There was no way of guessing what might be going on in his head, because he had left last night without speaking a single word to her.
There would be no reason for him to follow her into work today. While Jimmy had been loaded into the ambulance, he’d confessed that he had been the person who had attacked her in the parking lot.
He’d believed that if he killed her then, the two-year-old murder investigation would once again become a cold case as everyone scrambled to find out who killed the sheriff. He apparently hadn’t been rational enough to know that an investigation into her murder might eventually lead to him.
There was no longer any reason for Daniel to act as her bodyguard. There was no longer any reason for them to spend any time together again. The danger was now gone.
She stumbled up from the futon and over to the counter to put on a pot of coffee. As it brewed she stood at the front window and stared out, her thoughts still on Daniel.
She expected nothing from him. She never had. He could choose to be an active parent in Lily’s life and they’d figure things out for custody, or he could walk away and decide to be an absent parent.
At least Lily didn’t know. If he did decide not to be a father, then Lily wouldn’t live with the sting of that rejection. She had poured herself a cup of coffee and was seated at the table when her mother made her morning appearance.
Clad in a pink flowered duster and with her dark hair neatly brushed, she looked no worse for the wear of the trauma of the night before.
“You’re up unusually early,” Rose said as she poured herself a cup of coffee and then joined Olivia at the table.
“I just woke up and decided to go ahead and get up.” Olivia wrapped her fingers around the warmth of her cup. “I guess I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
Rose looked at her in surprise. “I would think your mind would be wonderfully clear this morning. You’ve cleared the department from any corruption issues and you solved a crime that has haunted the town for two years.”
Olivia smiled at her mother. “We didn’t exactly solve the crime. It pretty much solved itself.” She took a sip of her coffee and eyed her mother over the rim of her cup. She carefully set the cup back down and leaned back in her chair. “I also told Daniel last night that he was Lily’s biological father.”
Rose stared at her in surprise. “And is that the truth?”
Olivia nodded. “He was the man at the conference five years ago that I met in the bar and then spent a night with and wound up pregnant.”
Rose spooned a bit of sugar into her coffee and stirred, obviously taking the time to gather her thoughts. “Why didn’t you tell him when we first arrived here and you recognized him as that man?”
“Because in one of the first conversations we shared he told me he was a confirmed bachelor who didn’t want a wife or any children. I knew we were here temporarily, so I figured there was no point in telling him,” Olivia explained.
Rose studied Olivia’s features for a long moment. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
Olivia sighed miserably. “I am.”
“I’ve seen it in your eyes when the two of you are together. I know you loved Phil, and he was there for you when you needed somebody, but I also know you didn’t feel that breathless kind of passion of true love and that’s what I see in you when you talk about Daniel.”
“It doesn’t matter how I feel about him. He just isn’t cut out to be a family man.” Olivia sucked in a sigh of misery.
“Pshaw, I’ve never seen a man more ready for a family than him,” Rose replied. “He looks at you the same way you look at him. And a confirmed bachelor wouldn’t have taken so many opportunities to eat dinner with an old woman and a little girl. He wouldn’t have taken us to that ice cream parlor. He might not know it, but he’s definitely a family man.”
“None of that matters now,” Olivia replied. “I’m sure he hates me now.”
Rose frowned. “Why?”
“I don’t know, maybe because I was stupid enough to get pregnant.”
“There were two of you in the bed that night,” Rose reminded her. “If you were careless, then so was he.”
“But after I told him and after everything was over last night, he didn’t even stick around to talk to me. He just left without saying a word.”
“I’m sure everything will be just fine, dear.” Rose took a drink of her coffee and then got to her feet. “How about I make French toast for breakfast this morning? I think we all deserve a little treat after the night we had last night.”
“Sure, that sounds great,” Olivia replied. Leave it to Rose to believe that a favorite breakfast food would magically make everything okay. Lily would be happy to have syrup on the menu for the morning.
Lily. Olivia’s heart squeezed tight, making it difficult for her to breathe as she thought of how close she’d come to losing her precious daughter and her mother the night before.
Things could have gone so terribly wrong if Daniel hadn’t taken the risk to break into the window and take Jimmy down.
Olivia finished her coffee and then headed for the bathroom to shower and dress for the day. By the time she had finished, Lily was awake and helping Rose with the French toast.
When she saw Olivia, she ran to her arms, and Olivia sat on the sofa for a morning snuggle. “How is my favorite girl this morning?” Olivia asked.
Olivia had spent some time the night before talking to Lily about what had happened. She’d explained that there were some bad people in the world and unfortunately one of them had gotten into the house. Lily had told her mother she’d tried to be brave but she had cried. She’d also told Olivia that she’d known in her heart that Deputy would get inside and take the bad man away.
“I’m good,” Lily replied and then smiled impishly. “I couldn’t be bad with French toast and lots of syrup for breakfast.”
