Page 52 of Beautifully Reckless

“Sleep, beautiful,” I murmur against her forehead, pressing a kiss there, and she sighs, melting into me.

Not even two minutes later, I hear her breathing even out, and my Angel is finally asleep.

“If you hurt her, I’ll kill you myself.”

The words come from the armchair across from mine, two sets of eyes locked onto me.

Fucking hell. Privacy really is a myth in this house.

I give Jared, AKA Crow, a nod, but he’s not really the one I need to be afraid of.

It’s the little assassin curled up in his lap, much the same way Abbey is curled in mine. She’s the one I need to keep an eye on.

She’d slit my throat in my sleep if I so much as make Abbey cry.

And something tells me I wouldn’t even hear her coming.

10

One of the annoying things about being pregnant is that I have to pee more frequently now. It’s driving me a little crazy to be honest. I swear I’m peeing more out than I’m drinking, and I can’t make sense of it.

Maybe one day, if I’m lucky to do my nursing degree, I’ll figure it out. I think I’d like to be a midwife. I feel like I’d be good at that.

Whispering has me hesitating to step back into the living room we all crashed in last night. I can hear Ringo’s deep voice floating down the hall from the kitchen. He’s talking with Ayden’s parents and JD, I think. And maybe Mr Foster.

I still can’t wrap my head around that one.

But the whispering inside the living room gives me pause, because I kind of suspect it’s about me.

Just the thought has my gut twisting, and it has nothing to do with my baby.

Leaning closer to the door, I try to catch what’s being said, and it’s Marcus’ voice rising above the others that gives away his anger.

“Why would she willingly have her rapist’s child?”

The words hit me like a backhand, hard and sharp.

Before I can stop myself, I barge into the room, every fear I had about people’s opinions now slapping me straight in the face.

“Tell me you didn’t just say that?” I snap, and all eyes whip to me.

All nine of them are huddled on the mattresses in the centre of the room. No doubt, the second Ringo and I left, barely five minutes ago, they started gossiping.

Whispering.

Judging.

“Abs,” Lexi starts, standing quickly, but I shake my head, locking my glare on Marcus.

He’s someone I thought of as one of my closest friends for years. But I guess my choices burned that bridge, and now here we are.

“I’m not talking to you, Lexi. I’m talking to Marcus,” I bite, stepping further into the room like I’m readying myself to face a firing squad.

“I’m not trying to be insensitive, Abs. I just don’t understand it,” Marcus admits, standing too.

I can at least appreciate his honesty. If he’d made up some excuse about being caught out, I’d never trust him again. But even though I hate his question, I can see the concern etched across his expression.

“Here’s the thing. You don’t have to understand it. It’s not happening to you. It’s happening tome.All you need to do issupport me.” I drag my gaze across all of my friends watching on.

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