Page 40 of Fatal Thrill
“I’m good witheither.”
“The politically correct thing tosay.”
He rubbed a thumb over her hand where it lay on her abdomen. “I’m serious. This is like…the scariest and coolest thing ever, all at the same time. If it’s a boy, I’m going to teach him everything Iknow.”
“And if it’s agirl?”
He smiled. “Same. She’s going to be 100% self-sufficient, just like hermom.”
“I only have a few weeks until I’m going on national television to sell my Cherry Bomb spa kits and I’m on the verge of closing a deal with an investment company to expand them into major stores like Macy’s, but here I am in Ireland, of all places, trying to save my brother and learning my dad is an international thief who may have the Vatican, as well as Interpol, after him. And meanwhile, I’m also pregnant. Not sure there are enough life skills in the world to help me with this, and what happens when the network and investment company find out my father is athief?”
“We’ll handle it. You’ve got me, and Colton and Shelby. Plus Beatrice, Savanna, and everyone else. You’re not alone,J.”
Her shoulders relaxed a bit. “That may be the only reason I’m not totally freaking out anymore. From the moment I met you last fall, my plans have taken all kinds of left turns, and the harder I’ve tried to course correct, the more I’ve failed. In the past few hours, I’ve come to think about being a mom in a newlight.”
“Being very familiar with excessive left turns in life, I have experience that might help. I’m here for you and our kid. Ipromise.”
She’d heard a lot of those over the years, especially from people who claimed to love her. Jon had not done that yet, but she was pretty sure she could see it in his eyes. “I want this baby,” she said softly. “I wantyourbaby.”
His dark eyes met hers. “I already love him or her as much as I doyou.”
There it was—those all-important words. “You…you loveme?”
Surprised widened his eyes. “You have toask?”
“Yeah, I kinda do. We’ve never gotten into the messy stuff, like emotions. I…didn’tknow.”
“Does that mean you don’t, you know…feel thesame?”
She threw her arms around his neck and let her body press against his. “I’ve loved you since you came to Good Hope to protect Shelby. She’s my best friend and closer than a sister to me. I nearly jumped your bones right there. Anyone who protects my family, Shel included, is someone to be trusted, and that is a rare commodity in myworld.”
He held her close and Jaya felt safe, secure. “I love you, Jaya HottiO’Sullivan.”
“How do you always know exactly what I need to hear?” She ran her fingers through his hair. “I love you too, Jon Wolfe. I hope we know what we’redoing.”
By the timethe sun rose a few hours later, Shelby had set up a mobile headquarters, Colton had put everyone through various security protocols, and Jaya had done more research on the cross out of curiosity. Stolen emeralds, the Church, French countesses—it was all so juicy, she’d told Jon, like an historical soapopera.
Jon had been on the phone nonstop with Beatrice and the local Garda, but when he couldn’t get Jaya to rest, he’d made sure she ate some breakfast to keep her energy up. He felt better after their talk, and with the way he could coax a smile from her now, knew she didtoo.
The men who’d threatened them the previous evening had been found, thanks to an anonymous report by Beatrice, but the local police weren’t giving details. Beatrice and Rory were looking into it and hoping to come up with names and associations that might give Jon and Colton alead.
Meanwhile, Jon planned to hit up the Red Hen, the B&B where they’d expected to stay, and sniff around. See who there might know Sean or interacted with him and Finn. While Beatrice had booked their group under assumed names, four strangers coming into town from America might have been enough to catch someone’s attention, and it couldn’t hurt to check into the owners, Paddy and Lorna Doyle,anyway.
“Ready?” Colton stood at the back door, a big, heavy handgun in one hand and a travel cup of coffee in the other. “Daylight’sburning.”
Jon finished filling his own cup and snapped on the lid. They were all running on almost no sleep but his adrenaline was flowing. He didn’t like leaving Jaya, even with Shelby, a trained FBI agent, and Kieran, whom Beatrice had assured him was tougher and sneakier then he looked, but they were short on hands. The secret black site was probably the safest place in this neck of the woods, regardless if he was there ornot.
“Wait.”
Jaya flew across the floor, feet in a pair of wool socks Kieran had given her and her hair pulled up in a ponytail. Her face was free of makeup, but she looked better than she had since New Year’s Eve, sleep or nosleep.
He hugged her for a long moment until Colton started making gaggingnoises.
“You’re going to be fine, Jaya,” Colton drawled. “Finn’s going to be fine. You guys come from a long line of lunatics with a strong survivalinstinct.”
Jaya flipped off Colton and kissed Jon quickly on the lips. “Becareful.”
“You too.” He smoothed an errant strand of hair from her face. “Keep your phone close by in case Icall.”