Like Nanny, like granddaughter, Olivia thought an hour later as she drove toward the station. A little syrup for breakfast made the whole world sweet and wonderful and cast out all the evil in the world.
The closer she got to work, the more her stomach twisted into nervous knots as she tried to anticipate what to expect from Daniel.
Really, all she had to tell him was that nothing had changed. Within a couple of weeks at the most, she and her family would go back to Natchez and he never had to think about them again. Despite knowing the truth about Lily, there was no reason his life had to change at all.
He wasn’t at his desk in the squad room when she walked in. She headed for her office amid cheers and congratulations from the men who were present.
Everyone was in high spirits with the closure of Shelly Sinclair’s murder case, with the knowledge that the murdered young woman could finally now rest in peace.
She bowed with forced playfulness to the men and then quickly escaped into her office and closed the door. She sank down at her desk and wondered how long it would be before Daniel came in, before there was some sort of a confrontation between them.
It was ten o’clock when she saw, through the blinds, Daniel enter the squad room. He didn’t speak to anyone but walked directly to her door and knocked.
He entered the office and immediately closed all the blinds that would allow anyone to see inside the private office. She watched him closely, trying to gauge his mood, but it was impossible.
He finally sat in the chair in front of her desk, his green eyes as mysterious and unfathomable as the depths of the swamps that half surrounded the small town.
“Was there ever really a Phil who was your husband?” he asked.
“There was. He was the kindest man you’d ever want to know. Although I wasn’t in love with him, he was crazy about me. I married him when I was five months pregnant with Lily. He promised to love her like his own and he did so un
til the day he died.”
“I understand why you didn’t contact me when you first discovered you were pregnant. We didn’t exactly take the time to get full names or addresses that night in New Orleans, but why didn’t you tell me about Lily when you first arrived here?”
Olivia held his gaze steadily. “Because you wouldn’t have wanted to know, because you told me you were a confirmed bachelor and had no desire for marriage or children. I didn’t want to burden you with the truth.”
He shook his head and raked a hand through his hair, and for the first time she noticed the deepened lines that radiated out from his eyes, indicating a night of little sleep.
“I went home last night and tried to wrap my brain around everything that had happened. I was shocked by Jimmy’s actions and the fact that he’d hidden how much he hated Bo and that he’d killed Shelly. But I was completely stunned by you telling me that Lily was my daughter.”
“I shouldn’t have told you, at least not the way I did. But, Daniel, nothing has to change. I mean, I don’t want child support or anything like that. You can just pretend I didn’t tell you and go on about your merry way,” she said, although each word ached in her heart.
He stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Everything has changed. I went home last night and sat in my living room and listened to the silence that lived there. I’ve always liked the quiet. But, lately, the silence hasn’t felt good. In fact, it’s been lonely. I’ve been lonely and questioning the path I’d chosen for myself.” He leaned forward in the chair. “I want to be a part of Lily’s life.”
Olivia’s heart swelled. She’d wanted this for her daughter. Daniel was a good man and he would make a wonderful father. “Then I guess what we need to do is talk about custody for when I have to return to Natchez.”
“I want full custody,” he said and leaned back in his chair. His eyes simmered with a wealth of emotions, but his words caused Olivia’s breath to whoosh out of her. The last thing she’d ever expected was a custody battle with him.
“I... You can’t...” Hot tears sprang to her eyes.
Daniel leaned forward once again. “Olivia, you didn’t let me finish. I want full custody of Lily, but I also want full custody of you and Rose.”
“What?” She stared at him, afraid to guess what he meant, afraid to embrace any hope of dreams coming true.
He got up from his chair and walked around her desk. He took one of her hands and pulled her to her feet. “Olivia, I was awake all night long, fighting who I believed I was and what I’ve become, what you’ve made me become.”
“I don’t understand.” She gazed up at him, loving him so much it hurt and afraid of misunderstanding exactly what he wanted from her.
“I realized last night that I was a confirmed bachelor because I’d never met a woman who made me want to be anything else. I didn’t want children because I didn’t care enough about any woman to want to go there with her. What I realized last night was that I wasn’t that man anymore, that I had met the woman who made me desire marriage and children and a mother-in-law who is sweet and kind.”
She began to shiver as his words sank into her brain and then downward to fill her heart. “I love you, Daniel.” The words escaped her.
He cupped her face with his hands. “And I love you. I love you more than I ever dreamed it was possible to love. I want you in my life, Olivia. I want you and our daughter and Rose to build a life together forever.”
He stopped talking and instead took her mouth with his, kissing her with a sweet tenderness overlaying a simmer of desire that stirred her in her very soul.
When the kiss finally ended, he kept her in his arms. “We’ll need to figure out how this is all going to work,” he said. “I’ll quit my job here to move to Natchez. Sooner or later I’ll find some kind of work there. I can sell the house and pick up stakes.”
