“Hiding something?” she asked as she opened her arms.
Aurora’s eyes darted to the closed kitchen door. “They all in the living room?”
Lindy nodded, then waggled her fingers. Aurora walked around the kitchen table and stepped into a big hug. “I’ve missed you,” Aurora said.
“Missed you more.” Lindy pulled back and looked at her. “Why am I just hearing about this bullshit now? I should have been told as soon as that weasel was offed.”
“Because you would have just rushed up here, is why.” Aurora whispered. She really didn’t want any of the testosterone in the other room to hear her. “I wanted you to burn your time off for when the baby arrived.”
They stood there staring at one another. Aurora took a deep breath.
“Oh God, I need a Tums.”
Lindy laughed.
“That’s not nice. You’re not supposed to pick on me.” Aurora glared at her cousin as she went to the cupboard and got down the bottle that was recently her best friend.
“Your baby daddy is gorgeous. Is that supportive enough?”
Aurora grimaced at Lindy, then spilled out three tablets instead of just one.
“Aurora, this is going to be okay,” Lindy said as she put her arm around her. Aurora leaned her head against Lindy’s shoulder.
“The other men he brought with him are fine too. Find out their status for me, will you?”
“What other men?”
“Your guy brought in reinforcements. Seems like he’s taking this as seriously as I am.”
“Oh God,” Aurora moaned. She shook out two more Tums.
Lindy laughed and gave her one more supportive hug.
“All we need is Crystal here, and it will seem like old times,” Aurora gave a sickly grin.
Buck up girl, you can do this.
“Do you want me to go in first? That way you and the bump will be less noticeable?”
“I’ve got Grandpa’s coat,” Aurora said. She pulled it tighter around herself.
“Sure, Gramps keeps it one hundred and ten in here and you’re wearing that, I’m sure nobody will think it’s odd. Come on kid, follow me.” Lindy gave her one more side hug, then pushed open the swinging kitchen door.
All conversation stopped as eight sets of male eyes turned to look at them. Nope, make that nine. There was a big quiet Hispanic man sitting on Grandma’s loveseat, he was watching everything. Meanwhile poor Brody was literally cornered by Uncle Tate, Dalton and one other man she didn’t recognize.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Gunnar said. He got up off the sofa where he had been sitting with Rhys and Luke. The other man stood up from the loveseat. “Let me introduce you to our new guests,” her grandfather said. “They’re teammates of Dalton’s.”
That was as obvious as the nose on her face.
Dalton and the two other men moved forward. They didn’t invade her personal space, but it felt like she and Dalton were the only two people in the room.
“Hello Aurora,” his voice had every one of her nerve endings flaring to life. She opened and shut her hands in reflex.
“Hi Dalton.” Could he hear the longing in her voice?
“We’ve heard about some of the problems you’ve been having. It sounds like they didn’t die down with the capture of Ned Little. We’re here to help.”
Her heart plummeted. Gunnar’s arm was immediately around her waist to help keep her standing up. Somehow, he’d known that her knees had turned to jelly. Once again Dalton wasn’t here for her, at least not really, he was just here because of his sense of chivalry.
Dalton frowned at her. “Are you okay? They said you weren’t injured.”
“I’m fine,” she said quietly.
He moved forward, and she shrank backwards. Dalton looked like she had hit him. “Aurora?”
One of his friends pulled him back. “Why don’t you introduce us?”
She watched as Dalton gathered himself. She liked that he was affected by their reunion. “Aurora, these are two of my teammates.” He nodded to the man on his right, “this is Hunter Diaz,” then he pointed his thumb at the other man with the lighter hair. “This is Dex Evans.”
It took a moment for her to put two and two together. “I suppose I have you to thank for Dalton’s presence?” she asked.
Dex opened his mouth to answer, but Dalton spoke first. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head,” he said baldly.
Her grandfather’s arm squeezed her gently as she waited for Dalton to continue, but he didn’t.
Dex and Hunter shared a look, then Dex sighed. “I was the one who was feeding Dalton information about Ned Little and his cousin Ricky. After Dalton came back to San Diego his mind was still hung up on you.”
Her eyes cut to Dalton. He was looking at her like his life depended on her. Dex continued.
“After Ned’s death in prison, Brody and I kept in touch, that’s how I knew about you being run off the road.”
“We would have been here as soon as it happened, but we were on a mission. Communication was practically non-existent,” Dalton said tightly. “Brody said you weren’t hurt, is that true?”
That was the first time she really looked at him. He looked awful. Awful and beautiful. She’d only ever seen him clean-shaven or with five-o’clock shadow, now he had scruff. He had bruises under his eyes from lack of sleep, and he’d lost weight.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. You’re flushed.” He stared at her intensely. Then his eyes traveled downwards. She saw the exact moment he realized what she’d been hiding.
12
Pregnant!
Aurora was pregnant. In a trance, he moved forward. He speared a dark glance at Gunnar who gave back as good as he got. “Let go of her,” he Dalton growled at Gunnar.
“Calm down,” the older man growled back.
He saw Aurora blanch. She already had a sheen of perspiration on her forehead and seeing her face drain of color scared the piss out of him.
