Page 49 of Toxic Vengeance

“Rosie cheeks,” he called, feigning openmouthed astonishment as he went to her, arms wide.

“Dada!” Rosie cried, bouncing up and down in her seat, little fists opening and closing.

He pulled her out of her high chair and covered her face with noisy kisses, earning an endearing belly chuckle. “How’s my sweetheart, huh? Ready for your first plane ride?”

“God, I hope she’s a good flier,” Briar said. “Can you help me get her diaper bag together?”

“Sure.” Matt turned to Brody. “Take her for a minute.”

Rather than balk or look uncomfortable, Brody took Rosie from him and settled her against his broad chest in the crook of one muscular arm. “Hey, lady. You’ve grown again since I last saw you.” Rosie reached up to pat at his short beard with her tiny hands, and Brody smiled down at her with such warmth…

It hurt so much Trinity had to leave the room.

She ducked into the powder room to collect herself, fighting back the sadness and…grief clawing at her. When she came back out a minute later with a smile on, Briar and Matt were gathering up everything by the back door.

They said their goodbyes, then Briar tugged her aside, her dark eyes serious. “Keep me updated about what’s going on. Whatever happens, if you need me, just call. I’ll be on the next flight out with my gear.”

That Briar would even contemplate leaving Rosie behind and put herself in danger to back Trinity and the team up, was everything. “Thank you.” She hugged Briar goodbye, hiding a smile at the momentary stiffness in her friend before Briar returned the embrace. Briar had come a long way since meeting Matt.

Brody grabbed his bags and climbed into the front passenger seat of Trinity’s SUV as she got behind the wheel.

“Sucks that Briar has to take Rosie away,” he said. “Matt’s so attached, I’ve never seen him so happy.”

“Same with Briar. After those first few weeks she just blossomed. She’s an incredible mother.”

“Yeah, she is.” She glanced over at him, her belly flipping. He never failed to take her breath away. “Tired?”

“Yeah. But nottootired.” Grasping her hand, he raised it to his lips for a kiss, a grin tugging at his sexy mouth.

She laughed softly. “You’re never too tired.”

“Nope. Not when I’ve got the sexiest woman on earth beside me.”

Trinity smiled, but his words had her all up in her head. Brody was the most family-oriented man she’d ever met. She was an orphan with no relatives. Meeting and falling in love with him, being welcomed into the Colebrook clan, had been hard for her. Was still hard.

No matter how often he told her he loved her, no matter that he’d put a ring on her finger, she couldn’t shake the thought that she just didn’t fit into his family. He wanted to make it official and marry her, but she wasn’t convinced he would truly be happy if they did.

She was…damaged, and no amount of time or love would change that. That’s why she’d held off on naming a date. While they were just engaged, there was still a chance for him to back out if he wanted to, without all the legal mess necessary after marriage.

She’d never considered herself a coward, but in all honesty, part of her was basically waiting for the day he woke up and realized he’d be better off without her.

“How long you in town for this time?” he asked as she drove away from Matt and Briar’s place.

“Not sure. We’re following a promising lead right now. If we get a location, we’ll be going after our target.”

“Who’s the target?”

“Former Deputy Director of the CIA.”

Brody gaped at her. “Jesus Christ, Trin.”

“I know. But even if he’s not directly involved, he knows something. We need to find out what.”

“And the others?”

“Everyone but Kiyomi and Marcus are here, along with our two newest members.”

He was silent a long moment, watching her. “You staying tonight?”

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