The cops told her there was nothing she needed to fear because it was self defense and that’s how they were writing it up. Paul thanked her for saving their lives before asking if they could still do the magazine article there because any press was good when it came to business. She told him to talk to Eddie and Justin, and since he seemed happy with the request she watched as the cop let him under the yellow tape so he could go do what he wanted to do.
She rolled her eyes. People, it was always about money and press to them. It was never about the person, their feelings, their life.
She watched as the others were questioned and allowed to leave, but stood there wondering why she wasn’t allowed to at least leave the kitchen while they worked on working with the collection of evidence and note taking.
It wasn’t until she saw Takahiro clear the yellow border that she understood. They had called him and they were guarding her until he could come and guard her himself. Cops were like one big family. The good ones were willing to fight to help each other when they knew the other person was in the right. In this instance, they were willing to protect his woman—his…yeah, she was his, and she thought of him as being hers too.
He came to her swiftly and pulled her into his arms, holding her like tomorrow wasn’t an option, like today, this moment, was all they needed. Live in the moment, she remembered her father’s words. “Live in the moment, live the best you can and be the best you can.” That is what he always told her and at the moment it was just sage advice from a father who loved her unconditionally. But now, she understood it, she understood every word because the moment was all anybody had. Tomorrow might not come, five minutes from now might not come. There was no way to live for the future and still live. One had to do the best they could in the present moment, and in doing that, maybe, just maybe, their next present moment would feel like a little slice of heaven.
“I killed them,” she said to him.
“I know. You were protecting yourself. You saved your life and theirs.”
“I know,” she said. “It’s just that I killed them both and I’m not sorry I did. What does that make me?” She looked up into his eyes.
“Human,” he said to her. She wrapped her arms securely around him and held on to him. She didn’t break her hold as cops and MEs worked around them, moved around them like they were an anchored stove unable to be moved. She held on to goodness and finally said goodbye to hell.
Chapter Eight
Takahiro walked into the kitchen and inhaled the smell of the vegetarian spring rolls he knew she was making. She didn’t make them anything like Chinese food, and for that he was thankful because he couldn’t stand them, but she used phyllo crust, baked the concoction in the oven and left out the cheese and sauces that made his stomach turn. She was actually good at this vegetarian thing. Being with her had pushed him away from meat. She didn’t cook meat so while she would cook everything else, including having some of his favorite sushi prepared for him, she wouldn’t cook meat. “You’ll hate it if I even tried,” she had said. He got to a point where he didn’t see a need to fire up the grill to make it so why bother. Marrying the woman had been the best decision he had ever made. The day after that last attack they had gone in, with a few of his friends from SWAT—or more like the entire team—as witnesses they had taken their vows. He still needed to get a minute off work for a honeymoon though.
He kissed her shoulder as she prepared her roasted vegetable salad. “The great thing about having my wife at home is food every day I come home from work. I know you quit that magazine, and I’m glad for that. And I know you started your own, but home cooked food never tasted so good,” he kissed her shoulder again and then stepped back to lean against the other side of the nearly u-shaped lanai so he could watch her work on the other side. He realized she worked from home and this strictly fashion magazine she was now running on her own with freelance personnel was perfectly time consuming for her, but since it was an online magazine at least she didn’t have a need to have an office set up with printing capabilities. She was working from home and still cooking every night. He cooked the nights when he hadn’t pulled a nearly double duty shift, but she really was the cook around there now.
“Well,” she looked at him. “You’re going to have to cook for yourself tomorrow, and the day after that too.” She twisted her mouth and looked at him in one of those ‘don’t even think of saying no’ kind of ways.
“What? Why? I have to work tomorrow and the day after that.”
“So do I.”
“But you work from here.”
“Yeah, and I think as the mother of your baby I deserve a couple nights of rest.”
“I…wait, what?”
She smiled and dried her hands before reaching down to the small shelf attached to the lanai. She pulled out a picture. “And baby makes three.”
He walked to her, pulled the ultrasound out of her hand. “Wait…wow, this is ours?”
She laughed. “Yep. I kind of thought maybe, but I was still having a period, still am actually just not heavy. I went to the doctor, they ran a test, and we’re pregnant.”
“But…I thought…”
“Yeah, it’s a girl. I’m farther along than I would have thought.” She looked down to her stomach. “I guess my poochy stomach isn’t just being bloated.” She shrugged.
“Yes!” he circled the corner of the lanai and grabbed her, pulling her into his arms. “Yes, baby, yes!”
She laughed hard. “I guess that means you’re happy, huh,” she kept laughing.
“Beyond happy.” He dropped to his knee and kissed her stomach. “I’m going to be the best father I can be to you. Your mother is an amazing woman so I know you’ll get that from her, but I will guard you, protect you and keep you safe.”
“I guess those boys better go running.”
“Unless they want to get shot I would suggest they stay clear.” He stood up and hugged her again while she laughed.
“I’ll be sure they know that when they come knocking at our door.”
In the course of a year he had met the woman he could love forever, married her, and now they had made a baby together. What could be better than that?
“Ah, man, I need to go get a nursery started. I think our room is big enough to put a bassinet, and a crib and…”
“Don’t go there. By the time she needs an actual bed you so better have a bedroom ready for a little girl or you won’t be getting through the southern gates.” She pointed downward and he knew what she meant.
“Okay, by the time she needs a bed I’ll have a room ready for her right next to ours so we can hear if anything goes wrong. Oh, maybe I’ll have the wall restructured so we can have them join with a door where you can just go straight through. Yeah, this is perfect,” he felt the wheels turning. He was happy to see she was leaving the details to him as she returned to her salad making.
She smiled at him. “Happiness is a choice,” she said. “I’ve decided to choose it. I think once I started to heal the nightmares stopped assaulting me. Now, even though I’ll never forget what they did to me, I’ll never let it haunt me either. I’m happy. I’m happy with you, with our life, with our home, and with the baby that grows inside me. I am so happy we found each other no matter what brought us together I think we were always meant to be.”
“I know we were,” he said as he hugged her once more. “You’re the only woman I want forever with—the only woman I have ever wanted forever with. You’re right. Happiness is a choice, and I’m choosing it too.” He kissed her sweetly thinking about the goodness that had come into their lives, the life that grew inside her, and the moment they shared together now. Happiness didn’t even being to cover the full depth of the emotions he felt right now. His woman, she was everything to him. He would never let anybody take her, or that baby growing inside her now, away from him. She was always meant to be his home, and of that he was certain.
He pulled her into his arms again and held her tigh
t. There was nothing better than coming home to Sheila Nakamura every night and waking up to her every morning. Yes, this was his heaven on Earth, and she was the angel sent to reside there with him.
About the Author
Capri Montgomery is an author of multicultural and interracial suspense, science fiction and contemporary romance. Her passion for writing started at a young age and she has been turning the movies playing in her head into written works ever since. She is passionately exploring worlds one book at a time.
When she’s not writing, Capri enjoys nature—unless the insects are biting her, traveling, old movies, art, photography, playing cello, and exploring emotions and worlds through music.
Find more information on books by Capri Montgomery at:
Blog: http://caprimontgomery.wordpress.com/
(Print books) www.lulu.com/haremnights
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/caprimontgomery
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvOy7PHN-o98TH05a16tjpA
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Red Noon Page 12