Page 22 of Mace

“We’ve already found Brooke,” Owen said from the other side of the bar. “It wasn’t very smart of you to hide her at your parent’s old house. Turning back on the water and electricity after years of it being off was your downfall.”

The cops read Julie her rights and dragged her out of the bar, kicking and cursing at Mace. She was pissed, but it wasn’t anything that the rest of her life in prison wouldn’t take care of.

Owen Blaine walked over to him and slapped a hand on his shoulder. “You okay, man?”

“I am,” Mace breathed, “tell me that you really got my girl,” he begged.

“We did,” Owen assured. “Steel and Mav took her to the hospital to be checked out. That tip that Mav got about the electricity being turned back on at her parent’s old house was lucky.” Owen was right—it was Lucky. Mace felt like the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet.

Mav and Steel had gone with Brooke to the hospital, and for that, he was grateful. But they had to head down to the police station to give statements about how they tracked down Brooke. One thing was for sure—he owed the Blaine brothers big time for finding his girl.

Mace burst into the emergency room, shouting for Brooke, paying no attention to the nurses and security staff who were trying to stop him. “I’m looking for Brooke Reyner,” he shouted.

“I’m in here,” Brooke yelled. “Room four.” He followed the sand of her voice, mean mugging the staff, even if they didn’t deserve his ire.

He walked into the room as he pulled back the curtain divider that was between room four and room three. Mace looked Brooke over as if he was searching for any bruises or scrapes and she giggled.

“I’m fine, Mace,” she insisted.

“The baby?” he asked.

“The baby is good too. I just had a sonogram, and her heartbeat is strong, and she looks completely healthy. I’m getting some IV fluids to make up for having nothing to eat for about two days.” Mace crossed the room and stood by the side of her bed. “It’s okay, Mace,” she promised. “I won’t break.” She scootched over and patted the bed, silently asking him to climb in with her.

“Are you sure?” he asked. Brooke nodded her head, and he slid onto the bed next to her. “I’m so sorry,” Mace whispered, pulling her into his body. God, it felt good to hold her again. Brooke snuggled into his side and his whole world felt right again.

“There is nothing for you to feel sorry about, Mace,” she insisted. “Julie was delusional. She thought that if I was out of the way, you’d want her. I think that the only reason she kept me alive instead of killing me like she did Reece, was because I told her that I was pregnant with your baby.”

“Why would she care about our baby?” Mace asked.

“She said that I was carrying a piece of you, and I think that she believed that killing me would kill her chance at a future with you,” Brooke said.

Mace stilled next to her, going over their conversation and letting is brain catch up. “Wait, did you say that ‘She’ is completely healthy, and ‘She’ has a strong heartbeat?” he asked.

Brooke smiled up at him and nodded. “I did. I hope you don’t mind me spilling the beans about the baby’s gender. I just couldn’t help myself to ask when the nurse did the sonogram.”

“We’re going to have a little girl?” Mace asked.

“We are,” she repeated. “I’m feeling a little lost here, Mace. I can’t tell if you’re happy or upset about our news.”

“Happy,” he breathed. “I’m just trying to figure out how to ask you to marry me.”

“Marry you?” she almost shouted. He covered her mouth with his hand and nodded.

“I want you to be my wife. Hearing that we’re having a little girl makes me want us to be a real family. I want to make it legal.”

Brooke pulled his hand down from her mouth and her smile nearly lit up the whole room. “Well, I tend to know a thing or two about legalities,” she said. Mace felt as though he was holding his breath waiting for her to give him her answer. “And I would love to marry you and make the three of us a family.” She covered her little bump with her hand and Mace slid his hand over hers.

“I’m afraid that I don’t have a ring, but I’d like to get you one as soon as you get out of here,” Mace said.

Brooke scrunched up her nose in the cutest way, “I’ll be here for a few days,” she said. “They want to rehydrate me, and my blood pressure was up a little bit. They’re just being abundantly cautious. As for the ring, I don’t want to help pick it out. That wouldn’t feel right. I’d like for you to choose my engagement ring,” she insisted. Mace had never bought any jewelry for a woman, but he knew that he could call on a few of his buddies ol’ladies for help.

“Deal,” he agreed. “You work on growing our daughter and I’ll pick you out a ring. I’m going to stay right here by your side.”

“What about your bar?” she asked. “Who will take care of it if you stick around here?”

“You let me worry about the bar,” Mace insisted. “I’m sure that the guys will lend a hand to help out around the place.”

“Mace don’t be silly,” she insisted. “You don’t have to sit around her and watch me have my blood pressure taken every hour.”

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