by Krista Lakes
“I can't,” she whispered.
“Yes, you can,” Carter told her with a gentle smile. “I'll be right here with you.”
The door shook, and a fragment of wood flew off it as a gunshot sounded. They both ducked, turning in time to watch a fragment of the door hit the floor. The door had stopped the bullet, but barely. The man outside was getting angrier now that the door hadn't given way.
“You killed her,” the intruder wailed, losing his calm as he slammed his body into the door again so hard the whole room shook.
“I can't jump,” Mia repeated, stepping away from the window.
“I'll hold your hand,” Carter coaxed, still smiling like he had all the time in the world. He held out his hand to her. “It'll be fine. I promise.”
Mia shook her head, and she let out a terrified gasp. “I can't jump. I'm pregnant.”
The words hit Carter like a slap. He stared at her, then down to her stomach, then back up to her face. The color drained from his cheeks. He hadn't been afraid of the intruder, but he was afraid of her words.
“YOU KILLED HER,” the man wailed, sending another piece of wood from the door flying. It would only take a few more hits, and he would be through. Mia held no illusions as to the fact that she was dead as soon as that happened. The death-threat sender knew she was important to Carter. She was just glad the kids were at school and safe there.
Carter ran around to the opposite side of the desk and tossed the leather chairs to the side as if they were made of plastic. He hopped back over the desk, and braced his shoulder against the heavy wood and pushed. It didn't move.
Mia hurried to his side and put her hands on the heavy desk to help.
“No,” he told her gruffly, pushing her hands off of it. He took a breath and braced his shoulder again. The seam on his shoulder ripped as his muscles tensed and he used every ounce of strength he had to push the desk.
The desk had to weigh a ton, but he moved it up against the door. He was shaking when he finished.
“YOU CAN'T STOP ME,” the voice cried. Anger and pain filled the words as he slammed into the door again. The door shook, but this time the desk held it in place. It wouldn't last forever though. All the man needed to do was keep hitting above the desk, and he would be inside.
Carter grabbed her hand, pulling her to the closet. He threw it open.
“Get inside,” he commanded. His voice was low and dangerous. “You should be safe. He doesn't want you. He doesn't know you're here.”
She moved inside the closet.
“I'll stay out here. Whatever you hear, don't make a sound.” His mouth was thin, and she couldn't look away from the rip on his shirt. She reached for his hands.
“Carter...” She looked up at him, knowing he was protecting her. There was so much that she needed to say. There was so much that she still needed to tell him, that he needed to know. This wasn't the place. “I didn't want to tell you like this.”
The door shook and the man outside screamed and tried again.
“When did you find out?” Carter asked quietly. His eyes stayed on their hands, not wanting to look into her eyes. At least he hadn't pulled away yet.
“A couple of days ago.” Her voice caught at the end.
“A couple of days?” Anger flashed through his blue eyes and Mia shrunk down as he took his hands away.
“I didn't know how to tell you,” she whispered. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for all of this.”
A rage scream filled the air, and the door shook again. Another bullet hit the door, making a large, strange dent in the fortified wood. “YOU KILLED HER. YOU DESERVE TO DIE.”
Carter's shoulders slumped. He raised his eyes from her hands to her face. There was such grief and betrayal that it broke her heart. She felt a tear run down her cheek, but she didn't move. She didn't know what to do or what to say. She turned her face from his gaze, her heart already shattering.
There was a blast from outside the door, and Mia was sure it was the end. She was sure that the man had finally broken down the solid wood door and was going to kill them all. He was going to kill Carter, her and their baby.
But the door remained intact. There were shouts and a scream from the other side. Mia held her breath until the shouting stopped. It felt like ages.
“Mr. Williamson? You can come out now.” The voice this time on the other side of the door was Brian. Mia recognized it and sagged with relief. She felt like her knees were going to give out.
Carter stepped away from her and went to the door. He unlocked it.
“I have the desk next to the door. Tell me when to push,” he told Brian.
At Brian's signal, Carter used his feet against the wall and his back to the desk to help push while the security team on the other side pushed as well. The floor made a horrible noise as the desk scraped against it, but they were free.
“Are you all right, sir?” Brian asked, poking his head through the doorway. “The threat has been removed.”
Mia came out of the closet, surprised that her feet were steady enough to walk. Through the open window, she could see security vans arriving, and the howl of police sirens floated through the air. She noticed how cold it was in the room with the window wide open.
“I'm fine,” Carter told him, pushing past and through the open door. “I just need some air.”
Mia stared after him. He was angry. He had every right to be.
“Are you all right, ma'am?” Brian asked her, coming into the room.
She nodded meekly. Physically she was fine, but she wasn't sure how she was emotionally just yet.
“Excuse me,” she said, knowing that she needed to go after Carter. She needed to talk to him. So she went through the broken door and hurried after the man she loved.
Chapter 34
Mia
Mia glanced at the office door on her way out and recoiled. It was a miracle the man hadn't gotten through. Just a few more moments and he would have had them. The door on the opposite side of the office was in tatters and stamped with blood. She could only assume it was the man's with his attempts to get in.
