Hot For Her Ex-Con (Dark Desires #7)

Extended Epilogue

KILLIAN

A llison and I kinda outgrew her mom’s old place in a hurry. Nine months, to be exact.

And regular as clockwork, it’s been the same ever since. The doc was right, as usual. The best therapy for me, for any couple even, is a family of their own.

Allison gave us two beautiful girls and a boy, but she had a ring on her finger long before our firstborn, Chloe, came along.

The business my dad left behind before he was killed gave us all the life I know Allison deserves.

It took months, but once I proved to the hospital, the board, and even the shareholders that I was not criminally insane, I was able to stake my financial claim without opposition. Now, I can finally provide for them in a way that matches how much they mean to me.

Life’s finally good again, like I always remember it. Carol and Mark are going stronger than ever, having the romance they obviously missed at some point, just later in life.

And true to our own feelings, our vow to one another, Allison and I are rarely anyplace the other one isn’t.

Trap’s a distant memory, something stupid even that I cringe at internally. Life now compared to then? It’s like it never really happened. Like a bad dream that turned good as soon as Allison was in it.

The rain hammers against the panes silently, Allison’s little body snuggling up closer to mine under the covers as I instinctively flick off the TV.

Our time alone is still sacred to me, and even more so with three little ones with a poor track record for staying asleep.

“C’mere…” I whisper to her, pulling her closer and savoring the smell of her, remembering a time when it was all I had.

She kisses me deeply, still making it feel like our first kiss every time. Our bodies soon become entangled as deep rolling thunder overhead takes second place to what we have between us still.

The room lights up momentarily. Thick fingers of jagged lightning and another boom of thunder draw a knowing sigh from us.

“We’ll both go,” I concede, knowing all five of us will be in bed tonight most likely.

“Before breakfast then,” Allison reminds me, letting me know I’m gonna need to finish what I just started. She gets real cranky when I leave her half-done like this.

Max is first, gurgling and then squawking from his crib nearest our bed. Maddie’s next, waking in her room and giving the thunder a run for its money.

It’s no biggie, though. We’ve all been through a lot worse together than a passing thunderstorm.

Chloe’s shadowy figure is in our doorway, making her mom jump as we both slip into our robes.

“Honey? It’s all right. I didn't see you there… Honey, what's wrong?”

“Daddy, there’s a man under my bed.”

Allison scoops up Max and rocks with him as she makes her way across the hall. Chloe has her ‘I need daddy’ voice on, so at least each of us parents knows their station.

Allison and I share a worried look in the dim light before she goes.

“Sweetie, C’mere…” I coo, picking up Chloe and nestling her in the crease of my arm, ready to walk her back to her room. She’s really trembling, giving me a feeling I don’t like, not one bit.

“A man?” I ask. “Are you sure the thunder didn’t just frighten you?”

I know my own house. I’ve broken into enough of them myself to know without a doubt that there’s no way, no how, anyone but us could be inside this house.

Therapy, Killian. Remember what doctor Stanton said? There will be times when it’ll all want to come flooding back, but you’ve got to be in the here and now…

Chloe calms down soon enough. I ask her where her slippers are and if she wants some warm milk. She rubs her eyes and shakes her head, suddenly tired and grumpy instead of scared, which suits me just fine.

My impulse reaction is to turn her room, the whole house, upside down. The idea of anything being anywhere near Allison or our kids without my say-so does push me to a limit I haven’t felt in a long time.

“Why don’t we just go and check, huh?” I ask her soothingly. “I bet it’s just a shadow or one of your toys. Nobody’s here but us, sweetie, I promise.”

“I know.” Chloe yawns, oblivious to the next round of thunder clapping over the house.

“But Trap said?—”

I feel my heart freeze, hearing the name from my own daughter’s mouth, hearing her say it so confidently.

It’s a name I know she’s never heard. She’s too young to even remember, let alone understand anything to do with my past.

“What’s going on?” Allison asks, keeping a lid on her own nerves and touching my arm, making my grip on Chloe a little looser.

“Nothing.” I rasp. “I’ll go check under your bed, honey. All right?”

Allison heard her as well as I did just now, though, both of us giving the other a disbelieving look.

“Who’s Trap?” she asks Chloe casually, calmly, brushing some of her curls back before kissing her head.

“He’s the man under my bed,” she says again, a matter of fact this time, looking relieved she can finally talk about it. “He said Daddy would know what to do. Trap said he and Daddy used to be friends.”

THE END