The next day Chase showed up, along with Rex, Heath and Joy. Although Krista would have liked to have had her parents and brother there as well, she didn’t want to wait any longer. They knew what had happened to her and were on their way. They would be arriving in the next couple of days. But a couple of days was too long; she wanted to be Mrs. Brock Hart immediately.

Looking at herself in the mirror after a painful shower, she burst into tears. Her cheeks were cut up from Myles’s beating. She was sore from Zoe’s birth, the emergency C-section and surgery. This was not how brides were supposed to look on their wedding day. Along with lacerations and scratches, she was black and blue across half her face. She hardly recognized herself, and what she did recognize she didn’t like.

“Everything okay in there?” Brock asked through the closed bathroom door. She knew his whole family was waiting for her in her room, waiting to start the ceremony, but she couldn’t face them. She couldn’t let them see her looking like one of those women from the domestic violence cases she used to go out on.

“Just fine,” she called back, wiping the tears from her cheeks, their saltiness causing her scratches to sting. “Be out in a second.”

There was another knock at the door, but this time the person didn’t wait for her to answer, and the knob turned. It was Joy. “Sorry, dear, you can kick me out if you like, but it ain’t nothing I haven’t seen before. Do you need some help getting dressed?”

Krista thought for sure Joy was going to gasp and cry or turn away when she saw her face, but she didn’t. Instead she held out a big, plush, white bathrobe—where on earth did she get it? It was a hospital, not a hotel. Krista slipped her arms through it. It hugged her body like a fuzzy polar bear.

“Brock’s daddy saved me from an abusive relationship,” she started, tucking a strand of hair behind Krista’s ear as she tightened the belt on the robe. “I remember bruises and scratches like these ones, and not fondly.” Krista’s eyes went wide. Joy nodded and continued. “Zane was my neighbor in an apartment building. He heard my boyfriend at the time roughing me up and came over. Kicked the crap out of him and whisked me away. We were together after that. And nine months later, Brock joined the party.”

“B-Brock was a … ”

“One-night stand?” She shook her head. “No. But I’d only been with Zane for about a month before I found out I was pregnant. We got married right away, of course. Because that’s what you did back then.”

Krista hadn’t even been paying attention as Joy was talking, but she’d pulled some concealer and blush out from somewhere and was mindlessly touching up Krista’s face.

“He was the love of my life. And I’m sure that if he were still alive today, we’d be married and happy. Celebrating the birth of our first grandchild.”

“H-how did you know?”

“Know what, dear?” She motioned for Krista to close her eyes and then brushed shadow across the lids.

“That he was love of your life?”

“I felt it in my very marrow. Sure, I’ve had lovers over the years … ”

Krista opened her eyes. Joy’s wink was playful with just a hint of sass in her smile.

“Don’t tell the boys. We may be open about sex in the house, but some things need to be kept private.” Krista nodded and closed her eyelids again. “But Zane, he was my other half. We balanced each other out. Where I am mellow and methodical, he was hot-headed and spontaneous. We fought like crazy over the years, but we always made up.”

“I’m in love with Brock.” Krista swallowed, feeling that for some reason she needed to let Joy know how she felt about her son.

“I know you are. I saw it instantly when you walked through my door on Christmas Eve, and every look you gave him after that. A love like that can be hard to hide and even harder to find.”

“We’re both control freaks, though.”

She smiled knowingly and held out a tissue for Krista to blot her lipstick. “Makes the sex interesting, doesn’t it?” Krista’s eyes went wide. Joy lifted one shoulder. “So your relationship is unorthodox. Most good ones are. But don’t let that hold you back from love because you think it’s going to be a constant power struggle. Zane and I had the same problem. He was an alpha just like his boys, and I like things a certain way as well.”

There was another knock at the door. “Everything okay?”

“We’ll be right out,” Joy called, giving Krista a motherly smile. “If you’re not ready, it’s okay. We don’t have to do this today. Just because he’s my son doesn’t mean I won’t support you in whatever decision you make.” She reached for Krista’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

Krista caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Joy had done an incredible job. She almost looked presentable.

Krista flashed her a giant grin. “I’m ready.”

She was just coming out of the bathroom, ready to marry the man of her dreams and the father of her child, when her hospital room burst open.

“We didn’t miss it, did we?” Krista’s mother asked frantically, her hair all askew. Dark gray bags glommed on to the normally tight skin beneath her eyes, making her look at least ten if not fifteen years older.

