Page 23 of Good Girl and Grinches

Ruckus is settling Sabrina into the backseat when Flame jogs up. He hops in the passenger seat and hands something small to Ruckus. “I got the handcuff key from him.”

We can’t relax until we have her away from this mess. Speeding away, I notice orange flickering in the rear-view mirror.

Glancing over my shoulder, I confirm the unmistakable wisps of fire through the snow-covered tree branches.

“Before you ask…” Flame turns to us. “I dragged him a safe distance and zip-tied him to a tree. Couldn’t resist giving Ty a front-row seat to watch his possessions go up in smoke.”

“Are you trying to get us in trouble?” Ruckus asks from the backseat where he’s holding Sabrina close and rubbing her wrists.

“I made it clear that if he implicates us in any way, that won’t be the last thing of his I burn to the ground.”

Fifteen

Sabrina

My hands shake as I spot the familiar grocery store sign up ahead. “Pull in. Please.”

“We need to get you home,” Ghost says from behind the wheel.

“It’s kind of an emergency.” I swallow hard. “I’ll just be a few minutes.”

He turns in and Flame passes my purse to the backseat. “Grabbed this on my way out.”

When they start to get out with me, I say, “Wait here. I’ll explain later.”

Grumbles about my safety relent when I remind them that the only threat to me is probably getting picked up by SWAT. They turned off the highway as we entered.

The fluorescent lights inside the store provide the first good look I’ve had at the red rings around my wrists, but I can’t dwell on that. I make my way straight to the family-planning aisle, grabbing the first pregnancy test I see. The cashier barely looks at me as she rings it up.

In the bathroom, I tear open the box, pee on the stick, and stare at the little window.

The first line appears almost immediately. The timer on my phone ticks off the seconds while the not-yet-visible second line adds drama to the mix. I know that I’m pregnant, but it doesn’t seem right to say anything to the guys without confirmation.

Is that a second line? I blink a few times as if refreshing my eyes. Why am I torturing myself? I close my eyes and wait for the timer before opening them again.

Clear. Unmistakable.

My breath catches in my throat. A baby. Our baby—mine and Ghost’s, and hopefully two other daddies to share a life with.

A mental countdown starts. There’s so much to do. I resist opening my Notes app to start a checklist. Instead, I throw the test away, shove my phone in my purse, and return to the truck.

Once things calm down and I’m at my laptop, I’ll research pregnancy information and start a proper checklist.

Ruckus’ brows furrow as I slide in.

“Did you get what you needed?” Ghost asks.

“I did.” I lean into Ruckus’ solid warmth, breathing in his familiar scent in an attempt to tame the ideas racing through my mind—doctor’s appointments, nursery planning, telling the guys…

I just need these few precious moments to process. To let this new reality settle into my bones before everything changes. I rest as Ruckus’ arms wrap around me, offering silent comfort.

Flame bumps his fist into Ghost’s shoulder. “I told you it was one of those woman things.”

“You could say that.” I laugh but don’t elaborate.

Ghost grumbles, “Be a fucking man and just say tampons.”

Won’t be needing those for a while.

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