by Misty Evans
“I thought you were going to play nice and get into the room without any trouble?” He held out a hand, helping her to her feet.
Celina brushed a hand down her scrubs. “I didn’t like the way I was being handled. Besides,” she stood on tiptoe, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “now you have less work to do.”
With a sigh, Cooper scrubbed a hand over his face. “Woman, you drive me insane.”
“And you love every minute of it.” Celina laughed huskily.
“You all right?” Olivia asked, giving her a quick once over.
Celina nodded. “Yeah, but we need to hurry before Ortega suspects something’s gone wrong. Ready for part two?”
“There was only supposed to be a part one,” Mitch reminded her, which only made Celina grin.
“That’s what I like about you, Holden. You’re easy to surprise.” Celina grabbed the cart, pushing it towards the door. “Let’s go.”
Jana was lying in the hospital bed, her pale face the only color against the stark white of the room. Beside her sat Ortega. Had Celina not known what a sadistic psychopath he was, he would almost appear the doting father holding Jana’s hand, running a gentle hand over her hair. Celina forced herself to look away.
“Who are you?” Ortega demanded, rising from his seat and pulling his gun. Celina and Olivia cowered together, more to hide their faces than anything else. They didn’t want to risk Ortega recognizing them from downstairs before they had the chance to get close enough.
“They’re…from the lab, Mr. Ortega.” Having seen the lab cart, Dr. Kyan fumbled for the right words, confusion knitting her brow. Celina tapped a long finger against an instruction sticker on the side of the cart where the word ‘Help’ was printed in big bold letters. Understanding dawned, and Dr. Kyan quickly righted herself. “They’ll need to draw blood to make sure Jana’s body is prepared to receive the transplant.”
Ortega’s hand wavered, than he slowly lowered the gun.
“Fine,” he said briskly, already turning back to Jana. “Make it quick.”
With Dr. Kyan on their side, Celina pushed the cart towards the bed, keeping her eyes down.
“How much blood will you need to take?” Ortega wanted to know, and Celina gripped the cart tighter, careful to keep her head lowered. They only had one chance to get this right.
“Not much, sir.” Olivia assured him, her hand slipping into her pocket. “Just a few vials. Sarah, can you get her prepped?”
Celina nodded and pushed the cart in front of Ortega, forcing him to step out of the way. It was a tight space, and Celina was unable to avoid making eye contact with him over the top of the cart. He stared at her for a heartbeat, his eyes widening.
“You! I know you!”
Olivia blindsided him from the right, ramming a needle into the side of his neck and injecting the sedative.
“What the fuck?” Ortega swung his fist, clipping Olivia on the side of her head and knocking her off her feet. She pitched to the floor.
“Guar…” The word slurring, Ortega’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body pitched forward, landing on top of the cart. The two nurses rushed to Olivia’s side while Dr. Kyan helped Celina roll Ortega’s body off the cart and into a chair, drawing a curtain shut around him.
“Olivia,” Celina breathed, dropping to her knees beside her friend. Dr. Kyan followed, gingerly touching the wound with probing fingers. Olivia groaned, her eyes fluttering. “Talk to me, Olivia. Are you all right?”
“Ouch.” She grimaced, struggling into a sitting position. “I’m going to have one hell of a headache in the morning, but yeah, I think so.”
The door burst open and Cooper and Mitch scrambled in, followed by armed men dressed in SWAT combat gear.
The cavalry had arrived.
The next few minutes were a complete blur, but somehow Celina found herself downstairs, Novia safely in her arms as she watched Ortega’s men being hustled outside. Basilio followed shortly behind, under the watchful eyes of the taskforce, and the glittering rage in his eyes as he passed made Celina turn away.
“So, what happens now?” Olivia asked. She stood with Victor in the hallway, her eyes following the flurry of activity. The normally stoic FBI Director had gone from cool as a cucumber to coming completely unglued when he’d learned Olivia had been injured. He’d practically knocked Cooper out of the way just to get to her. Other than the likely bruise she would have in the morning, Dr. Kyan said Olivia would make a full recovery. Victor had been hovering over her ever since.
