Page 5 of Saving Mr. Norcross
“You okay?” Brynn asked softly.
“Fine.”
She sighed, then rose with a rustle of fabric. “Vander, please talk to me. We’re a team. I get that having a baby will change so many things. We have a lot to learn, but we’ve got this.”
He turned. “And when some criminal stabs you, or shoots you? What about when you’re lying in a hospital bed, connected to machines?” His voice turned harsh. “When you leave me alone with a baby?” The thought of not having Brynn shook him to the core. His fingers clenched on the glass.
She pressed into him. “I havenoplans for that to happen. Your job is dangerous, too.”
“I’m trained.”
“So am I.” Her gaze narrowed and she set her hands on her hips. “You’ve trained me as well and taught me even more than my law enforcement training. I hope you’re not going to give me some BS about men being able to do dangerous jobs but women can’t. It’s not like having a penis can stop bullets.”
He growled. Frustration and fear were choking him, and she was making jokes. “All I know is that I don’t want you hurt. And—” Fuck, the baby would come and then there’d be a baby who looked like Brynn. Another small person that he would love unconditionally. And he’d drown in the urge to protect them.
“And what?” she asked.
He set the glass down on the coffee table with a click and shook his head. “I’m going for a walk.”
A stricken look crossed her face. “Don’t shut me out, Vander.”
“I just… Need a few minutes.”
So he didn’t say or do something he regretted while he was all fucked up about this. “You go to bed. You’re tired.”
She was silent as he walked out. He knew he’d hurt her.
Fuck.
He needed to get a handle on this, one way or another.
CHAPTER TWO
Waking up slowly, Brynn stretched her arms. She was lying in a huge, plush bed covered by white covers, sunlight seeping around the edges of the curtains. She reached a hand out and her heart clenched. The space beside her was empty.
Frowning, she sat up. There was no indent on Vander’s pillow.
She’d slept alone.
Hurt was a small kernel in her chest. No doubt, Vander had prowled around, and sat in the darkness with his demons.
She pushed her tangled hair back. She was so angry at him. Angry at him for shutting her out. She knew he was worried, afraid about the baby, afraid of being a father.
But he wasn’t alone.
Determination filtered through her. The same determination she’d felt when she’d first realized she was in love with him. In love with a dark, dangerous, closed-off man who’d been determined to never let anyone close. She’d worked hard to claim the stubborn former Ghost Ops soldier as hers. He’d fought her every step of the way.
Until finally, he’d admitted that he loved her.
She slipped out of bed, and pulled on a white-silk robe that matched her tiny nightgown, the fabric silky smooth on her skin. She’d bought it, excited for her husband to yank it off her.
She belted the robe and made a quick trip to the bathroom. After she brushed her teeth and tamed her hair, she went in search of her hard-headed husband.
The large kitchen was empty, as was the living room. The French doors were open. She glanced outside, but didn’t spot her broody husband.
Then she walked down the hall toward the room used as a library. Floor-to-ceiling shelves were filled with books—both old and new—and big leather chairs offered a cozy spot to read. An arched window offered a glimpse of the green gardens before it gave way to the brilliant blue sea. There was a wooden table, surrounded by more leather chairs, and even a brass telescope, for watching the luxury yachts passing by.
And of course, she found her husband there.
