.” I tried to listen even though my heart pounded in my chest.

“I received a visit from a lawyer today. The house back in Ohio has fallen into disrepair since Trent vanished on his hunt for Sophie and me, and the housing association wants to buy it.” She laughed and shook her head. “I had no idea we even lived under an HOA because he made sure I knew nothing.”

“What did the lawyer want?”

“Well, since Trent hasn’t responded to them, they reached out to me since we’re still legally married. I said yes and he handed me a check for three hundred thousand dollars.” She reached for an envelope on the coffee table and laid it in my hands.

I looked down at the envelope that contained enough money to take Grace and Sophie far away from me, but I trusted my woman. “That’s your money, babe, do with it whatever you want.”

She giggled. “Even if what I want is to buy a house in Henderson?” she asked with a teasing lilt to her voice.

“It’d be a hell of a commute to the clubhouse each day, but if that’s what you want.” My voice was gruff and she only laughed even harder.

“Silly man, I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” She turned my hands over and kissed the center of each palm. “I was thinking that I should take half and set up a trust for Sophie.”

“That’s a good idea. It’s a smart choice.”

“And,” she began slowly. “Maybe the other half should go into a trust for our baby?”

It took a moment to process her words, but when they penetrated the shock, my eyes widened. We hadn’t talked about having kids yet, mostly because I didn’t want to rush her. I wanted to have a lot of babies with her, but I wanted to do it the right way because that’s what she deserved—depending on how things went with the lawyers, it might be some time before we could legally wed.

“Um, okay,” she began in a more hesitant voice. “You’re either shocked or upset by this news.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You haven’t said anything for, like, two whole minutes, so you aren’t happy about this news.” She slid back, putting some distance between us. “Tell me how you feel about this, Maverick.” Gone was her happiness from a moment ago, replaced by wariness.

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