by Kate James
Would he simply pull away from her again?
If so, how many of these ups and downs could she handle, when she could no longer deny that she was in love with him? And because she was, she hadn’t been able to say no when he’d asked her out.
Well aware of the limitations of her wardrobe, she’d enlisted Madison’s help to find a new dress.
Madison had been more than happy to oblige. After Shannon’s indecisiveness while shopping with Madison, trying on outfit after outfit, feeling self-conscious, Madison had insisted she go with the red jersey dress. It had a scoop neck, and it ended midthigh. She’d finally capitulated.
Shannon considered the color against her skin tone and hair. She had to agree it worked. There was a rosy glow to her skin, and it wasn’t just the blush of excitement.
She removed the dress from the hanger, slipped it on and gave it a few tugs. Had it really been that short in the store? She stepped into high-heeled, strappy sandals, another new purchase. She checked herself in the mirror, turning one way, then another, and decided it would do. Glancing at her bedside clock, she saw that she was on time. Hearing the doorbell, she noted that so was Sawyer.
She left Darwin in her bedroom and walked cautiously, in deference to the heels, down the stairs to let Sawyer in.
Sawyer’s brows rose the minute he laid eyes on Shannon. “You look...” He reached for her hand. “Spectacular!”
That made the financial outlay for dress and shoes worth it.
Still holding her hand, he leaned toward her and sniffed. “You smell wonderful, too.”
Shannon seldom wore perfume, but today she’d not only spritzed some on, she’d slathered her skin with some sort of body lotion Madison had urged on her. Score another one for Madison, she thought as she locked the door behind them.
At the restaurant—Frisco’s Steakhouse this time—Shannon was impressed once more by how smoothly they were whisked through the beautiful entry, into the dining room and to their table.
They were seated, in Shannon’s opinion, at the best table in the house, next to a decorative gas fireplace. There were candles, crystal and flowers on their table and all around them.
Music, mellow and classical, flowed through the room, just loud enough to set the mood and mask conversation at other tables, but not so loud that it distracted them from their own conversation. Everything about the setting made Shannon think of romance and stirred a yearning deep within her. Would Sawyer have picked this restaurant, this table, if that hadn’t been his intention?
Their orders were taken, the wine served—all very efficiently and unobtrusively—and the whole time she couldn’t believe she was sitting there with Sawyer. She didn’t know where it would lead, but for now, she wanted to live in the moment and enjoy it to the fullest—the shimmer of candlelight, the gleam of crystal, and his attentiveness and charm as they finished their appetizers and their main courses were served.
Looking at him, those forest green eyes, the strong features, the longish dark brown hair, only intensified her yearning. She lowered her gaze to her wineglass, afraid to keep looking at Sawyer, afraid to let him see everything she was feeling reflected in her eyes. Being here with him was a huge step forward, but she didn’t think he was ready to discover how deeply she felt about him. With everything he had to contend with, she didn’t want to burden him...or scare him off.
She swirled the wine in her glass and thought back to when he’d kissed her on the pier after their first dinner. Feeling dreamy and contented. She wondered if he’d kiss her again tonight.
It occurred to her that she even loved the sound of his voice. When he paused, she missed the sound of it.
“Is everything okay?”
She glanced up at him. “Of course. Why?” More than okay, if she could just stay in this moment.
He gave her a half smile. “I was telling you what Rufus did yesterday, but I don’t think you were listening.”
“Yes, I was!” she said defensively.
He grinned. “Oh, really? What did I say he did?”
“You...uh...” She gave him a sheepish smile of her own. “My mind might have wandered a little.”
He chuckled. “Was I that boring?”
“Oh, no! Not at all. I was just...” She was mortified at being caught and even more so, especially since it had been the result of thinking about his kisses.
“I can drone on at times. Anyway, it’s your turn. Tell me what you’ve been doing to serve and protect the citizens of San Diego this week.”
While Shannon told him about some of the highlights, the waiter cleared the plates from their main course, and took their order of coffee and dessert. They passed on coffee, but decided to share a crème brûlée.
Sawyer’s eyes were dark and serious, as he reached for Shannon’s hand and ran his thumb across a scrape along a finger.
A little embarrassed, she tried to pull her hand away, but he held tight.
“How did this happen? In the line of duty, I bet.” He looked up at her for acknowledgement.
Shannon hoped the lighting was sufficiently dim so he wouldn’t see her blush.
“Your hands are strong and soft. It might seem like a contradiction, but they’re capable and yet feminine. You have a tough job that most people don’t appreciate nearly enough, but you haven’t let it harden you.”
“It’s still early days yet,” she replied with a chuckle.
“No. I don’t think that’ll change.”
When Shannon’s cell phone rang, she gave Sawyer an apologetic look. “It’s my work phone. I’m sorry, but I have to take it.”
He nodded. “Clemens,” she answered.
“It’s Cal. You asked me to call you, so I am. It’s time! Jess and I are on our way to Ocean Crest Hospital. She’s having the baby!”
“Oh, oooh! That’s wonderful! How’s she feeling?”
