Noah put a fist to his lips to hide his smile.
“Yes, dad, sometimes you are.”
“But, you and Kylie are okay?”
She stepped back and crossed her arms. Then, she reached out and patted his arm, gave it a little rub. “We’re okay.”
“Good. Now, which Doctor took care of my granddaughter?”
“Um, Dr. Carter.”
He gave a quick nod and turned to leave. “I’ll have a word with him, make sure he did his job.”
Noah didn’t even try to hide his smile again. He reached for Afton, pulling her in between his legs again and closing them around her hips.
“Now, what were you about to say before the intolerable bastard interrupted us?”
“I was going to say that... I want to take you up on your offer. I want to get to know you better.”
“Ahhh, so, you’re finally going to let me take you out on that date?”
She shrugged. “Or two, maybe three if you’re lucky. The question is where are you going to take me?”
Noah yanked her down for a kiss, claiming her lips like his life depended on it. Maybe it did. He was awake now, his inner self wide-eyed and focused instead of sluggish and lost. This woman, and his surprise baby, opened doors to a lifetime of new adventure.
“Don’t worry about it,” he whispered. “Just remember that sometimes the unexpected is exactly what you need.”
Epilogue
Afton looked up at the brownstone townhouse, ivy covering one side in a fantastic, lush array. In a quiet Boston suburb, just minutes from the university Caleb attended, this location was the final stop in their ‘should we move to Massachusetts?’ quest of discovery.
A quiet sense of calm settled inside her, sinking deep and immediately blossoming into that little voice that said this was it, this was just right.
It was the same sensation she had when she and Noah touched, or when he held Kylie in his arms and rocked her gently to sleep at night. She slept on his shoulder now, all eight months of chubby baby, clad in a pink and white polka dot dress and matching head band. She’d turned into a daddy’s girl right away, and Noah?
Noah had never lost his magic touch.
Caleb would be here in any minute. Afton’s middle clenched. Though she’d spoken to him on the phone a few times, this would be her first time meeting Noah’s son and Caleb’s first introduction to his baby sister. There would be some rough patches, probably. She was only a few years older than Caleb after all. She’d stepped in and completely changed Noah’s life around.
In the past three months, she and Noah had been through the ringer. He’d held a press conference—two, actually—speaking to the allegations against him by Deena G. He cleared the air, admitting it was he that she was pointing fingers at. Telling his side of the story. Since then, Deena had fallen back of the face of the Earth. Or so they’d thought. Noah’s lawyer called only yesterday that the Department of Internet Crimes had a break that would finally bring her out in the open.
And, fingers crossed, to justice.
Afton tightened her fingers around Noah’s.
He’d resigned from North, taking leave immediately. She suspected it was for his own peace of mind rather than a ‘good business decision’ as he wanted her to believe. Going there every day, getting the looks and hearing the whispers from the staff was uncomfortable. More than that, Afton suspected he’d done it for her, so she could continue to get some experience under her before they made this leap. He already had a pending offer at Boston Mercy, and with any luck, she would soon, too.
Noah brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
“Ready to go in and take a peek before Caleb gets here?”
“I’m ready!”
Just then, her phone buzzed. Afton pulled it from her pocket. “Oh, it’s Maddie. Hello?”
Static jumped on the line.
“Maddie?”
Nothing. The call went dead.
Afton pressed re-dial, a busy signal coming through when it connected.
“What’s going on?” Noah glanced at her.
“I don’t know. The line won’t connect. Probably bad reception. I’ll call her later.”
She grabbed his hand again, held tight, as they opened the door and crossed the threshold into a brand-new life.
~ The End ~
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Noah and Afton’s story. It’s a but scary to see how things explode on the internet every day and how quickly mis-information can harm people. Luckily, just as in our story, love can and does prevail to balance the good with the bad. BABY IN HIS ARMS is the first book in the Chicago Secrets series. Next? Well...
Maddie is up for her own tangled up love adventure as Officer Logan Rossi comes back into her life after a five-year hiatus. Not only is he a smoking-hot sniper she’s never been able to forget, he’s got a proposition for her that will bring her to her knees, and quite possibly, set her free from some big internal demons.
First, they have a precarious obstacle to get over, including a powerful threat to Logan’s life. I hope you’ll grab a copy of PROTECTING THE SNIPER’S BABY and read all about it, available on preorder now!
Happy Reading!
PROTECTING THE SNIPER’S BABY is available from Amazon Kindle Unlimited, August 1, 2018.
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