She wasn't far behind Carter. She could see the blue of his shirt as he disappeared out the front door. A sea of uniformed security stood in her way, but she wiggled between them hot on his tail. She had to catch him.
Outside, the police had finally arrived. Ten squad cars all stood in the big driveway loop of the ranch with more lining up down the road. It hurt her eyes to look at all the lights, but she did see an officer putting a man into the back of one.
He was tall and relatively good looking. He had the dark uniform of the security team, though it didn't seem to fit him very well. The man looked up, and she saw his eyes. They were ice cold and full of such fury that she had to take a step back even though she wasn't close to him.
“He killed her,” the man screamed, starting to thrash. Spit sprayed from his mouth like venom as he tried to get away.
She took another step back, needing to get away from him. The police had him, but given her afternoon, she wouldn't feel safe until he was firmly behind bars. Her back pressed up against another body, and she spun.
Brian held up his hands to show he wasn't trying to startle her. To be fair, she had backed into him.
“How did he get on the property?” Mia asked crossing her arms. Anger flared in her belly. It was supposed to be Brian's job to keep Carter safe. “Where did he get that uniform? Is he one of yours?”
“No ma'am,” Brian assured her. “The man stole Ben's uniform.”
He pointed to the side of the house where an ambulance sat hidden among the sea of police cars. Sitting in the opened back was Ben wearing a blood-stained t-shirt and jeans. He had an ice-pack to his head and was trying to answer the paramedic's questions. Even from this distance, he looked dazed.
“What happened to him?” Mia asked, momentarily losing her anger. Ben was a good guy.
“We found Ben tied up in the backseat of his truck,” Brian explaine
d. “Our perp is his landlord. He's been using Ben's ID badge to get on and off the property. He was able to know Ben's schedule, and thus get access to the security schedule. That's why we couldn't catch him.”
“Is Ben going to be okay?” Mia watched as a paramedic shone a light into Ben's eyes.
“Hillstone hit him hard enough to knock him out. Cut his head open in the process. Ben will be out of commission for a while, but I think he'll be okay.” Brian shook his head. “Hillstone thought this was his last chance at getting Mr. Williamson, so he didn't hold back.”
Mia swallowed hard and looked away from Ben. If Hillstone was willing to put an innocent man in the hospital with a concussion and stitches, there was no doubt he would have killed them both. It made her stomach twist, and she felt nauseous. Her hands went protectively to the small life growing in her belly.
Carter... she needed to find him. She glanced around and saw him walk into his garage. She took a deep breath. She knew he probably wanted to be alone right now, but she needed to talk to him. He needed to hear that this wasn't the end of the world.
She thanked Brian and headed toward the garage. The door was cracked open, telling her that he was expecting her to follow. If he didn't want visitors, he would have closed and locked the door. She took it as a good sign and knocked twice before pushing it open and stepping inside.
Carter sat with his back to her, busy drawing something on his drafting table. The sound of his pen on the screen filled the space between them. He didn't look up at her as he worked.
She walked over slowly, chewing on her bottom lip so hard she was sure she was going to draw blood soon. Her footsteps stopped as she stood off to his left. He was sketching out a new car.
“Carter, I want to explain,” she said softly into the silence. Her hands twisted against one another and that twisted stomach feeling was back. She looked around, noting where the trash bins were just in case her lunch came up.
“How did this happen?” he asked, his voice gruff. The pen flowed across the screen, giving shape to a sleek, fast-looking car.
“Well, I believe it happened in Vegas,” she replied.
His hand paused above the drawing, and he turned to study her. There was a wild gleam in his eye that she wasn't sure of. It looked dangerous as he evaluated her.
“I didn't mean for this to happen,” she said quickly. Her emotions were coming up again and it was only seconds before she knew she was going to burst into tears and start sobbing. The adrenaline of what just happened still pumped through her, but she had to get this out before she broke down. “The doctors said I would never get pregnant. That it was impossible. I'm so sorry. I know this isn't what you wanted. I'm so, so sorry.”
It was all just too much. The adrenaline, the danger, the hurt, the fear, the sorrow, and the shock. Her knees buckled, and she sagged to the floor. Once her knees were down, full body sobs racked her entire frame. Every inch of her cried. It was ugly and raw, but she couldn't hold it back anymore.
Suddenly, his arms were around her, and her face pressed into his strong shoulder. He held her tightly to him as she sobbed. Tears streamed down her face, and her nose ran, but he held her tight. He didn't let her go. He just held her to him, rubbing her back and making quiet, soothing noises as he let her release the torrent of emotions inside of her.
“I'm so sorry,” she whispered once the crying became more manageable. She hadn't cried like that since she was a child, though to be fair, she'd never had her and her child's life threatened before either.
Carter took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, raising her face to look at him. His blue eyes were like the sea after a storm. She didn't see anger there anymore.
“Don't be,” he told her.
“But you don't want kids,” she replied. She wiped her nose on the back of her hand and sniffled.