“With what?” Celina asked, snuggling into Cooper’s side. Novia was wide awake and mystified by the activity going on, her little eyes bright and curious.
“Jana. What will happen with her now?”
“Child Services will be coming in to handle Jana’s care and medical treatments.” Dr. Kyan approached, looking weary but determined. “I also give you my word that she will receive the bone marrow transplant she so desperately needs. She’s been through a lot, but I want to make sure she gets her very best chance at life. She deserves that much.”
Victor withdrew a business card from his suit pocket, handing it to the doctor. “Can you give this card to Child Services and have them contact me? Once she is well enough to be released, I would like to help find her a stable home.”
Dr. Kyan’s eyes widened, sparkling suspiciously. “That’s very kind of you, Director.” She blinked rapidly for a moment, pausing to clear her throat. “I’ll be sure to do that.”
Ronni and Thomas came through a set of swinging doors, the last of the taskforce to give their statement for the evening.
“Phew, what a night!” Ronni fanned her face for effect. “The lead detective said we’re done for now, and he’ll call if he has any other questions. I don’t know about you guys, but I sure could use a drink.”
“That’s actually a great idea. Why don’t you all come over,” Cooper agreed, much to Celina’s surprise. Since when was Cooper the after-party type? He caught her look, and his smile faded. “Is that okay with you?”
Celina nodded, shaking off her suspicions. Of course everyone should come over for a drink, it’d been a long night. “Absolutely. Everyone is invited,” she added, nodding towards Olivia, who blushed when Victor leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
Celina buttoned a gurgling Novia into her coat while Cooper gathered their things. The baby wasn’t keen on leaving all the action behind to go outside, but a few minutes in the car and she was out like a light. Celina leaned her head against the headrest, closing her eyes. What a night. She was exhausted, and every bone in her body ached. She couldn’t wait to get home and soak in a nice, hot bath.
“Are you sure it’s all right everyone comes over? I’m sorry, sweetheart. I should have asked.”
Celina opened an eye to look at Cooper, cracking a smile. “Of course it’s fine. I was just surprised. It’s not like you to invite everyone over at the spur of the moment.”
A grimace passed his face, replaced quickly with a grin. “Who knows, maybe I’m turning over a new leaf. You’ve been telling me The Beast needs to lighten up a bit.”
“Yes, but since when does he listen to me?” Celina laughed.
“It is the holidays,” Cooper said. “Miracles can happen.”
They pulled into their driveway a few minutes later, and to Celina’s surprise, all the lights in the house were on. And after the night they’d just had, it put her on high alert. “Coop? Why are the lights on?”
“Don’t worry.” Cooper winked, climbing from the driver’s seat to unbuckle the sleeping baby in the back. Wordlessly Celina followed him up the front walk, stopping dead in her tracks when a mini-version of Cooper threw open the door, shouting, “Welcome home!”
Chapter Five
With a wide grin that was achingly similar to his father’s, Owen Harris stepped back, holding the door wide for them to enter.
“Owen!” Celina exclaimed, gathering the boy in a tight hug. He was nicely dressed in slac
ks and a button-down shirt, his blond hair slicked back from his face. “I thought you were with your mom. What on earth are you doing here alone?”
“I’m not.” Taking her hand, Owen led her through the foyer into the living room, where a large crowd was gathered.
Among them, in the center of the room, was a familiar face. Her dark hair, streaked with silver, hung heavily over her shoulders and back. Her dark eyes lit with happiness as they connected with Celina’s, and tears sprang to Celina’s eyes. She lifted a trembling hand to her mouth, unable to believe it. “A-Aunt Charo?”
“Surprise, mi corazón.” She opened her arms, and Celina fell into them, breathing deeply of the familiar scent of cinnamon and sugar. Celina hugged her fiercely, only stopping when she turned to greet her cousins. From the kitchen emerged her parents, and three of her four brothers. “Matt’s in surgery,” Mark told her, pulling on a lock of her hair like he always did. Their older brother was a cardiac specialist in Seattle. “He’s flying down first thing in the morning.”
