by Jamie Hill
She couldn’t argue. Doug and Ethan had taken to each other immediately. It was good for the boy to have a man in his life again. Some therapy sessions had helped him remember the good things about Larry, who would always have a fond spot in his heart. But when Doug adopted Ethan, he’d become his dad in every sense of the word.
Doug kicked out of his boots and wet jeans. “We were out in the north field when the sky opened up. Just didn’t have time to get back.”
“I know.” She felt bad for yelling, but her hormones were raging and she couldn’t always make herself stop.
Watching him strip to his boxers in the kitchen had her cheered up in no time.
He grinned at her amusement. “You think this is funny, don’t you?”
“Now I do. It’ll be really funny once the floor and dog are both clean again.”
He wrapped his arms around her from behind and rubbed his hands over her burgeoning belly. “You’ve got to remember, E’s been the baby in the family for eleven years. He’s never seen the pregnancy-hormone side of you.”
She groaned. “I’m as big as a house, and I’m only six months along! I swear, with each pregnancy I start showing earlier.”
Doug kissed the nape of her neck. “Then we’ll have to limit ourselves to three or four more kids, tops.”
“Ha!” She snorted. “You’re lucky to get this one. Maybe one more. If we would have kept that seventeen million, then we could have afforded a huge brood.”
His lips moved to her earlobe. “Are you ever sorry we didn’t? You wanted a million dollar wedding, and you got a justice of the peace in a community center.”
She chuckled. “I didn’t really want a million dollar wedding, I was just kidding. Ours was perfect. So was the honeymoon.”
“Kansas City. Woo hoo, hold down the excitement.”
She patted his hands, still rubbing her tummy. “Stop it. The Plaza was beautiful with all the Christmas lights. Everything was perfect. The kids loved spending their vacation with my parents.”
He cupped her baby bulge. “And look at the present we gave each other. She was conceived that week, I’m sure of it.”
She leaned back against him. “I know. It was so romantic. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Doug squeezed her gently. “Me either. So, have you given any more thought to names?”
“No. I hate every single one on that list you gave me. But I haven’t had time to think about it, with your birthday party tonight.” She moaned. “Doug, in just over an hour your friends will start showing up, and we’re not ready.”
“We’re almost ready. I’ll hurry, I promise. This wasn’t supposed to be a lot of work for you, remember? They’re bringing snacks and drinks. Mom’s got the cake. We’re just providing seats for the butts.”
“Speaking of butts…” She reached behind and grabbed his ass.
“Ah, ah, ah, we said we needed to hurry, remember? That’s not hurrying.” He kissed the side of her mouth. “That’s an invitation to slow and sensual.”
The back door opened and his mother blew in with a whiff of wind. She talked and peeled out of her raincoat at the same time. “Wow, is it pouring out there! Daisy’s pretty mad, I didn’t let her in. She’s a wet mess. I came early to see if I could help. Oh, my!” She surveyed the kitchen and Doug standing there in his boxers. “I guess I came way too early.”
He spun them around so Christine blocked his mother’s view. “Hi, Mom. Nope, you’re fine. E and I got caught in the rain. I was just going to change.”
She smirked. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
Ethan appeared behind them. “Dad! You’re naked in the kitchen!” he whooped.
“He’s not naked,” Christine tried to explain, but everyone was laughing too hard for it to matter.
He kissed her temple one last time. “Clothes.”
“Yes.” She nodded.
“Hi Grandma!” Ethan dodged muddy prints to give her a hug.
“Hey, buddy. What do you say you find me a mop? We’ll get this kitchen back in shape in no time.”
“You bet!” He ran off.
Christine chuckled. “He’s thrilled to have help. Doug asked him to do it.” She bent over to pick up her husband’s clothes. “I’ll just take care of these.”
“No bending or stooping. Here.” Liz Jernigan grabbed the clothes and passed them to her. “We’ll set the shoes on the porch for now.”
“Thanks, Mom.” She dropped the things in the hamper then returned.
Her mother-in-law talked as she mopped. “So how many are we expecting at this soirée?”
“Between ten and twenty. Most of the marshals who aren’t working said they’d try to make it. His boss even promised to make an appearance. A few people were concerned about the weather, so we’ll see.”
Liz waved a hand. “Kansas in June. Never know what you’re going to get.”
“And then there’s Jordan, who may or may not be bringing a date. Last text Doug received, they were fighting about something. So she may arrive solo.”
“That girl is a pip. Speaking of pips, how’s Peyton enjoying her graduation trip to New York? Is she leaving your parents behind in the dust?”
Christine chuckled. “We talked to her a while ago. They’re having a great time. She called to wish Doug a happy birthday.”
He appeared in the doorway wearing clean clothes and a big smile.
His mother nodded. “I’d expect this is about the happiest birthday he’s ever had.”
Doug drew Christine into his arms again, and nuzzled her neck. “First of many, Mom. First of many.”
She leaned back against his muscular chest and sighed. My favorite place to be in the world.
Ethan peered around the corner. “Can we let Daisy in yet?”