“Eager to get the delivery over and done with!” Cal responded. “You said you wanted to be there for the birth. Based on her contractions, it won’t be long, so you might want to get in your SUV, put your lights on and meet us there.”
“That soon? Really?”
“Problem?”
Shannon was having a wonderful time and didn’t want to cut the evening short. But one of her closest friends on the police force and his wife were about to have a baby. She’d been honored when they’d asked her to be a godparent, and she didn’t take the responsibly lightly. She’d been the one to insist that she wanted to be there for the birth. She couldn’t very well not show up.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do Logan and Rick know?”
“Logan does, and Rick’ll be my next call. See you shortly,” he said before they hung up.
“That didn’t sound like official police business,” Sawyer said with a smile as she put her phone back in her clutch.
“No, it wasn’t. It was Cal—Cal Palmer. You remember him?”
“The other search-and-rescue officer.”
“Yes. His wife, Jessica, is about to give birth to their first child together—a brother or sister to Kayla, who is adopted, and Haley, Cal’s daughter from his first marriage. I’m going to be the baby’s godmother. I’m sorry to end our dinner so abruptly, but it’s important to me to be there. If you wouldn’t mind driving me home, I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“From what I gathered listening to your end of the conversation, there’s not much time. If they’re heading to Ocean Crest Hospital, I can get you there in fifteen minutes. If I drive you home first, it’ll take you nearly an hour.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. I’d really appreciate it if you could drop me off at the hospital. Then I can take a taxi home, or have Logan or Rick drive me.”
Sawyer signaled for the waiter and explained that they wouldn’t have dessert
after all, and asked him to bring the check.
“I’ll drive you home afterward.”
“You mean you’ll stay with me?”
“Yes. Would that be a problem?”
“No. I don’t think so. I just wouldn’t have expected that you’d want to.”
The waiter handed Sawyer the check. “Is something not to your satisfaction, sir?” he asked.
“Everything was great. We need to get to the hospital for a delivery.”
The waiter looked at Shannon. Particularly her midsection.
She laughed and placed a hand on her belly. “No, it’s definitely not me giving birth!”
“My apologies,” the waiter mumbled, while he ran Sawyer’s credit card through his handheld machine.
They made good time to the hospital. Rick, Madison and Logan were already there when they arrived. Rick had an enormous stuffed bear under his arm, and Logan was holding a bright bouquet of flowers.
Rick took one look at Shannon and whistled. He glanced at Madison apologetically. “Sorry. It just slipped out.”
“Oh, that was exactly the type of reaction I was hoping for when I helped her pick that dress!” Madison gave Shannon a hug and whispered in her ear. “I was right about the dress! It’s sensational on you.” Then she nodded in Sawyer’s direction. “Are you going to introduce me to your date?”
“Madison, this is Sawyer Evans. Sawyer, meet Madison Vasquez. You’ve already met her husband, Rick Vasquez, a sergeant with the K-9 Unit.”
Sawyer first shook hands with Madison. “Good to see you again,” he said to Rick, as he shook his hand, too, then Logan’s. “Captain, it’s nice to meet you in other than a professional capacity.”
“Call me Logan. No one here’s on duty. Ah, there’s Ariana now,” he said.
More introductions were made and Ariana, too, hugged Shannon and complimented her on how she looked.
“Where are Haley and Kayla?” Ariana asked.
“They’re with Jessica’s parents,” Madison replied. “Cal and Jess didn’t want them to get impatient waiting here, but they should arrive shortly.”
They chatted, drank coffee, paced among the other people in the waiting room, until finally Cal emerged from the delivery room, grinning from ear to ear. “We have a son!” he announced. “Healthy, eight pounds, three ounces. Mom and baby Ronin are both doing great!”
Rick was the first to give Cal a bear hug, followed by Logan and the others. Shannon was the last in line to offer her congratulations. Then Cal noticed Sawyer and gave Shannon a raised-brow look before turning to him.
Sawyer extended his hand. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” Cal said. “We appreciate you being here.” He turned back to the others. “They were just getting Jess and Ronin comfortable. I think it’s been long enough. We can go see them now.”
Cal led the way to Jessica’s room.
She was propped up in bed and had the baby, wrapped in a fuzzy blue blanket, snuggled against her. Shannon saw her press her lips to the top of the little bald head, as the baby made an adorable mewing sound and yawned hugely. She’d never thought of herself as maternal or terribly sentimental, but seeing Jess with her baby, and Cal now sitting on the edge of the bed, one arm around Jess’s shoulders and the other tenderly stroking his son’s cheek, caused something to shift inside her. Jess and Cal and Ronin were a unit. Happy and so obviously filled with love.
She felt a touch on her hand, then Sawyer laced his fingers through hers. Their gazes met and held. If she hadn’t already fallen head over heels for him, seeing that he was equally moved by the tableau in front of them would have done it.
For a moment, everything around them seemed to fade away as she lost herself in his eyes.
Loud laughter pulled her out of her reverie and she glanced over at the bed, where Jessica, Cal and baby Ronin were clustered. Madison perched on the other side.
“That boy’s going to take after his father, no question,” Rick said with a guffaw. “He’s already got hold of a beautiful woman and won’t let go!”
