Page 51 of The Madman's Nightmare
Chuck messaged that the boys could stay with them for the night and I sent a text, confirming his suggestion. Placing the phone onto my nightstand, I walked into the bathroom and wet a washcloth before returning to the bedroom. Slowly, I rolled Elise onto her back and began to clean up the evidence of our lovemaking from her pussy.
She stirred and looked at the clock, saying, “We need to get the boys from my parents.”
I smiled and tossed the dirty washcloth into the hamper on my side of the bed before I crawled in beside her. “Chuck said they boys want to stay with him tonight, so I agreed.”
She smiled as I lifted my arm up, allowing her to curl back up on my chest as we lied on the bed, naked and alone. Elise turned her gaze to me and spoke softly, “Thank you.”
“For what, baby?” I inquired, glancing down at her.
“For loving me. For our sons. For . . . everything.”
I kissed the top of her head and simply answered, “Loving you in the best thing I’ve ever done, besides the boys.”
She snuggled closer to me, and before long, we both drifted off to sleep.
We didn’t have a perfect life, but it was all ours. We loved fiercely, we protect without remorse, and we fought together, never allowing anyone to get between us. With the ability to fool someone with a few simple prompts, we had to be diligent, and I would do whatever I needed to do to make sure she never questioned me or my love for her again.
Even if it meant destroying anyone who thought they could separate us.
Epilogue
Elise
Three months later
The cold wind whipped around me as I was sitting on the bench, looking out at Pierce Lake, trying to figure out how to tell Devlin. I knew he’d be ecstatic, but he always became so overprotective that I was afraid he would insist on a bodyguard to escort me everywhere.
Footsteps alerted me to someone walking up, and I glanced to see Devlin approaching me. He sat down and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, giving me some of his warmth as he looked out at the lake in front of us.
“What’s going on, baby?” he asked.
After he told me about those two assholes who kidnapped me, explaining how they were both mentally unstable, I was able to breath freely for the first time since we were attacked in the park. It took over a month for me to go back to Pierce Lake, but I wouldn’t let them win or allow my sons to suffer because I was frightened.
I made sure to carry a weapon, and both the boys and I had on a locking anklet from their cousin Hailey and her husband, Jacob. He was a member of the Death Hounds, and he designed jewelry with GPS tracking built in. Never again would one of us be vulnerable to anyone. I wished I’d had it before they took me, but hindsight was twenty-twenty.
“I need to tell you something and I don’t know how you’re going to take it,” I remarked, and he turned to face me with worry in his face.
“Whatever it is, you can tell me, and we’ll face it together.”
He had been happy the last two times I’d told him this same news, but for some reason, I was worried about it this time. I pivoted on the bench, so I was facing him and glanced down at my gloved hands.
I felt a hand under my chin, and I lifted my eyes to his, seeing love and reassurance looking back at me. He whispered, “Please tell me.”
“I’m pregnant,” I finally said, and the smile that broke out on his face was telling of how happy he was.
Devlin pulled me against him and wrapped his arms around me. “I was so worried you were sick, baby. Please don’t scare me like that anymore.”
I pulled back and asked, “You’re not mad? I know we hadn’t talked about another baby, and we just got Conner potty-trained.”
“Why would I be mad, baby?” he inquired and pushed a piece of hair under my hat. “I love you more than anything in this world, so why would you think I’d be anything but happy about having another child with you?”
I shrugged and looked out at the water. “I thought, after everything that happened, you’d be upset.”
After he explained Delilah and Michael’s past, I felt like he’d stepped back some. Not that he didn’t love me and the boys. It was more like he was more cautious with us, more reserved, and I foolishly let doubt creep in again. Not at him, but at the whole thing—the worry, the fear, the self-doubt. It was all still there and I guess it was time I spoke with someone about it.
“Elise, you are the greatest thing about my life and seeing you create a life that’s a combination of both of us,” he shook his head, and his blue eyes grew glassy as he cleared his throat and continued, “I can’t imagine anything better.”
Leaning forward, I pressed my lips to his as a cold blast of air came off the lake in the weaning light of the day. Devlin sat back and pulled my collar up as he suggested, “Let’s get you home and warmed up. The boys will be back from their playdate with Stella in about an hour.”