Her mother, beautiful and elegant in a red dress with a fresh orchid clipped in her hair, clapped her hands together. “We all wanted to be here for Novia’s first Christmas.”
Celina was laughing and crying at the same time. It was too good to be real. When she’d finished the circuit of family, she went back to her aunt and wrapped an arm around her, needing to make sure this wasn’t a dream. “But…I don’t understand. How did you get here?”
“That would be my doing.” Cooper cleared his throat, raising a hand in the air. He handed Via to her brother, Luke. It was then that Celina noticed the rest of the taskforce had arrived and were filling the entryway, stupid grins on their faces. Had they all been in on this?
“See, I knew you wouldn’t marry me unless you had all your family here,” he walked towards her, so much love shining in his eyes that it made her heart ache. “So I pulled a few strings with the help of Roman Walsh and Homeland and brought those in Cuba for a visit.”
He had done all of this for her? The overbearing, lovable hunk of a man had better be careful or everyone was going to know The Beast had a soft side. “So, you think I’ll marry you now, do you?”
“I don’t think it.” A sexy grin curved his lips, the one that did funny things to her insides and made her girlie parts go into meltdown. “I know it.” He grabbed her hand and held it to his chest. “Celina Davenport, will you do me the honor of marrying me, tonight, in front of all our friends and family?”
“Yes.” She said it without hesitation or a trace of fear. She had loved him from the moment they first met a lifetime ago, had browbeat him into admitting his feelings for her, and had fought tooth and nail to stay by his side. She wanted to spend every waking moment looking into his handsome face, and fall asleep wrapped in the safety of his arms every night. There was nothing she wanted more. “Yes, yes I’ll marry you right now.”
A cheer went up as Cooper pulled her into a kiss that said there was a lot more where that came from.
“But wait.” Breathless, Celina drew back to find his face. “Who’s going to perform a ceremony this late at night?”
“What are best friends for?” Ronni strode forward, no longer in her elf costume but a beautiful flowing emerald dress. “You’re looking at a newly ordained wedding officiant, fully capable of performing your ceremony. I say we get this shindig started.”
The taskforce filed in, taking off their coats and shaking hands with her family, and Celina received another round of hugs.
Celina looked at Cooper’s clothes, then at her own. He was still wearing what was left of his Santa outfit while she wore her bedraggled elf costume. Not exactly what she pictured when she thought of her wedding day, but she realized it really didn’t matter. Her clothes didn’t matter. She was going to marry the man she loved.
“If you want to change,” Cooper murmured in her ear, “Ronni and Sophie brought a white dress for you and a tux for me. They’re laid out in our bedroom.”
“Really?” Celina thought about The Beast in a tux—damn, wouldn’t that be a fantasy come true? “I would love to be traditional, but seriously, when have we have ever done anything the normal way?”
He kissed her forehead. “We can always play dress-up later.”
“You’re on.”
A wail sounded from Via, who was being passed around between her family members and receiving lots of kisses and hugs. Celina laughed, going to retrieve her daughter.
“Princess Via can be your maid of honor,” her mother suggested.
Celina’s eyes widened, falling on her aunt. “And Aunt Charo can be my matron of honor.”
Tears sparkled in her aunt’s eyes. She pressed a kiss to Celina’s cheek. “I would be honored.”
With Owen and Thomas as Cooper’s best men, and Aunt Charo holding Novia, they all stepped onto the back patio where twinkle lights had been strung. The romantic transformation was breathtaking, white lights sparkling overhead and around the pool area. An arbor had been placed in the center of the yard, more lights outlining it. It was absolutely gorgeous.
“I can’t believe you did this.” Celina was touched, she truly was. She only wished Cooper’s parents were still alive to be there too. In her heart, she knew they were in spirit.
“We had a little help,” Aunt Charo said, gesturing towards a couple off to the side; Bobby and his Eliza. Of course Cooper’s old partner would have a hand in all of this. Bobby kicked his electric wheelchair into gear and Eliza looked like the cat that ate the canary, laughing as Celina hugged them both. She was so choked up with gratitude she could barely speak.
