by Katie Reus
It was too surreal.
For the past few hours they’d done nothing but play with her, read her books—though she tried to teethe on them more than anything—and take her out to see Selene’s horses. She was way too young to ride, but Faith liked to pet them. She also had a pet bunny that Selene had apparently gotten for her a couple of days ago.
He had so many damn questions and he wanted to know why it had taken Selene so long to contact him but he understood why she’d wanted to wait to discuss everything until Faith was sleeping. She’d skipped her nap, too excited by the newcomer—him.
She’d let him hold her and hadn’t seemed scared of him at all. Holding her in his arms was the best feeling in the world. Meghan would have loved her more than anything and he was never going to let any harm come to her. When Faith had done the “I love you” thing again, he’d almost had another breakdown.
Now he wanted answers and to hold Selene in his arms. But in a much different way. Today she hadn’t touched him much except for when he’d first arrived and he couldn’t tell if she was letting him get adjusted to Faith or what, but he wanted to touch her, even just to hold her hand. He wanted her to understand what she meant to him, that he wasn’t letting her go again.
Selene came out from the guest room where Faith was sleeping, a monitor in her hand. “I’ve got the security system armed but now you can see her anytime you want,” she said, holding out the monitor to him as she collapsed on the couch next to him.
Hell no. He hauled her into his lap.
Blue eyes wide with surprise, she settled against him, but he could sense the tension humming through her. Just like that, he was hard.
He took the monitor from her and grinned. “They didn’t have this kind of stuff when I was a kid.”
“Right,” she muttered before clearing her throat nervously. “I know you have questions.”
“Yeah.” He set the monitor down next to his beer and wrapped his arms around her.
Thankfully she snuggled against him, but that tenseness was still there. He didn’t like it.
“I’m just going to start from the beginning and feel free to jump in with questions anytime.” When he nodded she continued, “When I was being held in the freezer, the guard Grisha killed said something to me about . . . Meghan’s baby still being alive.”
Selene paused, waiting for him to give her a signal. Since he didn’t trust his voice he just nodded again.
“When they took Meghan, they brought her down to Miami since that was Tasev’s new base of operations. Grisha gave me enough information that I was able to connect an escort the other guard spent time with to someone who worked at one of the hospitals. From there I was able to track down all the babies taken in the state’s system about two years ago. I covered adoptions and those still in foster care. Normally a baby would be adopted quickly but Faith has some medical problems.” Selene’s voice was hesitant so he squeezed her hand.
“I was going to ask. She’s so small. Is that . . . normal?” All kids seemed tiny to him so he didn’t know if she was too small for her age or what. And he’d been too afraid to ask.
Selene smiled, the sight taking his breath away. “Oh yeah. She’s just a small kid, but she’s got some heart issues. Nothing that will stop her from living a full life, but she’ll need to make more doctor visits than other kids and she might get more colds than normal. During flu season you’ll need to pay more attention to her if she gets a sniffle or fever. I’ve got her medical files so you’ll be able to look at them and talk to her pediatrician whenever you want. You’ll need to have her files transferred to wherever you end up . . . living.”
He started to comment but she kept going.
“Her parentage has been verified with the DNA you and Meghan had on file so there’s no doubt she’s yours. Wesley pulled a lot of strings to get her here with me and you’ll need to sign some paperwork, but she’s legally yours. It took a little longer than I’d hoped, which is why I didn’t call you.”
Overwhelmed, Levi sat back against the couch. Too many emotions ran through him. He was humbled, awed, and yeah, scared at the thought of being a dad. “Holy shit.”
“It’s a lot to take in,” she said softly.
“Yeah.” He was a dad with serious responsibilities now. For the rest of his life. When everything she’d just said registered he turned to face her, pinning her with his stare. “I don’t have a place to live right now.” He had a lot of money, but no roots anywhere. The few things he’d kept from his former life were in a storage locker.
A ghost of a smile played across her lips. “I know. You’re more than welcome to . . . stay here until you figure some things out. Your life has just changed drastically and I love having Faith here.” Multiple emotions flickered across her face, sadness and pain, and the sight was a kick in his gut.
“Why are you sad?” he blurted.
She shook her head. “I’m not sad. I’m . . . I don’t know what the hell I am. You have a lot to deal with right now, Levi.”
Suddenly he realized what she wasn’t saying and a spike of iciness slid through his veins. He tightened his grip around her. “You don’t want a ready-made family?” Even if he couldn’t blame her, it still sliced him up. Nothing should be able to do that, considering he’d been given the best gift in the world, but he didn’t want a life without Selene either. It made him feel hollow to imagine waking up another day without her. She’d filled something inside him he hadn’t realized could be filled again.
She blinked in surprise. “Are you kidding me? I love you, Levi. Even all the screwed up parts of you. And I’ve only known Faith a few days and that kid has completely stolen my heart. I just . . . I know you have a lot of decisions to make. Like, where you’ll live. What you’ll do for a living. Stuff like that. I didn’t think you’d need or want anything else to worry about right now. I’m not going to pressure you to include me in your life.”
He cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb across her soft skin. Her eyes grew heavy lidded for a moment as she watched him. “I’ll live wherever you are so that solves the first problem. Preferably in the same house. And I have no idea what I want to do now but I don’t need to make that decision for a while. The last few years I’ve done well for myself and I just want to spend time with my daughter and you. I want to marry you, Selene. When I told you before this wasn’t casual, I wasn’t kidding. I want a ring on your finger and to wake up to your beautiful face every morning for the next fifty fucking years.” He knew it was too soon to say that shit but he didn’t care. More than anyone he knew what it was like to lose someone. He wasn’t going to waste time because it was too damn precious.
“You’re gonna have to start watching that F-bomb around Faith,” she whispered.
“I can do that.”
“And . . . I think you need counseling. You’ve been through a lot and—”
“Okay.”
She blinked. “What?”
“I agree with you.” If anyone had told him a couple of years ago he needed to see a therapist he’d have knocked their head off. But now, he knew he did. If he was going to be a father and husband, he needed help and he wasn’t afraid to admit it.
The most breathtaking smile spread across her face as tears filled her eyes.
Heart pounding out of control, he reached for Selene, grabbing her hips and pulling her so that she straddled him. Groaning, he rolled his hips against her, his cock hardening even more at the feel of her on top of him.
“You’re also going to have to give me a better proposal than that,” she murmured before brushing her lips over his.
He groaned again. The woman tasted like heaven. His woman. She started feathering kisses along his jaw, nipping at his skin and he felt it in every nerve ending. He’d been fantasizing about this for eight straight days.
“I’ve got to tell you something else.” Her breath was hot against his ear.
He didn’t want to talk anymore, but . . . “What?” he man
aged to rasp out.
“Wesley lives not too far from here. We’re neighbors.” She pulled back to look at him, clearly gauging his expression.
He was surprised, but maybe he shouldn’t have been. “Okay.”
She bit her bottom lip as she continued to watch him. Finally she spoke again. “I told you my family died when I was young and that’s true. They were killed in a home invasion gone wrong. I was fourteen and at the mall of all places when it happened.” She swallowed hard and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. What a shitty thing to have to deal with. He might have lost his parents but at least he’d had a lot of good years with them. “After they were killed the money they left me was put into a trust to be managed by a social worker. She was an idiot and would have mismanaged it before I’d turned eighteen so I transferred the funds into another account and split town. I was always good with computers. Really good.”
That being an understatement, considering what he’d seen her do.
“So I managed to live on my own for over a year—renting under an alias. I made friends, but they were all in school during the day—just like I should have been. But since my plan was to live off the radar until I was eighteen, I wasn’t enrolled anywhere. And a bored teenager is a very bad thing. I hacked the CIA when I was fifteen sort of as a joke. Mainly just to see if I could do it. After that I had to move and keep moving because I’d stirred up a hornets’ nest. I might have been smart but I was still fifteen. I also got on the radar of some very bad people. That’s how I ended up in Cartagena. Jimenez had me funneling money for him but he was stupid and gave me personal time on his computer. That’s when I contacted Wesley. I didn’t know it was him I was contacting but I reached out asking for help and told him I was the one who’d hacked the CIA. I figured the NSA might help since I hadn’t hacked them.”
Levi rubbed a hand over his face. “That’s . . . crazy. I always wondered what happened to that girl. To you.”
She smiled at that. “I’m telling you all this because Wesley means a lot to me. We spend all our holidays together and, hell, he’s the only family I’ve had for a really long time.” The worried note in her voice clawed at him.
“I have no problem with Wesley.” Something he wouldn’t have been able to say even a week ago. “I let my rage blind me to a lot of things. I still don’t know that I’d go back and change things if I could because everything that happened brought me to you and my daughter. So if Wesley’s a part of your life, he’s a part of mine.” And the truth was, Wesley would probably make a great grandfather.
She started to breathe out a sigh of relief, but Levi didn’t let her. He slanted his mouth over hers, needing to taste and touch her everywhere, to prove to himself that Selene was alive and in his arms and not going anywhere. Rolling over, he pinned her beneath him on the couch, savoring the feel of her arching into him.
When she moaned, he froze and pulled back. “Can we . . . is it okay if we do this out here?” he whispered. What if Faith woke up? He knew pretty much nothing about kids and didn’t want to scar her for life if she heard them or something.
To his surprise, Selene let out a loud bark of laughter. She cupped his face in her soft hands. “You have a lot to learn about kids. But I can tell you that yours can sleep through anything. And if for some reason she wakes up we’ll hear her on the monitor so we’re fine.”
Not needing to hear another word, Levi crushed his mouth over Selene’s this time, needing to claim and possess her. He couldn’t believe how much his life had changed in a few short days. After today it would never be the same again and he couldn’t be happier about it. He couldn’t wait to start his life with the woman he loved and the daughter he never knew he had. He planned to protect and care for them the rest of his life.
Epilogue
One year later
After navigating around a tricycle and baseball and bat T-ball set, Selene steered her truck into the garage and shut the door behind her. She’d had a long day—scratch that, week—and she needed to see her husband and daughter.