“Just in time.” Joy smiled, walking over to Krista’s parents and brother, introducing herself.

Krista gave Brock a curious look. He lifted one shoulder cavalierly. “I know you said it didn’t matter, but I know it does. I know a guy who knows a guy who owns a private jet.”

Before Krista could hug her fiancé, her mother lunged at her. Krista winced from the pain, and her mother immediately withdrew, a look of terror on her face. She cupped Krista’s cheek gently as tears welled up in her sapphire eyes. “My baby.”

Krista swallowed and leaned into her mother’s touch. “I’m okay. Zoe’s going to be okay.”

“Shall we begin?” Chase asked, not one for small talk or delay. Of all the Harty Boys, he was the one Krista was having the hardest time figuring out. The man held secrets and demons, and he kept them hidden well, only it was clear it pained him to do so.

Krista nodded. “Dad, will you give me away?”

“So,” Krista started, leveling her gaze on Rex, “what took you so long to come save the day?” She was officially Mrs. Brock Hart, and they were all sitting around her hospital room eating cake.

Rex snorted. “I didn’t save anything. It was all you, you little badass cop.”

Krista’s cheeks grew warm. “Seriously, though?”

His smile was electric. In fact, all the Harty boys had incredible smiles; just Brock and Chase gave them sparingly. “I was still on your detail but had gone to grab lunch. I’m really sorry I didn’t get there sooner. I didn’t expect you to leave.” Remorse flooded his handsome face. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay, Rex,” she said softly. “Please don’t blame yourself.”

He swallowed and nodded, but he didn’t appear to be convinced. She’d have to have a chat with him later.

“Wicks?” she asked.

“He was taken to hospital for his injuries and will be transported to prison from there,” Brock said with very little emotion.

She nodded. “And there will be a trial, of course.”

“Most likely,” Heath agreed, cutting himself another giant piece of cake and diving in. “They’re launching a full investigation into the detachment, the crime family Wicks was accepting bribes from and Slade’s previous detachments.”

“We’ll throw the book at Wicks, honey,” Krista’s dad said, venom in his tone.

Krista laughed. “Thanks, Dad. I would expect nothing less from Matthews and Matthews.”

“And Slade is rotting in hell,” Krista’s brother piped up. “So no need to drag his victims to trial.”

Krista breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, there was that. Her friends wouldn’t have to relive their horrible ordeals in front of a courtroom or see Myles ever again. Her mind immediately went to Allie, though. Her poor friend. Pregnant and not knowing if the father was the donor she chose or a monster.

“And you can tell your friend Allie that the baby isn’t Slade’s,” Heath added.

Krista’s head whipped around to her new brother-in-law. “What?”

“Chase hacked Slade’s medical records. You know, ’cause he can. Turns out Slade is shooting blanks. He had the mumps as a teenager, and it rendered him sterile.”

Krista stared at Heath for a moment and then her eyes, welling up with tears, focused on Chase. She was about to open her mouth and thank him for doing some seriously illegal shit when something new and alarming passed across his face. They locked eyes for just a moment, but then he blinked, looked away from her, and the moment was gone.

Yeah, Chase had some serious demons. Some serious secrets. She only hoped one day he’d find the right woman to help him conquer those demons. One who would sit and listen and accept all his secrets.

“Thank you, Chase,” she said softly.

This time she got a nod out of him.

Taking a deep breath, she smiled at everyone around the room—her family. “All right, then, who wants to meet Zoe?”

“You should go home to sleep.” Krista yawned, resting her head on her laced hands as she sat in the chair next to Zoe’s incubator box.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Brock murmured.

She glanced up at him, her beautiful face scrunched in mild impatience.

He loved her spirit.

He loved her.

“At least go lay down in my bed for a few hours. I’m going to stay and watch her for a bit.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said again. Damn woman didn’t listen. “My world is here. I’m not leaving. Deal with it.”

Her twinkling eyes made his heart lurch inside his chest. “Not exactly the wedding night I had envisioned,” she said sheepishly. “Sorry ’bout that.”

Picking her up, he plopped her into his lap. Her head fell to his chest. “We have an entire lifetime to have wedding nights. With you, with Zoe, that’s where I want to be, that’s all I need.”

She yawned again and nuzzled into him more tightly. “I love you so much, Brock Hart. Thank you so much for our beautiful little girl, for coming into my life … for saving me.”

He waited until he heard the soft rumble of her snoring, his hand rhythmically stroking her hair, before he whispered, “I’m the one who was saved.”