“I’ve missed you, too. I can’t believe you’re actually here,” she says in a choked voice, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. I can’t stand that look of sadness in her eyes, so I reach up and pull her head towards mine. The moment our lips touch, a fire ignites inside of me. I put all the emotion and longing from the past few months into the kiss, passionately saying what I couldn’t put into words. Only the need for air breaks our kiss.
“So is this what it takes? I have to be dying in your arms for you to kiss me?” I inquire quietly as she pulls away. The color drains from Alani’s face, and I smile at her so she knows I’m kidding.
“You can be such an asshole, Evan Stone,” she says through her tears.
“What? Too soon?” I ask with a chuckle. I hear a single gunshot followed by footsteps running up the stairs. I groan as the slight movement from my chuckling causes a searing pain to shoot through my shoulder.
“Evan. Where are you hit?” Maddox questions worriedly from the top of the stairs.
“Shoulder,” I reply. Maddox rushes to my side, trying to remove my bloody shirt to examine the wound.
“Don’t,” I warn him, reaching out with my uninjured arm to stop him. He hasn’t seen the tattoos, and I don’t care to explain anything to him right now.
“What do you mean, “don’t”?” he asks, sounding puzzled.
“I’ll be fine,” I tell him dismissively, trying to bear the pain so he’ll let it go.
“I let your dumb asses talk me into doing this shit. Now, shut the hell up. I’m stopping this bleeding, and then taking you to the fucking hospital,” Maddox grumbles, ripping my shirt open. His eyes bug out as he exposes my torso and he tentatively asks, “Evan?”
“What?” I casually reply, nearly laughing at his shocked expression.
“Why are you covered in tattoos?”
“Look, are we having a discussion on body art or are you going to do something useful and get us out of here?” I inquire irritatedly. As he calls Brayden to come up and help, I start to worry about my son. Where is he? What happened to him? Is he ok?
“Where’s the baby, Alani? I want to see him,” I tell her.
“Her, Evan. And I’m keeping her. I’m sorry, but I can’t give her up,” she informs me passionately as fresh tears start to fall down her face.
What is she talking about? I’m not forcing her to give up our child. Wait. Did she just say, ‘her’? Nah, she just made a mistake, or maybe...maybe I just heard her wrong. Or not. She said it three times.
“Her???” I say aloud, still stubbornly refusing to admit the possibility that I have daughter. No. Nope. Stones don’t have girls. My father had all boys, Noah has four boys, and Maddox has a boy. There’s no way in hell that I, of all people, have a girl.
“Yes, Evan, her,” Alani confirms. Fuck my life. What am I supposed to do with a little girl? Oh God, I can’t have a daughter, I’d wind up going on a murder spree. Misunderstanding the look of horror on my face, she begins to insist, “I’m not giving her up, Evan. I’m not.”
“Did Jase know you were pregnant?” Maddox asks carefully, bringing me back to reality.
What the fuck does that prick, Jase, have to do with anything?! Alani was pregnant with my child, MY daughter! “Jase isn’t her father, I am,” I quickly declare, annoyed at Maddox’s presumption. With that short dick of his, Jase couldn’t get a woman pregnant if he crawled inside her vagina. Harper is my daughter. MY fucking daughter! Christ! I have a daughter. No matter how many times I say it, it still doesn’t seem possible.
“Are you mad?” Lani hesitantly asks me, and I instantly feel guilty that I can’t do a better job of hiding my emotions. How could I have missed it earlier when Cade kept saying the baby’s name? It never once registered in my preoccupied mind that Harper was a girl’s name. Maybe if I’d paid closer attention then, I could have prepared myself to better handle my emotions in front of Alani.
“No. I want to see her,” I gently reply, trying hard to calm myself and keep my voice steady. Alani gets up and goes to the bed before coming back and placing my very sick and tiny daughter on my chest. If I was shaken up at the thought of fathering a boy, finding out I have a daughter takes my fears to a whole new level. As I stare worriedly at her, I notice that Harper has inherited my dark black hair, but otherwise looks very much like her mother. That’s when it hits me—the instant love. I never wanted children before, but now that I have Harper, I wouldn’t know what I’d do if she doesn’t make it. My baby girl is going to die in my arms if we don’t get out of here—we need to move, now!
When Brayden takes Harper from my arms, I have the sudden urge to beat the shit out of him. I don’t want anyone taking my daughter away from me—not even for a second. In the back of my mind, I know I’m being irrational since I can barely get up by myself, let alone carry Harper down two flights of stairs and make it all the way to the car. I have to rely on Maddox to help me get from the attic floor to the car. Once we’re in the car, we argue about whether or not to go to the hospital where too many questions will be asked. I finally convince Maddox to take us to Noah’s and sit back as comfortably as I can, holding Harper in my arms. As I look at her, I’m compelled to ask the question that’s been eating away at me.
“Alani, why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?” I ask her, careful not to sound accusing.
