“I always knew you were good at your job.” At her dubious look, he said, “I did. That was never my concern, Alisha. What worried me was your safety. You have a tendency to put your work ahead of everything else, even when it’s dangerous.”
Alisha seemed to consider that a moment, then to his shock, nodded. “You’re right.”
Simon gave her a flat look. “Say that again.”
After smacking him on the arm in response, she continued. “If you didn’t hear me then, that’s your fault—you’ll just have to listen more carefully next time. But anyway, tonight I was concerned too. I’ve always gotten lucky before, getting close to danger but never really being harmed. Getting held captive like that made me realize some things. Well, that and talking to my mom earlier. I need to find a better balance. Find a way to be my own woman and still have a life outside of my career. Find love. Find happiness. Maybe be a good mother too.” She looked over at Simon and the hope in her eyes made his heart stumble. “Maybe we can make better decisions together. As partners, based on what works for us as a family.”
Family.
The empty hole inside of him that had been there since his parents died began to fill once more. He’d yearned for this without even knowing it. Until now. Swallowing hard against the sudden constriction in this throat, he reached over and took Alisha’s hand. “I’d like that.”
“Which part?” she asked, lacing her fingers with his.
“All of it.” Simon leaned in to kiss her, then smiled. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Twenty-Nine
The next morning Simon woke up in Alisha’s bed, her warmth cuddled up to his side, her arm thrown across his chest and one leg tangled with his. She was snoring softly against the side of his neck and he couldn’t imagine a more perfect moment in his life.
No. Check that. Last night had been pretty incredible too. After the chaos of the pier rescue, they’d both come back here to shower and change, except they’d gotten distracted with the showering part. She’d shed her clothes and he’d had every intention of being a complete gentleman and waiting for her to finish before taking his turn.
But then she’d called him into the bathroom, under the pretence of helping her grab a towel so she didn’t get her bandages wet. Of course, once he was in there, he took one look at Alisha in all her naked glory and damn if he didn’t cave instantly. Hard to say who made the first move, but they ended up in each other’s arms, his clothes joining hers on the floor, and then they were under the hot, steamy spray, the warm water easing away their aches and pains as their kisses grew hotter and more demanding. He’d ended up taking her against the shower wall, her legs wrapped around his hips and her tight body clasping him just right. It hadn’t taken long for both of them to come hard.
Then, spent and scrubbed clean, he’d carried her to the bed and collapsed atop the mattress with her, asleep before his head hit the pillow.
Now, with sunlight streaming in through the nearby windows, Simon almost hated to move for fear of waking her too. But his back was starting to hurt from the funny position he’d slept in and his stomach was growling for food. If things went well, he had something special planned for them later. But first…
He moved slightly and bent his head to kiss her gently on the lips. Alisha stirred, nose crinkling as she batted him away like a bothersome gnat. Then her long lashes flickered and her pretty brown eyes opened to stare up into his, bleary initially, then clearing as she smiled.
“Good morning,” she said, voice rough and groggy. And damn, sexy as hell. His body tightened despite his good intentions to get up and get ready for the day.
“Morning,” he said, unable to keep the grin off his face. “How’d you sleep?”
“Like the dead.” She stretched, then rose up on one elbow to look at the alarm clock on the nightstand. “Man, it’s after nine already.”
“Yeah.” He sighed and yawned. “But we’ve got nowhere to be today, right?”
“Right.” She kissed him once more and rolled out of bed, much to his chagrin. “Be right back.”
She hurried to the bathroom and his stomach growled again. Yep. Time to get up.
Simon pulled on his jeans from the day before and padded out to the kitchen to start coffee. Once it was percolating, he went back to the bedroom and knocked on the bathroom door before entering. “Got a toothbrush I can use?”
Alisha pointed to one of the drawers and handed him the toothpaste with one hand while she brushed her own teeth. He’d need to move some of his stuff in here if they were going to keep this up. Or vice versa. Something else they’d need to discuss.
That could wait, though, until after they had caffeine and food.
A little while later, dressed and ready for the day, he walked back down the hallway toward the kitchen, where Alisha was pouring them coffee. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed something in the corner of her living room he’d missed before.
“Is that a baby swing?” he asked, staring at the brightly coloured contraption.
“Yeah,” she said, handing him a mug of coffee. “It’s used. Farrah was going to get rid of it, but I told her I’d take it. Now I just need to figure out where to set up a nursery in here.”
“Tough question.” He looked around the big open space. “Studio apartments are difficult that way. At least with mine, I have a spare bedroom.”
“Is that your way of asking me to move in?” Alisha laughed.
“Maybe.” He winked. It hadn’t been his intention, actually, but she wasn’t entirely wrong about his plans. He wanted it to be a surprise, though, so he changed subjects, moving toward the kitchen instead. “What’s for breakfast?”
“I don’t know.” Alisha took a seat at the table. “What are you making?”
Simon gave her a look, then smiled, pulling open the fridge and cabinets to take stock of her ingredients. “How about pancakes and bacon?”
“My favourite.”
“Good.” He pulled out the supplies and started mixing and cooking, carrying plates of food over to the table a short while later. As they dug into their meal, he asked, “Any plans later?”
