Hailey alternated between anger and sheer misery the rest of the day. She and Brady studiously avoided each other. He stayed in his office the rest of the afternoon and evening, and she stuck to her suite, the kitchen, and the backyard. She spent most of the evening in the kitchen cooking orange chicken, ham fried rice, stir-fried veggies, and a delicious chocolate cake. She kept hoping Brady would come out and eat with her. Even though it shredded her inside to think he didn’t trust her, she loved him, and she wanted to give him the chance to love her back.

She heard his office door open and set her fork down and turned toward the entrance to the great room from the front of the house. Maybe he would come eat, and they could talk and work all of this out. There was no way he could believe she was having Treven’s baby. Not if he knew her at all.

The front door of the house opened and closed, and all of Hailey’s anticipations and hopes walked out the door with Brady. Her shoulders rounded, and she pushed at the food on her plate. Tears dropped into the rice. She angrily brushed them away and stood, shoving her food down the garbage disposal. She left all the rest of the food on the counter. Brady could eat it, clean it up, or leave it all out to rot. She didn’t really care at this point. Running up the stairs to her room, she slammed the door and threw herself on the bed.

She debated if she should just leave. Her condo still had most of her stuff in it, she could go there and at least not have to hear Brady’s every movement, but something in her just couldn’t leave him. She’d told her dad just last night that Brady was her husband. Brady had said he loved her, and she was his life. How could all of that be ruined by some lying men and stupid media?

The tears came steadily, and she curled on top of the covers as darkness fell outside. A hard rap came on her bedroom door.

Hailey sat up and tried to rub away the makeup that was surely smudged under her eyes. Brady? She wanted to fling the door open and kiss him good and long then work all of this out, but she stayed on the bed, quiet and afraid that their relationship was gone.

The door handle turned. Brady peeked around a sliver of an opening. “Hailey?” he whispered.

“What do you want?” She flung at him.

He pushed the door the rest of the way open. Walking slowly in, he set a gorgeous bouquet of summer flowers and a small rectangle present on her dresser. Turning toward her he said simply, “I want you.”

Hailey leapt off the bed and ran at him. She banged her fists against his chest. “Stop doing this to me!” She screamed.

Brady let her hit him until she calmed down then he wrapped his hands around her forearms and pulled them against his chest. “I’m sorry, love. I’m so sorry.”

His handsome face was outlined by the light spilling in from the hallway, but her eyes were blurry from tears. “You can’t claim you want me when you don’t trust me.”

He shook his head. “You’re right. I was so wrong to not trust you. I was jealous and stupid and confused and … please forgive me, love, please.”

Hailey blinked up at him. She understood jealousy and being confused. “Say that again.”

His face finally cracked into a smile. “What? The part about me being stupid?”

“No. Call me love again.” Her voice broke. She loved him desperately, and he had been jealous and stupid, but if he would trust her and love her, she would forgive him time and time again.

“Oh, Hailey.” He released her hands and tenderly wrapped one arm around her waist while cupping her cheek with the other hand. “I love you so much it hurts. Please forgive me. Please be mine, my love.”

Hailey smiled tremulously. “Okay. Just don’t ever be that stupid again.”

He chuckled. “I’ll try, but I am a man.”

“I’ve noticed that.” She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. “As long as you’re my man, I can forgive you for being stupid sometimes.” All the pain of this evening disappeared as he smiled at her.

“That’s good to know.”

He dropped to his knees, and Hailey pulled back in surprise. “Brady?”

Reaching up, he clasped her hand and turned her gorgeous wedding ring toward the hallway light. “I chose this ring because I thought it might be beautiful enough to match your exterior beauty. What I didn’t know then was how incredibly beautiful you were inside and out. Nothing can match that, my love.”

Warm tremors raced through Hailey, increasing as his dark gaze intensified. “Hailey Knight Giles, will you marry me again?”

Hailey tugged on his hand, and he stood, staring down at her. “Oh, Brady, you’re the beautiful one.”

He chuckled at that. “Never been called a pretty boy before.”

“You’re much more than pretty. I love you, Brady. Yes, I’ll marry you again.”

Brady whooped and pulled her in tight against him. Hailey’s breath caught as his dark eyes trailed over her face down to her lips then up to meet her eyes again. Hailey slid her hands around his neck and pulled him down to her as she arched up on tiptoes. Their lips met, and light and joy exploded within her. He deepened the kiss, and she was tingling with warmth and desire.

Brady lifted her off her feet, and Hailey wrapped her legs around his waist and continued to kiss him. He turned toward the door, carrying her out into the hallway. Hailey broke away. “Where are we going?”

“To our bedroom, love.” He swung her door shut behind them with his foot.

“Oh? I wasn’t aware we had a bedroom.”

Brady kissed her tenderly and whispered, “I want to wait until we renew our vows before we truly share a bedroom, but I need you close. Will you let me hold you tonight, love?”

“How about every night?”

He let out a soft groan. “Sounds perfect. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of sleeping with you in my arms.”

Hailey kissed him thoroughly then. He carried her up the stairs but stopped halfway up the staircase and turned, pressing her back into the wall and took his time kissing her mouth then her neck then her mouth again.

An explosion ripped through the air. Brady pressed her harder into the wall, his body shielding her from the debris flung at them. Hailey slid to her feet, screaming in horror. Her bedroom, the one they’d been in mere seconds ago was on fire. Bits of the wall had exploded out and struck Brady’s back and the hallway wall and stairwell.

Brady cursed. “Run!” he yelled at her, grabbing her hand and dragging her down the stairs. They made it to the first floor and ran out the front doors into the night. Brady stopped, and they both stared up at the second story and the smoke and fire pouring out of her window. He dialed 911 and gave them all the information they needed. Then he put them on hold and called Officer Cardon.

Hailey shivered, even though it was a steamy summer night. If Brady hadn’t come for her … she couldn’t look at the fire anymore. Brady was still talking on the phone, but he wrapped his left arm around her and pulled her in close. Hailey turned into him, needing him and his strength right now. She heard the words he was saying to Officer Cardon, and they chilled her through. A bomb. The stalker? Someone wanted to kill her. Simply because she was Brady’s wife? How in the world had the stalker gotten into their house and planted a bomb? How had they known where Hailey slept and that they didn’t sleep together? Questions raced through her mind as she clung to Brady and sirens ripped through the night sky. The only thing that she knew was she had Brady and, no matter what, she wasn’t leaving his side.