“All right, everyone take a seat and we’ll get started.” One of Celina’s eldest cousins, Alberto, began leading the crowd of people towards the arbor. Ronni stood beneath it, a grin splitting her face. Cooper, Owen, and Thomas took their places, and Aunt Charo, holding Novia, did the same.
Silence filled the air, then the gentle strings of a violin began the wedding march. Overwhelmed with joy, Celina walked down the aisle, her gaze locked solely on Cooper’s as she moved towards the man she loved. The last strands of the violin faded into the night as Celina stopped in front of him, heart in her throat. With a smile, he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, turning them towards a beaming Ronni.
“Folks, we’re gathered here tonight to unite these two in marriage, because let’s face it, they should have done it a long time ago.”
A chuckle rose up in the crowd.
“Seriously though, I can’t imagine a couple more in love than these two,” Ronni continued. “They’ve endured so much, yet through it all their bond has only grown stronger. I’m truly honored to be the one who gets to unite them forever.”
She paused to clear her throat, and Celina smiled. It was a rarity when Ronni Punto got choked up. The tough ass agent wasn’t prone to tears unless she was causing them.
She cleared her throat again and set her tough gaze on Cooper. “Cooper, do you take Celina to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, until this day forward so long as you both shall live?”
Cooper didn’t even hesitate. “Absolutely.”
“Yeah, you’d better say that.” Another laugh from the crowd and Ronni grinned, turning to Celina. “Celina, do you take Cooper to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, until this day forward so long as you both shall live?”
“I do,” Celina answered, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement.
“Do you have the rings?” Ronni asked Cooper.
Cooper turned to Thomas who withdrew two shiny objects from his jacket pocket, handing them over.
The diamond wedding band matched the engagement ring Cooper had given her the previous fall. Cooper held it over her ring finger, waiting for Ronni to continue.
“Repeat after me,” Ronni instructed. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
“With this ring, I thee wed.”
“As this ring has no end, neither shall my lov
e for you.”
Cooper repeated the words, his voice growing husky with emotion.
Ronni’s voice grew heavier with emotion as well, as she fed him the next line. “I choose you to be my wife, this day and forevermore.”
“I choose you to be my wife, Celina, this day now and forevermore.” Cooper’s eyes locked on to Celina’s as he slid the ring into place.
“Close enough,” Ronni remarked dryly. “All right, Celina’s turn.”
Cooper handed her a solid silver band and she repeated the same vows, sliding the ring into place.
“By all that is vested in me by the great pastors who ordained me online, I now pronounce you husband and wife. The Beast may kiss his Beauty.”
Overjoyed with happiness, Celina threw her arms around his neck as his mouth captured hers, and she poured every ounce of love she had into that one kiss. By the time they pulled apart they were both breathless.
“God, I love you,” Cooper ran his knuckles over her jaw, staring at her reverently as if he couldn’t believe they had finally done it. “Mrs. Harris.”
Mrs. Harris. She would never grow tired of hearing that. “I love you too, Mr. Harris.”
Cheers and clapping sounded all around them.
“Celina, there are babies here who have not yet been blessed. Perhaps your friend could perform one tonight?” Aunt Charo suggested as she handed Novia into Cooper’s outstretched hands.
“That’s a great idea, Aunt Charo.” Celina nodded excitedly, motioning for Emma, Mitch, and Jett to come up. “If Ronni doesn’t mind, that is?”
Ronni slowly nodded, her cell phone in hand. “I got this. Just a second,” she murmured, scrolling. “Yes! We can do that.”
They rearranged the arbor to fit Celina, Cooper, and Princess Via on one side, and Mitch, Emma, and Jett on the other. Aunt Charo took Owen and they disappeared inside.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Ronni said in her loudest voice to get everyone’s attention. The group settled. “Tonight we’re also going to bless babies Novia and Jett in baptism.”
Aunt Charo and Owen returned, Aunt Charo carrying two small bowls of water. She handed one to Owen, saying gently, “It is your job to protect Novia, Owen. Make certain you always lead by example and keep her safe.”