“Are you all right, Sunshine?” He was torn between gentle, frightened and angry. His friends read him, and Hunter put his hand on Dalton’s shoulder. He shrugged it off and took a step forward.
“Answer me. Are you okay? You look like you’re ready to fall down.”
He winced when Aurora grimaced.
“I’m fine Dalton.”
A woman he didn’t know pushed in front of Aurora. “Why don’t we take this into the kitchen? We can get her some ginger tea.”
“I don’t need any tea,” Aurora said irritably. Then Dalton saw her swallow convulsively.
“Come on Honey, I’ll get the kettle on.” Gunnar said as he started turning Aurora toward the kitchen, which was when she threw up her hands.
“Enough. I can walk all by myself like a big girl. I can also make my own tea. I just need out of this damn coat.” Dalton was riveted as she pushed off the man’s shearling jacket and her newly shaped body was exposed. Where she was once long and lean, she was now beautifully rounded with life. “Dalton, follow me, I don’t think we need an audience.”
She was ramrod straight as she held open the swinging door for him. After he entered, she started toward the stove.
“Sit down before you fall down,” he said as he pulled out one of the sturdy wooden kitchen chairs.
Aurora contemplated it, then looked up at him, nodded and sat down. “The tea’s in the cupboard to the right of the sink.”
Dalton went over to the front door and opened it, leaving open the screen door. He heard her sigh of contentment.
“That feels wonderful.”
“You only get five minutes worth,” he warned. “What the hell were you doing wearing that coat around a house that feels like a sauna?” He wasn’t surprised when she didn’t answer. He filled the kettle with water, pulled down the tea, spotted the bottle of Tums on the counter and got her a glass of ice water. He set the water and bottle of Tums on the table in front of her then sat down in the
chair across the table from her.
Aurora took a sip of the water and then shook out a tablet and ate it.
He waited. Was he waiting for her to feel better, or was he was he trying to figure out what in the fuck he could possibly say? She bit her lip. “Dalton,” she started.
The kitchen door opened. It was the dark-haired woman. “Everything okay in here?”
Aurora whipped around in her chair. “Go away, Lindy. If I needed the police I’d call nine-one-one.” Her voice cracked. Lindy looked helplessly over Aurora’s head at Dalton.
“Everything’s going to be just fine,” he assured her. The door eased quietly close behind her.
Dalton saw where Aurora’s hands were trembling. Dalton knew he what he was going to do. Then the kettle sounded. He got up and made her tea and brought it back to the table and set it in front of her.
“Thank you,” she said softly, she made a grab toward the mug, but pulled back because her hands were shaking. Enough already. He picked her up out of her chair and sat down in it with her in his lap.
“Leave the tea.”
“I can’t seem to stop shaking so I might as well.”
“In that case, tell me a story, Sunshine.”
She blew out a breath and gave him a helpless stare.
“Okay, I’ll start. Is it safe to say we’re having a child in a little less than four months?” he smiled solemnly.
She placed her small, capable hand on his heart. “Yes. Our son.”
A son. A son. A baby boy. He looked down at her stomach and tried to wrap his head it. Wrap his head around him. Five months. Five months that he had missed. Had Aurora-?
“Have you picked out a name?” Dalton asked.
“I wouldn’t choose a name without you.”
The relief that crashed through him was like a wave at Waimea Bay. His arm clutched her close and his head found the hollow of her neck. “When? When were you going to tell me?”
“I was going to tell you this month.”
“Why did you wait so long?”
She looked at him sadly, her diamond black eyes filled with sorrow and hope. How was that even possible? “Dalton, I know you didn’t want another child after Reagan, but I couldn’t have your son and not tell you. That wouldn’t be right. Even if you were never planning on coming back.”
He could barely hear her over the pounding of his heart. When his head cleared her words registered.
He looked at her beloved face. “Aurora, I was coming back to you.”
She didn’t answer, he could see the doubt in her expression. He cupped her cheeks.
“It’s true, Sunshine. These last five months have been hell for me. You have been on my mind constantly. You’ve never been out of my heart. I was coming back.” He needed her to believe him, but she didn’t respond.
“Aurora, I know everything I said before.” He softly raked his fingers through her hair and kissed her temple. “The guilt that I lived with shadowed every day of my life until the moment you fell at my feet.”
“I felt your guilt. I felt your pain.” Her was subdued and now she wasn’t even looking at him.
He had to get through to her. He had to.
“Aurora, I met a woman on my last mission.” Aurora’s lashes flew upwards, her eyes clashed with his. “She was a mother protecting her children.”
“Oh,” she said in understanding.
“I needed to make sure she and her little boy and girl were safe, but all the time I couldn’t help thinking of you. How you would be just as strong and fierce. I had been longing for you, and then God put a sign in front of me, that even I couldn’t ignore. I was coming back for you. There was no way I was staying away I second longer. I love you, Aurora. You’re my life.”
Aurora’s smile was bleak.
“What? Don’t you believe me?”
Her hand stroked upwards and circled the back of his neck, massaging his nape. “But it’s not just me anymore.” Her eyes were wet with tears. Then she shivered, and he realized the door was still open.