Only then did Shannon notice that the baby had his small hand in a fist, tightly clutching a lock of Madison’s long red hair.
Cal reached over and very gently opened his son’s hand to free Madison’s hair, before the baby clenched it again.
When the door swung open, Jess and Cal’s daughters, Haley and Kayla, ran into the room, squealing with excitement. Cal slid off the bed and gathered them both in his arms. An older couple, whom Shannon guessed to be Jessica’s parents, followed. The woman was quick to rush to the bedside and hug her daughter, while the man sauntered over more slowly. He swept back his daughter’s hair and dropped a kiss on her forehead. Next, he carefully pushed the blanket away from Ronin’s face and stroked the tiny pink cheek.
He bent down, murmured something in his daughter’s ear. When he straightened and reached out to shake Cal’s hand, Shannon noticed the sheen of moisture on his face.
Despite all the activity around them, Shannon couldn’t get the look on Sawyer’s face out of her mind. Oddly, she didn’t feel self-conscious about the fact that he continued to hold her hand in the presence of her friends and colleagues.
A nurse came in shortly after, and asked that everyone leave to allow the new mother and baby Ronin to get some well-deserved rest.
As Sawyer drove Shannon home, she kept thinking about the wonder of the evening, culminating in the connection they’d made in the hospital room. She was absolutely sure he’d felt it, too.
For the first time in her life, Shannon dreamed of a forever love and a family, and Sawyer was cast in the starring role.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SHANNON WAS STILL basking in the afterglow of the evening when she and Darwin entered the squad room the next morning.
“Shannon, can you come in here for a minute, please?” Logan called to her from the doorway of his office.
“Sure.” She slid her duffel under her desk, and gave Darwin a “down-stay” command.
“What’s up, Jagger?” she asked once she was in his office and seated.
His eyes narrowed and seemed to scrutinize her face before he spoke again. “I don’t think you’re going to like this. Evans will like it even less.”
A cold chill crept up Shannon’s spine. Her happy mood of only moments ago was no more than a memory.
“Leary believes they’ve located Evans’s ex-wife. If it is her, you know it’s not out of the realm of possibility for her to have abducted her own son.”
Shannon felt the blood drain from her face. “Have they found any evidence to corroborate that she was involved?”
Logan shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of, no. But we’ve been coming up empty with every other angle we’ve pursued. We have no viable suspects. If Jeannette Evans is alive, her abducting the boy would be the most plausible scenario we have to date. If it is her, she’s living under an assumed name. That adds some weight to our supposition. People don’t generally change their names on a whim. She now goes by the name Lilly Harris. Middle name Michelle. But here’s the kicker. She appears to be remarried.”
Shannon squeezed her lips together. She recalled that Sawyer had said he hadn’t divorced her. She doubted it was possible for his wife to have gotten a divorce without his knowledge. The only coherent thought she was able to form was that Sawyer would be devastated. The FBI must not have the right person. This couldn’t be happening. “If the woman is Jeannette Evans, surely Sawyer would’ve heard from her, if for no other reason than to petition for divorce. Or she would’ve turned up during the search three years ago.”
“You know that’s not necessarily the case.”
“When she originally disappeared, nothing popped, but we work cold cases periodically and so does the FBI. Wouldn’t there have been
some flag along the way that she was alive? A credit card? Passport or security check? Contact with her own family, if not her husband and son?” She knew she was grasping at straws. There was a reason the legal presumption of death required seven years. People could and had turned up unexpectedly years after their disappearance.
“Not necessarily,” he repeated.
“If she’d assumed an alias, that could mean all kinds of things.” Her heart was breaking for Sawyer and she was desperately trying to find the least catastrophic answer.
“Yes, it could,” Logan agreed. “But one of those would be possible ill intent.”
Shannon’s thoughts were muddled, tripping and tumbling over each other. If it was true, what would it mean for Sawyer? For Dylan?
No. She wasn’t ready to accept that a mother, a woman who was loved by Sawyer, could have done something as abhorrent and traumatic as kidnapping her own child. There had to be another explanation. She sincerely hoped so, for Sawyer’s and Dylan’s sakes.
And on a purely selfish note, now that it could be a reality, what would that mean for her? For them? Was it just the evening before that she’d fantasized about a happy-ever-after with him?
“We’ll know more once the FBI has made contact,” Logan said, interrupting her thoughts. “If it’s her, she’s living in Wickenburg, Arizona. FBI Special Agent Gavin Leary is on his way there now.”
“How did they find her?”
“They got lucky on that. Through facial recognition on social media. The FBI has been doing regular searches since Dylan was abducted. She recently set up a Facebook account, after her second child was born, apparently to provide updates on her kids.”
“She has kids?”
Logan nodded. “Two. A toddler and a baby.”
All Shannon could think of was how Sawyer would take that news. Jeannette had left him and Dylan, and now had a new family? “If she is behind the abduction, why? She has two kids. Would that have made her long for her firstborn?”
“Shannon, you’re asking me questions I can’t possibly answer. Why don’t we let Leary do his job?”