Alisha seemed to consider that a moment, swallowing a bite of pancakes before saying, “Nope. Don’t think so. Why?”
“I have an idea.”
“I’m intrigued.”
Simon grinned, biting off half a piece of bacon and chewing. “We’re going for a drive.”
* * *
Two hours later, they were driving through the Seattle suburbs going God knew where. Not that Alisha was complaining. After the harrowing previous day, she’d be happy to take all the leisurely drives Simon wanted. She hadn’t been lying, though. She was intrigued, more so by the minute, as Simon refused to give her any clue at all where they were going.
“C’mon. At least tell me if I need my passport,” she joked.
He snorted. “No. No passport required. At least not today.”
They drove through more tree-lined streets with stately homes and well-manicured lawns. Kids were out playing and sprinklers were running. It reminded her of the time they’d spent playing house. Her heart pinched a little bit remembering how happy they’d been, how nice and normal it had all felt.
Simon signalled and turned another corner and suddenly things started to look a little more familiar.
“Hey. Are we going…” Her voice trailed off and Alisha sat up straighter as they pulled up to the curb in front of the safe house. “Simon.” She turned to look over at him. “What are we doing here?”
“You’ll see.” He gave her a quick kiss and got out before she could ask him any more questions.
Alisha undid her seatbelt and got out too. Seeing the house again was like reuniting with an old friend. She stood on the front walk, staring up at the place. Same welcoming porch, same white shutters, though the second-floor window where the nursery was had been boarded up.
“Come on, let’s go inside.” Simon took her hand and led
her to the front door.
“I don’t know,” Alisha said, hanging back. “Farrah would kill us if we broke in. It feels like we’re trespassing now.”
“Don’t be silly.” He got the key from the hidden nook Farrah had shown them the first time and opened the door. “Let’s go.”
“Simon…” she started before he tugged her inside. Apparently, the cleaning crew had been in since they’d left since it was all pristine again, like it had been the first time they’d seen it. Move-in ready. For some reason her heart ached at the thought of someone else living there. “It’s nice. Same as I remember.”
“It is nice, isn’t it?” he said, leading her through the house and stopping at each room like they’d never seen it before. “Great place for a growing family.”
“Hmm.” They headed upstairs, glancing in the master bedroom before stopping in front of the nursery. Tears stung her eyes as she stared inside. “I always loved this room.”
“Me too.” Simon wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her back against his chest and resting his chin atop her head. “What do you think?”
“About what?” she asked, sniffling.
“Should we buy it?” he murmured near her ear, making her shiver.
Alisha spun around in his arms, wide-eyed. “Are you serious?”
He nodded. “I am if you are.”
Her smiled started slow, then spread fast, the joy filling her making her rise on tiptoes to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him soundly. “Yes! Let’s do it! Let’s buy this house and live here together and fill it with beautiful babies.”
“Whoa!” Simon laughed, holding her close, his hands locked behind her lower back. “How about we start with the first one and go from there, eh?”
“Deal.” Alisha kissed him once more, then leaned back to pull out her phone. “I’m calling Farrah right now to put in our offer.”
Thirty
Eight months later…
“Back at ya, buddy!” Simon grumbled out the window to yet another car that had passed them, the driver flashing him a rude finger gesture. “Idiots.”
“You know, if you maybe sped up past ten miles an hour it might help,” Alisha said from the passenger seat, smirking. “Pretty sure I could get out and walk home sooner then we’ll get there now.”
Simon darted her a quick side look and focused on the roadway again, hyper aware of everything around them. After all, they were carrying extremely precious cargo today. “For your information, I’m going the speed limit. Thirty-five. It’s the rest of these maniacs who are breaking traffic laws and putting lives at risk, thanks so much.”
She snorted, then shifted slightly to check on their newborn son in the backseat. It had taken him six tries and four hours just to get that damned thing installed properly, but at least he knew it was regulation. Hell, he’d even taken it to the police station and had them check it for him before he’d gone to the hospital to pick up Alisha and baby Jersey.
“Who’s Momma’s handsome boy, huh?” Alisha cooed to their son, her voice soaked with love. “You are; yes, you are. Such a good boy.”
Of course, Jersey was sound asleep. Which was good because Simon had said more than a few choice words to his fellow drivers on this trip home that he wouldn’t have wanted his son to overhear. Simon checked the rear-view mirror again. “Almost there.”
Alisha shook her head and faced front again. “Good. Because at the rate we’re going I’ll be due back to work soon.”
“What?” Simon’s head snapped around so fast he nearly got whiplash. “No. Don’t even joke about that. There’s no hurry for you to get back to work. Let’s enjoy our family time together while we can.”
“Yeah.” She sighed and leaned her head back against the seat rest. “Downtime will be nice.”
“It will.” He smiled and put his hand on her leg. “And your team can handle whatever comes up while you’re gone.”
