Fatal Attraction (Love Kills Duet #2)

44. Forty Four

Forty Four

Phoenix

S pike was right. I was a fucking idiot.

She was going to smite me .

Yell, scream, and tell me to go to Hell and never come back.

Fuck, I couldn’t this.

“I’m with you,” my partner said as he soothingly rubbed a hand up and down my back. “Always, brother.”

My shaky hand lifted and planted two light knocks against the door. As it opened, we both stepped away, and I blew out a relieved breath when Charlotte’s father, Gary, opened it.

I liked Gary. We had a little bit of time to talk since Spike and I ran into him in the hallway earlier, and he seemed like a good man and a good father. Of course, I couldn’t exactly say the same for Charlotte’s mother, June. I get there are two sides to every story, but from what little I’d heard from Gary and Charlotte, that woman was insufferable to be around.

Which was why I was a bit surprised to find her in the room with Charlotte yet again when Gary stepped aside to let us in.

And then there was Harley, Chief, Captain Burgess, and of all fucking people, Karl .

Jesus fucking Christ.

How?

Did we miss something?

When did they get here, and how in the hell did Spike and I not notice it?

Each and every eye in the room landed on us, and I gulped, usure of what to do or what to say.

“You came back,” Charlotte said almost breathlessly, as she one-handedly sat up straighter in bed, hissing a little. “Are-are you okay?”

I gaped around the room, a little uncomfortable being put in the spotlight like this. There were things I had to say to her, and I didn’t exactly want an audience for this particular conversation.

“Can we talk, please?”

“The cat’s out of the bag now,” she said, her eyes flitting into a lethal glare as they flicked across Spike and settled on her father.

Gary frowned, innocently throwing up his hands and bellowing out an exasperated sigh. “It was an accident, pumpkin.”

Wait… What?

Did this mean everyone in the room knew Charlotte was pregnant?

“Tell me you didn’t,” I said to him.

The only words Gary could manage to say was, “I’m sorry,” before he turned away from us and left the room.

“Say no more,” Harley said, rising to her feet with an awkward smile on her face. Cap, Chief, and Captain Burgess followed. It had taken a moment for Karl and June to get the memo but eventually, they let out tired sighs and scrambled out of the room, leaving Spike and myself alone with Charlotte.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she whispered, “but it’s like I told you, Phoenix, I’m not Kendall. I’m not aborting the babies.”

My heart skipped a beat. “You-you’re not?”

All of the weight barracked on my shoulders drifted away when she said, “Of course not. You’d have known that if you hadn’t stormed off the way you did. These babies didn’t ask to be made, so why would I dare punish them by ending their lives, even if they were unintentionally conceived? I’m not a monster, Phoenix. ”

“It’s just…” I took in a breath and sat down in the closest chair facing her, grabbing her hand. “I know you aren’t ready to be a mother. As much as I want this for the three of us, I don’t want you to feel like you’re being forced to do this.”

“I want to have kids. I always have. But is it the right time? Honestly, no, it isn’t. But it’s not the babies’ fault, and we can’t pick and choose when the consequences of our actions will catch up to us.” She paused, sighing tiredly through her nose. “I want you to get the DNA tests done. I want to know who fathered which baby so that we can all decide how we can work together to raise the babies even if one of you possibly fathered both of them.”

“It doesn’t matter who fathered them,” Spike said with a gentle smile. “You’re our woman, Charlotte.”

“And as far as the babies are concerned.” I got to my feet and planted a deep, passionate kiss to her lips, earning a soft moan in response. “They’re ours, Charlotte. We will love you and them with all of our hearts and souls. The three of us will be a family, forever and always.”

“Forever and always?” she repeated through a smile. “I think I like the sound of that.”

I shared a look with Spike, who grinned big and offered me a proud nod.

Forever and always.

Yeah, I think I liked the sound of that, too.