Page 37 of Deacon

Blue’s expression hardened. “He said she wanted me to believe she was carrying his baby. She knew what it would do.”

“That isn’t insecurity,” I said. “That’s strategy.”

“Yes.” Blue’s hand moved over her stomach. “And it worked.”

The room quieted around us.

“And Priest?” I asked.

Blue looked down before answering, and I knew from the way her mouth softened that some part of what he said had reached her.

“He told me that when he realized I was gone, it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room.” Her voice had lost some of its anger, which made it more dangerous because softness meant she had believed at least part of him. “He said he broke every rule for me, that he’d been lying to himself, and that he thought he was protecting himself when really he was afraid.”

Her throat tightened on the last word.

“And then he looked at me, at my stomach, and told me the moment he saw I was pregnant, not wanting babies flew out the door.”

Evan released a slow breath and tipped his face toward the ceiling, personally offended by the effectiveness of that statement. “Well. That is deeply inconvenient.”

Blue stared at him. “Inconvenient?”

“Yes.” He folded his hands solemnly in his lap. “Because that is peak caveman-biker nonsense, and unfortunately…” He gestured between us. “Very effective.”

I snorted before I could stop myself.

“He went full alpha, didn’t he?” Evan continued, warming to the subject. “Mine. Protect. Build fire. Provide shelter. Stare down predators until they flee the territory.”

Blue huffed a laugh. “That is an unfortunately accurate description.”

“I hate that I’m into it. I hate that it makes sense.” He pressed his fingertips to his chest. “My lizard brain is standing and applauding.”

“It made sense to me too,” Blue admitted. “That’s what scares me.”

I leaned forward. “Because believing him doesn’t undo the damage.”

“No. And his revelation doesn’t get to rewrite my life.”

I looked around her apartment. Notes covered one side of the refrigerator. A throw lay folded over the couch, and a half-finished glass of water sat on the side table. Small evidence of a life being lived in real time. It wasn’t glamorous or easy, but it belonged to her.

“I believe he didn’t cheat,” Blue said. “I believe he wants the baby. I even believe he wants me.”

Evan watched her closely. “But?”

“I didn’t build this life as a placeholder.” Her voice steadied. “I’m not handing it over because he finally figured out what he refuses to lose.”

A slow smile pulled at my mouth, proud and heartsick at once.

What if Jackson woke and I still had no idea what our night had meant to him?

To me, it had been everything. I had loved him long before he touched me, and when he finally did, when he looked at me like I mattered, I believed it meant he felt the same.

Then he took me home and disappeared. No call or note. Nothing. For years, I hadn’t even known whether he was alive.

What happened if he opened his eyes now and I learned I had carried the ghost of him all this time for nothing? If I still didn’t know whether he had loved me or used me, how could I decide whether telling him about Jade was the right thing to do?

Blue continued, unaware that my thoughts had slipped sideways. “He wants me back at the club. He wants me there. Wants us there.”

“And you?” Evan asked.