Page 57 of With A Little Luck
Or I could be.
I heard her mention to Ridge that she intended to leave her number, but there were extenuating circumstances. I know from one of our conversations after I started obsessing about the fact she has no alphas that her gran passed the night of her one-night stand.
Adding all of that up leads me to believe it’s a logical train of thought with just a few leaps to fill in the missing information.
Normally, I find lying unnecessary and unpalatable, but I would go to much darker lengths to protect my literal other half.
“Fuck,” Ridge mutters.
“Do you know if she looked for you after she found out she was pregnant?” Leo asks. “Even if she did, I’m sure she couldn’t have found anything. You know how tight Easton has all of us locked down. There’s not a trace of any of us anywhere on the internet.”
“Jesus.” Ridge swipes a hand over his face. “I forgot about that.”
“I don’t want to sound insensitive to your situation, because I would be upset too,” Leo says calmly. “But I’m going to play devil’s advocate here.You’rethe one with access to hackers. It would have been way easier for you to find her than vice versa.”
“Easton sent me out of town!” Ridge snarls, spinning in a circle. “One job after another on a rotating loop of assignments. I haven’t had a day off?—”
“Yeah, he does love to work us to the bone,” Shaw says, pointing at Ridge. “It’s a complicated situation, but no one is perfect. It sounds like you both made mistakes. Be grateful you didn’t miss out on the birth.”
“No, I just missed out on like eight or nine months of milestones,” Ridge mutters.
“That is difficult to come to terms with,” Leo says as he approaches Ridge, clapping him on the shoulder. “Unless you’d like to miss out on fifty percentor moreof your child’s life, I suggest you find a way to accept what happened, move on from it, and rebuild your relationship with Quincy.” He looks at me. “Is that right?”
I nod.
Does he think Ridge doesn’t even know her name?
Christ.
I hate dealing with this many people. I greatly enjoy solitude, and they’re all on my last damn nerve.
Leaving Ridge on the back deck to have a beer and talk things out with hisfriends, I head back inside and straight upstairs to begin unpacking my equipment.
Now that Quincy is here with us, I’m even more on edge about Costa and his minions. Having my belongings organized will help offset some of the unsettled feelings that come from having my routine destroyed.
I’m in the process of hooking up my three monitors when Knox sticks his head in the door. He knocks after the fact, making my eyes roll.
“The food is here,” he says, aiming a thumb over his shoulder. “Ridge is still out back, but he told me to tell you guys to feel free to eat. I’m beat. I’m about to hop in the shower. It’s all laid out on the dining room table.”
Shoving up my glasses, I nod. “Thank you. I’ll get Quincy.”
Hopefully that barnacle who thinks he’s dating her can be detached. I wouldn’t mind a few minutes alone to speak with Quincy without Hartley verbally attacking me at each turn.
There’s every possibility Ridge will come to terms with things, and there’s a chance that he won’t. Logically speaking, I assume there’s a slim possibility the two won’t make amends.
I would find it more convenient to have Quincy to myself, but at least Ridge and I have our profession in common.
If nothing else, I’ve decided it can’t hurt to have another capable alpha around to protect my omega.
I can give a little.
Allowing Quincy to keep Ridge will show that I’m not as rigid or as selfish as everyone accuses me of being.
However, I can’t seem to find a purpose for Hart. He doesn’t have military or personal protection training. He’ll be a liability—another civilian that I’m forced to keep alive, simply to ensure Quincy remains happy.
That doesn’t bode well for his long-term survival.
Hartley better prove himself useful before my patience runs out.