One of the many perks that had come out of their reporting on the Ludgate-Andronetto scandal had been a major promotion for Alisha. Not only was she working in the crime division like she’d wanted, but she was now part of the newspaper’s elite special investigations team, working on the kind of in-depth stories that took time and teamwork to uncover and report. The pacing was slower than on the crime sheet, but the work was very meaningful to Alisha, fulfilling her sense of purpose while also leaving room in her life for home and family.
“True.” She rolled her head to grin over at him. “My career will be waiting for me when maternity leave is over. For now, it’s time to focus on our family, right?”
“Yep.” She looked so relaxed today, happy and smiling and content. He never wanted that to end. They turned down the street where their house sat on the corner and Simon pulled into the driveway and cut the engine. “I’ll get Jersey.”
Alisha undid her seatbelt and opened her door. “I can help.”
“You’ve already done more than enough,” he said, getting out and opening the rear door to unsnap the restraints holding their son in his car seat. Seriously. Alisha had endured sixteen hours of labour to bring Jersey into the world. The least he could do was carry the kid inside. He hoisted the eight and a half pound infant in his arms, then closed the car door with his hip. “You can grab the bag, though, if you don’t mind.”
“Got it,” she said, holding up the white plastic bag the hospital had given them, full of pamphlets and coupons for baby care stuff and a few free samples too. In her other hand was her overnight bag. Hard to believe just two days ago they’d been expectant parents, waiting on their little bundle of joy to arrive. Now, he was here and the whole world had changed.
They walked up to the porch together and Simon held Jersey over his shoulder with one hand while unlocking the door with the other. Then the three of them crossed the threshold together.
“Welcome home, son,” Simon whispered into his tiny, sleeping son’s ear.
Alisha leaned in and kissed the baby, then Simon, beaming with joy. “Welcome home, Jersey.”
Simon hated to admit it, but damn if his eyes didn’t sting a bit at the moment. Must be pollen. He flicked the light switch with his elbow, then slid Jersey from his shoulder down to his front, happy to see his son awake now.
The baby blinked up at him with wide, unfocused eyes, his little mouth pursed like a grumpy old man. Simon laughed. “I hear ya, kid. Believe me, I hear ya.”
“What’s he doing?” Alisha asked, setting the bags aside and moving in closer to Simon so she could see their son’s face. “Oh man. He looks just like Mike when he does that.” She pulled out her camera to take a picture. “Got to text that one to him.”
She sent it off to her brother while Simon bounced Jersey in his arms. “What do you think, son? Do you like your house, huh?” He walked him through the open living room and then the kitchen. “Maybe we should give you a tour, eh?”
“He’s two days old, honey.” Alisha rolled her eyes at him. “I doubt he’s going to remember any of this.”
“Maybe not,” Simon said, heading down the hall to the guest bath and the laundry room before returning to where Alisha stood near the bottom of the stairs. “But I gave you a tour that day we decided to buy the place and I think he deserves the same courtesy.”
Alisha shook her head and chuckled. “Fine. Let’s do it.” They started up the stairs. “But Jersey, your daddy is a silly, silly man. I love him, but he sure is silly.”
Simon couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he reached the top of the steps and waited for Alisha to reach his side. “And I love your momma too. More than I can say, but she is bossy with a capital B. Don’t let her push you around, son.”
“I’ll push you around,” Alisha said, nudging Simon’s arm gently before kissing him once more. “And I’m not that bossy.” At his look, she laughed. “Okay. I am that bossy, but I’m learning to compromise. I gave in on our son’s name, right?”
“You said you loved Jersey!” Simon said, blin
king at her. He’d thought it was pretty clever, a combination of his late parents’ names—Jerrica and Simon. They’d changed the spelling a bit to make it easier, but still. “Better than Obadiah.”
“That’s why we made it the middle name.” She snorted. “After my grandpa. And Mike’s going to make the best uncle ever too. He’s going to spoil the baby rotten when he comes home on leave to see him at Christmas.”
“Probably.” They continued around the second floor, showing the baby each room until they reached the nursery. By that time, little Jersey was asleep again and Simon carefully laid him in his crib, then stood watching him with Alisha by his side. Hard to believe that less than a year prior, he’d been lost. Between books, between relationships, wondering where in the hell his next story was coming from and when in the hell he’d finally get his life together. Now, he had everything he ever wanted and more. So much more. All thanks to the woman beside him. He rested his shoulder against hers and tilted his head until it touched hers. “I love you forever, Alisha Lewis.”
She took a deep breath and released it slowly, relaxing into him, her smile bright as the sun outside. “I love you too, Simon Stone. Forever.”
* * *
A few days later, Alisha was in the living room with Jersey. She’d just finished breastfeeding him and was getting ready to burp him when the doorbell rang.
“Huh.” She frowned and handed the baby to Simon, who was working on revisions on his latest book in the chair across from her. “I wasn’t expecting anyone. Were you?”
He didn’t answer, just shrugged, staring at his computer screen while bouncing his son over one shoulder. Call her crazy, but something about seeing such a strong, tough man taking care of an infant made her go all soft and fuzzy inside.
She turned away and walked out into the foyer to answer the door, grinning when she saw her best friend Farrah on the other side. “Hey, girlfriend. What are you doing here?”
Guarding His Fake Family Page 18