She looked up at him. “Or maybe we could just stay here. I could talk to my boss and see about getting transferred here. In fact, I hear through the grapevine that there’s going to be a new sheriff elected eventually. What do you think my chances are in getting elected?”
“I think with the right man backing you, your chances are very good,” he replied, his eyes shining with the happy confidence of a man who knew what he wanted and where he was going.
“I think if we work together we can accomplish anything, Olivia. But, are you sure this is where you want to be?” A frown appeared across his forehead.
“There’s really nothing for me in Natchez, and with the new amusement park going in, things should be jumping here in Lost Lagoon. But, the truth is, I’ll be happy anywhere as long as you’re by my side.”
He kissed her again, and Olivia realized all of her dreams were really coming true. This time when the kiss ended, he grabbed her by the hand and led her toward the office door.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“We need to hit the road.”
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To your place. We need to tell Lily that she can’t call me Deputy anymore. I can’t wait to hear her call me Daddy.” His eyes glowed with an inner happiness that matched the glow that lit her up inside.
Olivia laughed as they left the office and headed for the back door. As they left the building and stepped outside into the bright sunshine, she knew she was taking the first steps into her future...a future with a man she loved, the father of her child, and it was all going to be magnificent.
Epilogue
Late October was a good time for a barbecue in Lost Lagoon. The intense heat of summer had eased along with some of the heavy humidity. However, the fire of love hadn’t stopped burning for Olivia and Daniel.
Olivia now stood at the kitchen window in his house...in their home and watched as Daniel pushed Lily in a swing on a set he’d bought the day Olivia and Lily had moved in with him.
They had tried to get Rose to move in with them, but she’d insisted she wanted to remain in the cheerful little yellow house where she could start a garden in the yard and turn what had been Lily’s room into a crafting space.
Over the last month, Rose had made friends with several women, including Mama Baptiste, and the two often met for tea in the evenings and talked about herbs and cooking.
She was still available at all hours of the day and night to babysit Lily, and each Sunday Olivia, Daniel and Lily went back to the little yellow house for dinner.
* * *
OLIVIA SMILED AS she heard Lily’s laughter. “Higher, Daddy. Push me higher!” Daniel’s laughter mingled with Lily’s, and Olivia’s heart swelled with a love she had never dreamed possible.
A knock on the door pulled Olivia from the window and to the front door. Her mother entered carrying a bowl of potato salad big enough to feed an army.
“Mom, let me help you with that,” Olivia exclaimed and grabbed the bowl to carry it to the kitchen, where the table already held burgers and hot dogs ready to be placed on the grill, thick-sliced tomatoes and onions and squeeze bottles of mustard and ketchup.
At that moment, Daniel came in from the backyard, his smile carefree and loving as he looked first at Olivia, then at Rose. “If it isn’t my favorite soon-to-be mother-in-law,” he said and kissed Rose on her cheek.
“And look, she brought enough potato salad to feed the entire neighborhood even though there are just going to be eight of us,” Olivia said.
“But today is a celebration on so many different levels,” Rose replied. “And besides, potato salad is always good leftover.” She looked toward the window where Lily was still on the swing. “And now I’m going outside to spend some time with my favorite little girl before the others arrive.”
The minute she stepped out of the back door, Daniel grabbed Olivia around the waist and pulled her into his arms. “And I’m going to spen
d a little time with my favorite woman before the others arrive.”
As always when he kissed her she tasted his love, his desire for her and she knew she’d never tire of his kisses. He owned her heart and soul, and each day they spent together only deepened their love for one another.
“Hmm, you taste better than anything that’s going to be served today,” he said when he ended the kiss.
“That’s funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you,” she replied.
The doorbell rang, and Daniel sighed as he dropped his arms from around her. “Darn, I was hoping to get another kiss from you, but it appears some of our other guests have arrived.”
“You get the door. I still have a few things to finish putting out on the table,” Olivia said with a laugh.
Daniel disappeared and returned a moment later followed by Bo and Claire. Bo carried a Crock-Pot of baked beans, and Claire guided him to the table where she plugged it into a nearby wall socket.
“It’s a perfect day for a picnic,” Bo said.
Olivia smiled. “It’s a perfect day to celebrate.”
“What can I do to help?” Claire asked as Bo followed Daniel out the back door, where they both hovered over the barbecue pit.
“Absolutely nothing. Just sit and relax. How about a cold beer or something else to drink? I’ve also got lemonade, sweet tea and soda.”
“A glass of sweet tea sounds good,” Claire replied. She looked cute as a button with her short curly blond hair framing her face, clad in a pair of denim shorts and a blue sleeveless blouse.
Olivia delivered the tea to Claire just as the doorbell rang once again. “That will be Josh and Savannah. I’ll be right back.”
Olivia hurried to the front door to welcome the last of the guests. Savannah carried with her a chocolate cake and as she walked into the kitchen, Josh disappeared out the back door to join the other men at the barbecue.
Scene of the Crime: Who Killed Shelly Sinclair? Page 16