Page 185 of Rebel Hawke

IknowI never mentioned Diane to him in any of our talks about my life back in Texas.

He grins, nipping at my lips playfully. “I pay attention, Little Bird. I heard you talking to her on the phone one night and realized she was one of your former co-workers. I got her number out of your phone, explained the situation, and she was more than willing to come for the month.”

“A month?” I gape at him.

Has this man lost his fucking mind?

“Atlas, I can’t leave for a month.”

He kisses me again. “Yes.” Another kiss. “You.” Another. “Can.” One final, heavy press of his lips. “After the last several months, we deserve this. To get away, to just have time to be us. There’s absolutely nothing here that won’t wait.”

My stomach churns at the thought of leaving not only the studio but also the family when we’ve just pissed off a man like Satriano…

It clicks in my head as the music starts up again and couples begin moving around us on the dance floor.

“Are you really getting me out of town because you want to spend a month alone, or are you trying to hide from Satriano?”

His smile falters for a second. “Maybe a little of both. He’s definitely going to be pissed I didn’t throw the fight, and it’s only a matter of time before that comes back to bite me.”

“And what about Coen?”

He glances over at his cousin, who stands scowling next to Isaac near the bar, with his parents on either side. “They’ll take care of Coen, get him somewhere safe.” A little sigh slips from his mouth. “Coen’s going to have to learn that he’s responsible for the consequences of his actions.”

A smile pulls at my lips, and I thread my finger through the hair on the nape of his neck. “I’m glad you finally realized that you don’t always have to be the savior of the Hawkes. It isn’t your responsibility to protect them from any danger. You have a lot of people you pay for that.”

Who have been glued to us since we left that locker room after the fight and have become our shadows anywhere and everywhere we have gone since.

Neither of us is stupid enough to believe that Satriano won’t try to request some sort of reparation from Atlas, but if the man can’t get to him, it certainly makes it a lot harder.

Putting thousands of miles between us and him is starting to sound like a truly great idea.

“I know, Little Bird. And what you said that night before the fight made me realize that I can’t. There was no way to win, no matter what I did. And in the end, I wasn’t going to risk losing you and the baby—ever.”

I push up on my toes and press a kiss to his lips. “Me either.”

But even if we disappear for a while, this thing with Satriano isn’t just going to go away. He’ll still be here when we get back, and he will still be looking for Atlas and Coen.

Too much money was lost.

Too much leverage was given.

It’s only a matter of time before he comes calling on each of them.

Gabe walks up and smacks Atlas on the shoulder. “Congratulations, son.” He grins at me. “Welcome to the family officially, Wren, or I guess…again.”

I laugh and press my hand against Atlas’ chest, examining the tiny plastic ring on my pinky before I finally fully look at the real one next to it. “This ring is crazy.”

Atlas smiles and glances at his dad. “I had the family jeweler custom make it for you. Chose the solitaire diamond myself. Ten carats with another twenty carats around the band.”

“Holy shit.” I slide my hand over my mouth again. “Atlas, it’s too much.”

He presses a kiss to my temple. “It’s just right.”

Gabe smirks. “I told him he should have gone bigger.”

I shake my head, my cheeks heating with a blush at the ostentatiousness of the ring he chose. “I don’t need all this…”

“I know you don’t. Neither do I.” He waves his hand around. “We’re not doing a wedding like this. Small, intimate, close friends and family only.”

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