Page 49 of Stalked at Rescue Ridge

The marriage had never madesense to Kade. Nor had the fact Bree had moved on so quickly after their fling. But to think his best friend had outright lied to him and deceived him hurt the most.

Kade walked. Walking cleared his head. Rinty needed the exercise anyway. The three of them had been cooped up in the fishing cabin for two days now. The only times they left were to check on Aurora.

Aurora.

The little girl already had Kade wrapped around her pinky finger. He could have sworn she’d smiled at him last night even though the nurse said it was probably gas.

His thoughts shifted back to Zeke. How proud he’d seemed of becoming a father. How certain he’d been of there being a wedding.

Zeke would have known that Kade would leave Bree alone if he believed her to be in love with his best friend.What the hell, man? We were best friends. Brothers. Why would you lie to me?

And then it dawned on Kade. Zeke had been in love with Bree. Kade should have picked up on the fact a long time ago. The man’s demeanor changed when Bree walked into a room. How had Kade been so blind?

And how had he been such a jerk to Bree?

Would she ever forgive him?

Hell, would he ever forgive himself?

15

Day turned to night. By the time Kade returned, his attitude had undergone a major adjustment. He could only hope she could find it in her heart to forgive him.

The second he walked in the door, she stood up and clicked the TV off. “Dinner’s in the fridge.”

He realized that Bree needed actions, not words. It would take time, but he had every intention of doing right by her and his child. “I’m sorry about earlier. About everything I thought or didn’t realize.”

“Me, too,” she said, some of the stiffness releasing from tense shoulders. “By not telling you right away, I put you in this position.” She shook her head. “I should’ve known better. You’re a better person than I gave you credit for because I was afraid.”

“You were right, though,” he said. “I never should’ve believed you were capable of lying to Zeke about something this important. It just never occurred to me that he would be the one to deceive me, considering our history.”

“He said he was trying to protect you,” she said. Those words stung because they had an air of truth to them.

“I didn’t want to have a child of my own,” he admitted. “Things started to change after we were together. I started to look at my life differently. But that didn’t mean I was ready for more than us getting to know each other and maybe seeing where it could go.”

“Okay,” she said, still defensive, and he didn’t blame her one bit.

“I’m trying to be a better person,” he said. “And I’m already head over heels for that little girl.” He had feelings for Bree, too.

“That’s a good place to start.” She looked tired. Like she’d been fighting sleep.

“Think you can get some rest?” he asked.

She nodded, then paused. “Will you stay with me?” He figured she wanted him next to her out of a need to feel safe rather than out of any desire for him.

“Absolutely.” He walked over to her, linked their fingers, and led her to the bedroom.

“I need to brush my teeth. Will you stand at the door?” she asked.

“Yes.” Kade was surprised to realize the thought of raising a baby with Bree didn’t scare the bejesus out of him. The hole he’d felt in the center of his chest for months had filled.

Rinty strolled in and curled up on the carpet near the bed. Bree finished brushing before washing her face. She’d pumped enough milk to feed half the nursery. He saw the jars in the fridge and had been helping transport them to the hospital. Was she stocking the fridge just in case she didn’t get to be around to watch their daughter grow up? Trying to provide everything she could in case the bastard got to her?

“Your turn.” She held out a new toothbrush.

He took the offering and brushed. She stood right beside him, her hip against the counter. The thought of their child growing inside her brought warmth to places that had long since been cold in Kade. She was the light to his dark and deserved so much more from him than he’d given up to this point.

After finishing up, he took her into the next room.

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