“I didn’t know until the night he took me. Kerrigan asked me if it were possible that day at the party. I didn’t think it was. Later that night, I had to know. I went to the store to get a pregnancy test.”
“Your fucking wife kept that shit from me? She better not come near me!” I shout at Maddox. I’m fucking pissed. I had a feeling Kerrigan was keeping shit from me about that night, but she swore she wasn’t.
“Don’t you fucking dare take this out on Kerrigan!” he responds angrily. “Stay away from my wife—don’t say a damn word to her. I don’t know why she would keep it from you, but I’ll be the one to find out!” Harper starts to fuss from all the yelling, so I try to calm myself down.
“She didn’t know, Evan. I wasn’t late. It was just a thought she had. I assured her I wasn’t,” Alani explains, defending her friend.
Shit. I really should apologize to Maddox for accusing his wife when I realize that she wasn’t keeping things from me on purpose, but I’m still upset and don’t feel like admitting I’m wrong. Instead, I start to gently pat Harper, hoping to calm her. Needing more answers, I continue to question Alani.
“Why wouldn’t you tell me? I would’ve gone with you,” I inquire, wondering why she left the penthouse alone that night.
“Because I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure. I was going to make an appointment for an abortion before I told you. I was scared you’d be mad, so I wanted to go to you with a plan.”
Jesus. “You were going to kill my kid?” I ask, surprised by her revelation. Knowing that I didn’t want a kid then, would I have let her go through with it?
“Well, I don’t view abortion as killing. We slept together one time. You don’t love me. I don’t love you. It was a mistake. I don’t expect anything from you. I promise you don’t have to be in her life. I can do this on my own. I’m so sorry, Evan.”
She thinks the night we created Harper was a mistake??? I know I freaked out on her after we had amazing sex because I didn’t want kids, but none of it was a mistake. How can she still doubt that I love her? I took a bullet for her. And as I sit here holding Harper, I can’t ever imagine allowing Alani to abort my child.
“You’re wrong, Alani. I do love you.”
“No, you don’t. And you don’t want Harper, either,” she replies quietly, looking at our daughter. I’m devastated by her words and that she actually believes them. I don’t say anything to counter what she said because she’ll just dismiss anything I have to say right now. I’ve just gotten her back—I don’t want to argue and wind up pushing her away. I screwed everything up before she left, but I swear I’ll find
a way to make things right between us—especially now that we have a daughter.
During the rest of the ride to Noah’s, I focus on my baby girl. She looks so weak and fragile. Soothingly running my fingers over her soft baby cheeks, I whisper, “It’s alright, Harper. Daddy’s here, and I’ll always protect you. I’ve only just met you, and there’s no way I’m going to lose you now.”
I curse that Maddox was the one who got to kill Michael. Killing that bastard for hurting my family was my right, and it was taken away from me. I take comfort in the fact that Jackson is still out there for me to take my revenge on.
Chapter 14
Lani
I can’t believe I’m sitting in Noah and Molly’s apartment. I have so many emotions running through me that I don’t know how to deal with any of it. I’m confused and scared, and all I want is to break down and scream in anger. The moment I saw Evan in that attic, I knew I was going home—there was no way he’d let Michael take me. And as safe as I might have felt in that moment, it was immediately followed by another fear—rejection. I knew Evan didn’t want kids—he still probably doesn’t, but I need to wait for things to settle down before we can talk about it. I just don’t know what to say. Right now, he’s sitting on the sofa with a look I’m not familiar with. I feel like I’m looking at a stranger. Who is this man? How is he feeling? Even though these questions are running through my mind, a part of me is still back at that farm house. Dylan and Jackson are still out there, and I’m still in danger, which means Evan and my daughter are also in danger. With all of this hanging over my head, I feel like I have no one to talk to about any of this, and once again—I’m alone.
Evan
Noah still hasn’t come back with my daughter. I keep texting him and the fucker says they’re still checking her over. He better call soon with some answers or I’m heading down to the hospital. I hate that I can’t be with her—Harper needs her father. But my baby girl isn’t the only one I’m worrying about. Alani has been very quiet, sitting by herself and just staring off into space. I can tell she has a lot on her mind, and I want so badly to go over there and just hold her. Actually, why am I not holding her? I get up and walk over to where she’s sitting. I sit down next to her and wrap my uninjured arm around her. I know now isn’t the time for discussions, but I need to be near her. She gently lays her head on my shoulder.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“For?” I ask.
“Saving me and Harper.”
“You’re the one who saved both of you. I’m sorry I couldn’t find you sooner,” I say, feeling a lot of guilt that I couldn’t be the one to save them.
“It’s not your fault. I’m the one who left that night. I’m sorry I got us into this mess, and I’m sorry that you’re a father when you didn’t want to be. Evan, please don’t feel like you have to be a part of our lives.”