“You're right. I didn't,” he agreed with a small nod. He smiled gently. “Until I met you. And Alexander, Lily, and Grayson. Now I want everything. Now I want it all.”
Mia's heart stalled. She was going to start crying again but for an entirely different reason this time. He caressed her cheek and smiled as she looked her over.
“I love you, Mia,” he told her, kissing her forehead. He met her eyes and smiled. She could see excitement forming in their deep blue pools. “And I will love our child.”
Chapter 35
Mia
“Mia, where are you?” Grayson asked over the phone. “You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago.”
Mia put on her turn signal and worked her way to the edge of the highway so she could get off and head up to the ranch.
“I'm really sorry, Grayson,” Mia replied, checking her mirrors. “The traffic today is terrible. The snow is just slowing everything down.”
“How long until you get here?” the little boy asked, obviously pouting.
Mia raised her eyebrows at the phone. Grayson usually didn't care when she got to the ranch. In fact, the later she was, the happier he was because it meant more time in the barn with Star Dancer. He loved that little colt.
“Five minutes, tops,” she promised, stepping on the gas and zooming up to the dirt road leading to the ranch.
“Okay!” Grayson replied cheerfully and he ended the call. Mia shook her head and kept driving. Everyone seemed to be behaving oddly today.
First, Laura had asked the kids to come work at the ranch today, even though it wasn't their usual day. She said there was something important that she needed them to work on, but she was tight lipped about any other information. When Mia called Margie to let her know, Margie wasn't surprised. In fact, she seemed to already know about it.
Then, her boss had been strange all day. She had come and taken the kids' paperwork a couple of days before for an audit but was refusing to give it back. Mia had no idea what that was about.
Now, on her way back from work, Grayson was calling about her being late. Mia tried to think if there were any birthdays or anniversaries that she was forgetting about. She couldn't think of anything. There was no good reason for everyone to be acting so strangely.
“Must be a full moon tonight,” Mia murmured, pulling up to the ranch. “Everyone's just turning into werewolves. Or maybe they were all abducted by aliens and I'm the only human left.”
She chuckled as she pulled into the ranch. It was probably just her and her hormones. Being pregnant was doing strange things to her body. She'd never known until now just how much her state of mind depended on her hormonal balance.
As she came to a stop in front of the ranch, the front door opened and Grayson ran out. He raced to the side of the car with a huge grin on his face. He didn't have a jacket or coat on, and the white snow stood out against his dark hair.
“What are you doing out here?” Mia asked, getting out of the car. “Where's your coat?”
Grayson shrugged and took her hand, pulling her back to the house. “Come with me.”
The little boy practically vibrated with excitement. Mia wondered what in the world had him in such a state. Alexander was waiting by the door, hopping up and down as they came in.
“She's here!” Alexander yelled into the house as Mia took off her coat and set her bag down. She had to hurry because both boys grabbed her hands and pulled her down the stairs to the basement.
Carter and Lily were waiting in the common room, both with grins to match the boys. Mia was sure something was up. They had some sort of surprise for her. Her hands went to her belly. Did they know?
“What's going on?” Mia asked as Grayson and Alexander released her hands and went to stand next to Carter and Lily.
“We've been adopted,” Lily announced. Her whole face lit up with a smile as she said the words.
“What?” Mia felt the wind go out of her. No one had told her they'd been adopted. These kids were special to her. They couldn't just go to anyone! No wonder her boss had stolen their files! “Who adopted you?”
Carter stepped forward with a guilt
y smile. “I did.”
The anger of her children being sent to a stranger went out like a candle. She needed to sit down.
“What? How?” Questions swirled around in her mind, never combining to form complete sentences. Instead, she just went to the couch and sat down hard.
“Your boss and I are getting to be very good friends,” Carter replied. He sat next to her, taking her hand in his and smiling.
“You adopted them?” Joy started to warm in her heart and spread through her chest and out to her fingers and toes. If she couldn't adopt them, then Carter was the only other person in the world she was okay with them being with. She pushed away the small hurt that they would be his and not hers. That wasn't important.
“Yes,” Carter replied. He glanced at the kids who all nodded vigorously. He then took a deep breath, cleared his throat, slid off the couch and got down on one knee in front of her. “Would you join us? We're not a family without you.”
Mia stared at him as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a black velvet box. He flipped it open and held it out to her. Inside was the most beautiful diamond ring she'd ever seen.
“Mia Amesworth, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?” Carter asked, holding out the box.
She looked at her kids, all three with smiles as big as their faces and nodding away, then to Carter. His blue eyes held such love and warmth. There was just enough nervousness to make her love him even more.
“Yes,” Mia whispered. “Yes, yes, YES!”
She threw her arms around his neck, the yes's coming in quick succession. She couldn't stop saying yes. He wrapped his arms around her and laughed, kissing her tear covered cheeks. The kids rushed over, joining in on the hug and laughing along with them.
There were hugs and kisses all around. Each child got their own hug, then took turns hugging one another. Mia's heart beat with pure joy. She no longer had blood in her veins, she had happiness. She didn't need oxygen anymore because she had love. Her childrens' love and Carter's love. She had it all.