Dalton pulled her hand away and kissed her palm. He eased her up, and then sat her back down on the chair and went to shut the door. When he got back he saw her sitting there, hunched over, holding her tummy. He knelt down in front of her and pulled her cold hands into his. He blew on them, then gently put them back down to rest on her swollen stomach.
“Can you look at me?” he asked.
She looked up. “I love you, Dalton. I was falling hard for you when we walked up that hill that first day, but when I saw you with Taylor and Mark, you were it for me. I wanted you in my life forever. But that wasn’t what you wanted.” Her voice quaked. “So, I took what happiness I could, and hopefully I gave some back.”
“How could you doubt that?”
He watched as a lone tear dripped down her face. “At first, I wanted to break through those walls of yours, but then I realized they were your protection from pain. I never wanted you to hurt.”
“Fuck that,” he said vehemently. “I needed to feel that pain, walk through it, and find the courage to embrace the beauty of you.” She opened her mouth to say more, but he gently touched her lips with his fingers. “And don’t think I didn’t hear you, Love. I did.” His fingers lightly traced down until they rested on top of her tummy.
His. His boy.
His large hand spanned over both of hers, she moved them, covering his with hers. He felt the warmth emanating from her womb. He trembled.
Dalton had so many emotions roiling around inside of him. Despite everything there was still some resentment that she hadn’t told him, that he’d had to find out this way. But he knew that she also felt abandoned by him. But, this was his woman, Aurora would be able to handle each one of them. They would be able to work through everything, because there was love. But right now, he needed to tell her what she most needed to hear.
“Never doubt that I love our son. The only regret I have is that I haven’t been here for the last five months while you nurtured him under your heart.”
“Really?” Her voice was nothing more than a puff of air.
He leaned forward and kissed her raspberry red lips.
“Really.”
She hesitated, then asked, “What about Reagan Elizabeth?”
Feeling the pulse of life under his palm there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that his beloved daughter wasn’t beside him, wanting this child for him. He closed his eyes and swore he could hear chimes. Yes, his daughter would adore having a baby brother.
“I want our son to know about his big sister,” Dalton said.
Aurora let out a huge sob and grabbed him around his neck. “I wanted that too. I wanted that too.”
As he held her, he whispered in her ear. “I’m scared Sunshine.”
“I know. I know, Honey. But it’s going to be okay. I promise.”
She couldn’t make that promise, but maybe between the two of them they could keep their son safe. And for damn sure, he knew their son would always feel loved.
“Seriously, I don’t want tea.”
“Crackers?” Dalton said holding up a package of saltines he found in the cupboard.
Aurora shook her head and fought back a smile. She watched as he went to the fridge. She followed him and put her hand over his. “Seriously, I’m fine now. Are you stalling?”
He looked down at her. “I have five months of caretaking to make up for.”
She heard the disquiet in his voice. “And that upsets you, doesn’t it?”
“Aurora, I get why you waited. Hell, I would have done the same thing in your shoes if I had heard all the shit I spewed.” Dalton dragged his hand threw his blue-black hair. “But it still doesn’t…”
“Just say it.”
Instead he wrapped an arm around her neck and drew her close. He slammed his lips over hers. Heat. The power and passion of this man hit her like a tsunami. She opened her mouth and his tongue dipped in, mating with hers.
He was conveying every o
ne of his emotions, his pain was raw, and she wrapped him close to her, but she felt his anger too, even though his kiss did nothing but evoke heat and hunger. One hand cupped the back of her head, positioning her so that he could mold their mouths together, while the other hand snuck under her sweater. When he touched the swell of her abdomen, that was when everything changed.
His rough and powerful kiss turned languid. She tasted wonder. He stroked her hair and sipped at her lips. She clung to him, undone by the reverence in his touch. Finally, he pulled away.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
It took a full minute for her to compute his words. “Why are you sorry?”
“I was angry when we started.”
“Oh.”
He looked at her for a long moment and then laughed. “Come to think of it, there was a little bit of angry kissing going on, on your side too.”
“Huh, you’re right. There was.” She hadn’t really realized she’d been pissed off at him, she’d thought she’d been feeling sad and sorry, not angry.
He put his knuckles under her chin and tilted her head up. “I’m not sure this is going to be all solved today, but we can agree on the fact we love each other, and we love our son.”
She sagged against him. “Oh yeah. I do love you. So much.”
He stroked her cheek. “I have the world here in my arms.”
It took long moments for Aurora to rouse herself out of this state of bliss. She realized that Lindy would be checking on them soon, if not Gunnar himself.
“We need to go into the other room. This whole little party is about me.”
“I know it is. That’s why I brought reinforcements.”
“I still don’t understand how you were watching over me, if you only just decided to come back to me. Care to clue a girl in?”
“His name is Dexter Evans, aka the housemother. He’s the one I tapped to get information on Ned in the first place. He did a lot of the digging.” He tried to open the refrigerator, so she leaned against it.
“That still doesn’t explain why the Scooby Gang is here.”
Her Guarded Hero Page 16