Hearing her words, I just want to shake some sense into her. “I wish you hadn’t left that night without letting me know where you were going. God, you don’t know how many times I tried to figure out why you even left. I thought that maybe if I had a clue, then I could have figured out how to find you. Going out to get a pregnancy test wasn’t a scenario that ever played out in my head. And let me tell you, some pretty crazy shit went through my mind.
“Alani, I want you to know—and I need you to believe me when I say this—I want my daughter. I love my daughter. She isn’t something I ever planned on, but she’s everything I could want.”
“Ok, I want to talk more about this, but not right now. My mind is still going crazy.”
“I know, mine too,” I say, leaning my head against hers.
“UNCLE EVAN!” I smile as I hear Landon’s voice for the first time in months.
“Landon, I’ve missed you, buddy,” I call out as he runs towards me.
“Where you been?” Landon asks.
“Somewhere I never want to go back to,” I reply.
“Good, because I have woman troubles,” he announces in a very serious tone. I nearly choke. I’d nearly forgotten how I was the one to give him advice on how to deal with women.
“What kind of woman troubles could you possibly have? You’re four, buddy.”
“Isabelle. She won’t let me sit next to her. She says I’m too bossy, but I sit down anyway.”
I can’t help it—I bust out laughing as I see Molly rolling her eyes. I think I even see a hint of a smile on Alani’s face. “Yeah, just keep sitting down next to her,” I advise. “She’ll come around.”
“Next year, I’ll be in pre-K. Mommy says we might have different teachers,” he says, sounding upset.
“Well buddy, if that happens, you’ll just have to find another girl.”
“No way. I’m going to marry that woman.” That does it, everyone starts cracking up.
“Alright, Romeo, get to bed. Say goodnight to Uncle Evan,” Molly says, still laughing. Landon comes over to me, giving me a hug, and I feel like shit for not being there for him.
“I love you, buddy,” I tell him. As I’m hugging him back, I realize just how much I’ve missed being around my nephews.
“I love you, too,” Landon replies. He starts to walk off, then stops before turning back around to face me. Looking at me uncertainly, he asks, “See you tomorrow?”
“Maybe not tomorrow, but soon. I promise, buddy. I have a surprise for you.” I can’t wait for him to meet my little girl.
“It better be cool,” he says as Molly shoos him off to his bedroom.
Lani
God. We still haven’t heard from Noah, and I’m starting to get nervous. He said he’d keep us updated, but he hasn’t called. I can’t just keep sitting here, not knowing what’s happening with my daughter, so I turn to Evan.
“Evan?” I hesitantly say, trying to get his attention.
“Yeah?”
“I can’t just sit here while Harper is at the hospital. I need to be with her.”
“I know. Let’s go,” he responds, getting up from the couch.
“You can’t drive,” I say, pointing to his shoulder.
“You can drive my car. Let me go find Molly, so I can borrow one of Noah’s shirts.”
“Ok.”
While he looks for Molly, I pace around the living room restlessly before heading out to the balcony. I look at the beautiful Chicago skyline, and the freedom I feel in this moment brings me to my knees and makes me start to cry. I’m going fucking crazy. I don’t think I’ll ever get my life back. I’m a mother, but I don’t know how to be one. I couldn’t feed Harper and I couldn’t keep her safe. She deserves a better mom, someone who isn’t fucked up. I hear all the time that babies can sense what their mother is feeling, and I don’t want what’s going on with me to affect Harper. I don’t want to cause her stress, and I definitely don’t want her in danger. What am I going to do? Maybe I should just leave town and follow my parents to Hawaii. As much as it hurts to think about not being able to watch my daughter grow up, at least I’ll know she’d get a chance at a normal and safe life. Another round of tears hit me as I realize that I can’t be her mother. I lay back against the wall, sobbing when I feel a strong arm wrap around me. Evan doesn’t say anything, he just holds me. He lets me ride out my tears for a good ten minutes.
“Evan,” I say.
“What, Alani?” he inquires, squeezing me tighter.
“Are you sure you want Harper?”
“Yes, Alani. I want her,” he reassures me.
“You promise to keep her safe?” I ask.
“Yes. I promise. Why?” he replies, a look of confusion appearing on his face.
“I can’t be her mother. She isn’t safe with me in her life,” I answer. I feel his arm loosen its grip.
“Baby, listen to me. You’re her mother. And she will be safe, I promise.”
“Jackson will just keep coming for me. He’s not ever going to stop and leave me alone.”
Evan
Fuck. I still can’t believe that Alan
i is sitting here with me. But even though I have her back, she’s still not completely safe—not with Jackson still out there. I don’t know what I can say to help or comfort her. She has a point—as long as Jackson is alive and out there somewhere, he will keep coming for her. Not knowing where he is or what he’s up to is very unsettling. No doubt about it—I have to find the bastard fast and kill him. Only then, will I know for sure that my girls are safe.
“Evan?” I look up and see Noah. Alani and I immediately get to our feet to hear the news about our daughter.
“Where is she?” I demand eagerly.
Uncovering Stone Page 18