Baby Battalion
Page 19
“Congratulations,” Tess said.
“It seems like every time I turn around I’ve got another grandchild.” She covered her mouth as she yawned. “Oh my, excuse me. I should have taken more time to recuperate. All I want to do right now is sleep.”
Stacy rushed into the room and greeted them. “I’m so glad Joey is here. Zachary keeps asking for him.”
“They’ve become regular buddies, haven’t they?” Tess was proud of Joey for the way he got along with Zachary. At times, Stacy’s autistic son could be difficult.
“We were all heading out to the barn so Zachary could ride the horses,” Stacy said. “Do you think Joey would want to come along?”
“Definitely,” Tess said.
After saying goodbye to Lila, she walked with Stacy toward the barn. Joe had joined the other men from CSaI, Parker McKenna and Cody Wright. Joey and Zachary bounced along beside them, so excited that they couldn’t hold themselves to a regular walk.
“How’s the morning sickness?” Tess asked.
“Still there, but it’s worth it.”
“Thanks for last night,” Tess said. “You handled the event really well.”
“It wasn’t me. Your plans were perfection. And Trudy is fantastic. Talk about calm under pressure, that woman deserves a medal.”
An unbidden memory of Victor with Joe’s Purple Heart popped into her mind. It was going to take a while to process everything that had happened. Lucky for her, she wouldn’t have to go through it alone.
Stacy gestured to the boisterous group that was assembling near the horses. “These are the Lockharts. There’s Bailey, Chloe and Devin. Grace is at the hospital with her son, Caleb.”
Tess recalled that Caleb had a bone marrow transplant. Lila was the donor. “How is the boy doing?”
“Really well.” Stacy pointed. “That handsome young man is Sean Lockhart. He’s home on leave from Afghanistan.”
In addition to Zachary and Joey, there were other kids: Devin’s two-year-old baby and Parker’s thirteen-year-old son, who lived with him and Bailey.
Tess and Stacy stood at the corral fence and watched as their little boys had a chance to be on horseback. Her gaze drifted toward Joe. Her big, strong husband was incredibly gentle with their son. The role of daddy suited him very well, indeed.
Even if they moved back to Arlington, she didn’t want to lose touch with this place where Joe had lived. These people were his family, too.
THAT EVENING, Christmas dinner was at Bart’s estate, and everybody was there—all the agents and their families, except for Grace Marshall and Nick Cavanaugh, who were with Caleb at the hospital.
They were all surprised by a commotion from outside the house. Bellowing ho-ho-ho, Santa Claus climbed down from a sleigh pulled by reindeer and marched through the front door carrying his goody bag over his shoulder.
Joe looked toward Bart. “When did you have time to arrange this?”
“It wasn’t me,” Bart said.
Santa set down his bag. A fancy script note pinned to the side said, From Amelia.
Joe had noticed her absence. “Where is she, anyway?”
Santa took out a letter and began to read. “Merry Christmas, I’m thinking of you while on vacation in Rio.”
“Rio?” Joe said. “Rio de Janeiro?”
He was surprised, but not really. Amelia, the office manager and genius researcher, had a mysterious life that none of them were privy to.
Santa read from the letter, “Since all of you seem to be finding families, I think there should be a new name for Corps Security and Investigations.”
Santa reached into a bag and pulled out one of a dozen teddy bears. It wore a T-shirt that said: Daddy Corps.
An appropriate name, Joe thought. No matter what else they did, they were daddies first.
Before they sat down to dinner, he had fielded half a dozen questions about who he really was. Joe called them all into one room. “Everybody find a seat. I’m going to explain this once and only once. Then, no more questions.”
He was ready to step back into his life as Joe Donovan, and he needed them all to understand. He cleared his throat and launched into the story of how he nearly died and had to live undercover for five years until the threat to his wife and son was eliminated.
When he wrapped up the story, Bart wheeled himself toward him. The old man straightened his shoulders and saluted. In a gruff voice, he said, “Welcome home, Joe.”
He held Tess in his arms and ruffled his son’s hair. Joe Donovan truly was home. Exactly where he belonged.
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Cassie Miles for her
contribution to the Daddy Corps series.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-8226-1
BABY BATTALION
Copyright © 2011 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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