She shrugged out of her jacket as she opened the door into the mud room. She slipped her boots off and headed into the attached kitchen.
A smile lit her face to see Levi at the stove and Faith sitting next to him on the counter intently watching him cook. She wanted to do anything her father did.
When Faith saw Selene her face lit up, those adorable dimples deepening as she threw her arms out and wiggled in place. “Mommy! I hold you, I hold you!”
“Hey, babe,” Levi murmured, his lips curling up into a wicked grin that promised she’d enjoy whatever he had planned later tonight.
Hurrying to Faith she lifted her off the counter, soaking up the big hug as her little girl wrapped her arms around her neck and squeezed. The mommy moniker had taken her completely off guard the first time Faith had used it. And if she was honest, the next dozen times, but she loved Faith as if she was her own and she was raising her so she hadn’t fought it even though she’d felt a bit like an imposter in the beginning. More than that, she’d worried Levi wouldn’t like it. Turns out she was the only one worried.
“How was work?” Levi asked as she made her way to the refrigerator—with Faith attached to her hip—and grabbed a cold bottle of water.
“Exhausting but we wrapped up everything today.” It didn’t matter that Faith couldn’t understand what they were talking about; Selene didn’t talk many details about her work in front of their little girl.
Levi just nodded and she knew they’d talk more about the job later once Faith was in bed. She couldn’t tell him everything but she still told him a lot about her various missions. It had been something she and Wesley had butted heads about after she and Levi had gotten married, but in the end she’d won. Her job was hard enough and she wasn’t going to be one of those people who was forced to compartmentalize everything to the point where her family knew nothing about what she did. Levi understood more than most and he was a good sounding board. Plus Wesley had reinstated his security clearance so Levi was privy to hear certain things.
Even if he’d never return to what he’d done before he still understood what she went through daily. Although now she was strictly an analyst. No more field missions. Not with Faith and Levi to think about. At first she’d thought it would be a sacrifice but the truth was, Selene didn’t miss it and her job was interesting and challenging on a daily basis. Sometimes too challenging, as tonight proved. She wanted to go to sleep for a week after the job she’d just finished.
“So . . . talked to Cole earlier today. He knows about a deal on a young Andalusian.”
Biting back a smile, Selene peered over his shoulder at what Levi was doing. The cut up avocado, jalapeno, and tomato made her stomach growl because she knew exactly what he was making and it looked like heaven. “The beef on the grill?”
“Not yet. The meat won’t take long.”
“Yum,” she murmured, kissing Faith on the cheek.
She nodded seriously, red curls bouncing. “Yummy, Mommy.”
“Can you say carne asada tacos?”
Faith shook her head mainly to be obstinate, not because she couldn’t say it. “Yummy in my tummy.”
Levi cleared his throat and set his knife down as he turned to look at her. He crossed his mouth-watering arms over his chest. That T-shirt did nothing to hide his raw strength. “Are you going to ignore what I said?”
Selene’s lips curved up and she leaned in to him, unable to deny herself any longer, brushing her lips gently over his lips before she pulled back. “We both know you’re going to get the horse,” she murmured. Cole was a horse-breeder who lived in the area and he and Levi had become good friends in the last few months.
“New horsey!” Faith exclaimed, which further proved Selene’s point that the girl understood far too much already. She always seemed to know what Selene and Levi were talking about, especially when it came to bed or bath time, her two least favorite times of day.
Levi just grinned and took Faith into his arms. Selene grabbed the blade and started dicing the tomato. “Got an interesting e-mail today from Lopez.”
Levi chuckled, that sound making her insides melt. A year later and she still couldn’t get enough of him. “I think I, or Isaiah, might have gotten the same e-mail.”
Selene shook her head and focused on the tomato. “I’m glad they found happiness. It’s crazy how stuff works out.” Selene Silva, one of her former aliases, had received a wedding invitation to Alexander Lopez’s wedding. He was marrying Allison, the woman he’d been so smitten over. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Levi put Faith down, who promptly ran from the kitchen talking about finding her stuffed Elmo.
Levi wrapped his arms around Selene from behind, tugging her back against his chest. Her entire body flared to life as he slid his hands up over her blouse and cupped her breasts. “As soon as she goes to bed, you’re mine,” he murmured darkly.
She set the blade down and turned in his arms, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck. “I’m going to be yours for the next week.” After her last job Wesley had given everyone on it a week off with pay. Some jobs were tougher than others and she wasn’t about to argue when she needed the mental break. Not when it meant she got to spend time with her family.
“Good, you can help me mend some of the fences,” Levi murmured before nipping her bottom lip playfully.
“Hmm, I don’t think so.” For their first six months living together he’d been nothing but a doting father and husband, but six months ago he’d started a horse farm. It was small but already growing and she was more than impressed with how much work he put into it. At first she’d been worried he’d miss his former life but Levi seemed incredibly peaceful in a way she’d never imagined. She was certain the counseling had helped too.
“I think you’ll find my form of payment very rewarding,” he murmured again, this time nipping her earlobe between his teeth as he rolled his hips against her.