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watched you retreat and summon that
unstoppable force inside you. I’ve seen you run away from things
you didn’t want to deal with right that second. But through all of
that, you’ve always found a strength that I’ve envied.”
    “Why?”
    Crevan stared at the cliff and the ocean
beyond. “It’s hard not to envy a woman who’s more alpha male than
any man I’ve ever known.”
    “Even Johnny?”
    He chuckled. “Especially Johnny. You’ve had
him wrapped around your little finger from the day he first met
you. He’d never tell you no, not to any crazy request you had.”
    “But he has in the past.”
    “Uh-huh,” Crevan grinned. “And how long did
he win those battles?”
    “I gained weight. I’m about to gain a whole
lot of it thanks to him.” Of course, I referred to the time at
Christmas when Johnny camped out in my home and got awfully high
handed, insisting that I stop eating narcotics and substitute food
instead.
    Crevan’s eyes scanned my face. “You’re so
much stronger than I am. You’ve got your mind set on this thing
with my mother, don’t you? Even if I offered to bring Alex over for
you to grill, you’re not letting go of the other thing. I should do
the wise thing and pick my battles.”
    “So you’ll let me meet your mom?”
    He sighed and shrugged. “Don’t get your
hopes up. I only know one force more unstoppable than you are,
Helen. His name is Aidan Conall.”
    “We’ll see about that.” Then again, maybe
some things really are genetic.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 4

    I strolled into the bedroom in a bathrobe
with a towel wrapped around damp hair when Johnny woke up the next
morning. He rubbed his eyes and blinked at me. “You’re up
already?”
    “Things to do today.”
    A sort of wary curiosity descended. “And
what sort of things would those be?”
    “Maya and I are going shopping this morning.
It’s her day off. Then I’m meeting Briscoe for lunch. I’m surprised
he didn’t tell you yesterday. The man doesn’t know how to keep a
secret.”
    His eyes narrowed. “What’re you up to,
Helen?”
    “Shopping. Furniture today.”
    “Oh?”
    I nodded. “Plus, Maya has decided that she’s
going to convince me that her gynecologist is the person I should
see for this prenatal stuff. Don’t look so panicked. She’s an
obstetrician too. I’ve got to see somebody that’s capable of
actually delivering this baby, Johnny. You didn’t think I’d
continue to see Dr. Schwartz for the duration of the pregnancy, did
you?”
    “I guess I hadn’t really thought that far
ahead. What sort of furniture are you buying today?”
    I grinned and perched on the edge of the
bed. “Nursery furniture. Do you object?”
    “No, but I sort of figured that might be
something we’d do together. Is my taste in home decor so terrible
that I’m not allowed to help pick out baby furniture?”
    “I can see it now. Minimalist baby.”
    Johnny chuckled. “Fine. So I don’t go for
all the little touches women like to put in every square foot of a
home.”
    “Are you saying you think my house is
cluttered?”
    “I’d love living in your space if it were a
cardboard box under a bridge, sweetheart.”
    I leaned over and kissed him softly. “Good
answer, Mr. Orion.”
    “What I’m not sure I like is the idea of you
running around town without me tagging along.”
    “I can’t hole up here forever. It’s not like
I’ll be alone either.”
    “Yeah, I trusted someone else to keep you
safe before. Look how that turned out.”
    Gillette’s words rippled through my brain
like a stone skipping over water. Was it safe for me to go anywhere
alone? Had my freedom been sold long before I was abducted?
    “Hey,” Johnny said softly. “I shouldn’t have
said that. I’m sorry.”
    “I don’t want to be a prisoner in my own
home either. It would be really easy to stay here and never leave
again.”
    “You’re not a prisoner. Seems like we’ve
both got a bit of adjusting to