The End
Also by Jamie Hill from Books We Love
Romantic Suspense (with a touch of heat!):
A Cop in the Family Series
Family Secrets, Book 1
Family Ties, Book 2
Family Honor, Book 3
Jamie Hill’s Triple Threat (The complete A Cop in the Family Series)
On the Edge, a romantic suspense novella
Romance, Woman’s Fiction:
The Blame Game Series
Blame it on the Stars, Book One
Blame it on the Moon, Book Two
Blame it on the Sun, Book Three
Blame it on the Rain, Book Four
Playing for Keeps
Secrets and Lies
Impulsive, a short story collection which includes
Three Wishes
Playing With Destiny
All That Jazz
High Maintenance
Coming in Fall 2014
Witness Security – Book Two
Time to Kill
Read a sample now
Prologue
Six months earlier
Los Angeles, California
“What the hell are you looking at?” the shout from across the street was directed at him.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. He knew better than to make eye contact with anyone when he walked in his neighborhood after dark.
He actually knew better than to go out alone at night, but he ran out of milk and double ‘A’ batteries. Milk, he could manage without for a short time. The batteries powered his video game controllers, and there was no going without those for even one night.
The woman’s cries for help had gotten his attention. Yes, she was a hooker, and yes, the guy beating on her was probably her pimp. He could go home and dial nine-one-one, but the couple would probably be gone by the time the cops made it to their neighborhood. He sure as hell wasn’t going to whip out his phone and make the call with the pimp watching him. The guy was whacking on her with a billy club. There was no question he had other weapons at his disposal.
Sorry lady.
He hurried on. When he’d first moved in, his neighbor Roy had told him about the various types of
activities which might be witnessed when the sun went down. Apparently pimps had better luck collecting fees from their streetwalkers when they were on the job, rather than trying to find them with cash on hand when they weren’t.
There was the occasional gang dust up, but those were fewer now that two rival families had moved out of the area.
Old Mrs. Turner in the yellow house on the corner baked hashish brownies for resale purposes. There was usually a steady stream of traffic coming and going from her place.
Roy himself had a penchant for the ponies. Three times he’d asked to borrow cash to pay back his debts. He’d always returned the money, but the last time it’d taken quite a bit longer. He’d been forced to tell Roy he couldn’t loan him anything else, and had been relieved when his neighbor had taken it well.
An unexpected inheritance had allowed him to take a year off from work to follow his dream of writing a novel. He’d gotten halfway done when a slump set in. The next few chapters came slower. Figuring out the ending was like pulling teeth, especially when he was trying to concentrate and the neighbors weren’t cooperating.
He hated the noise and found the violence distasteful, but the rent affordable and that said a lot for Los Angeles. The City of Angels. The Entertainment Capital of the World. Everyone knew all the action happened in the big cities. If he was truly going to be a writer, he needed to be in the center of things.
Of course if the author gig didn’t work out, he could always go back to his assistant manager job at Gamestop. But he’d allowed himself one year and he figured he could make it that long, provided he was frugal and spent wisely.
Approaching his block, he spotted a strange car parked in front of his small, four-unit apartment complex. The vehicle stood out even though the street was dark. He recognized his favorite shade, metallic emerald green. He’d wanted a car that color ever since he’d seen it on his old man’s 1965 Chevy Coupe Classic.
What make and model is this one? He couldn’t tell in the dark, and got closer to squint at the emblem on the trunk.
Someone in the back seat sprang up, pressing his face against the inside of the rear window.
He jumped, dropping the gallon of milk into the street where it burst open. “Dammit!” He glanced back up and realized the face in the window belonged Roy, his neighbor. Roy’s eyes were bugging and he was trying to scream.
His heart thudded. “Roy?”
A second man rose from the back seat and without a sound, inserted an icepick into Roy’s temple, then drew it out quickly.
Roy’s tongue protruded and his eyes bulged wider before they froze in an unforgettable, tormented expression of death.
The other man turned and looked directly at him.
Don’t make eye contact! It was too late. They’d seen each other.
The man opened his car door.
The bag containing the twenty-pack of double ‘A’ batteries hit the ground as he bolted, running faster than he ever had in his life.
Chapter One
Present day
Topeka, Kansas
“This has not been my weekend!” Jordan Burke breezed into her partner’s house and looked around. “I can’t believe you had the baby without me. Where is she?”
Doug Jackson leaned against the door and pointed over his shoulder. “Right in here. Really sorry we didn’t wait for you. I suggested holding out to Christine but she was in the middle of that ‘hee hee hoo hoo’ breathing and she didn’t seem too interested.”
She paused long enough to shoot him a sarcastic look. Doug had been her partner in the US Marshal’s Service for six years and they got along like siblings. Sometimes didn’t get along, making them even more like brother and sister. But she loved him to pieces and was thrilled when he met his soul mate the previous year and married her. Their first child together had just arrived. Both parents were tall and striking with thick brown hair and deep, dark eyes. She knew the baby would be beautiful.
Reaching up to pinch his cheek she muttered, “Sabelotodo. Where is my goddaughter?”
He laughed. “Every time you call me a smarty pants I’m going to remind you that I’d rather be a smartass than a dumbass. Follow me.” He led her into the front room where his wife sat, holding the baby.
“Christi! You look amazing!” She kissed her friend on the cheek and peered into the flannel bundle. “Who do we have here?”
Christine pulled back the edge of the blanket. “Auntie Jordan, meet Avery Elizabeth Jernigan.”
All she could see were two pink cheeks and rosebud lips on the small round face. The rest was hidden by a pink cap and a blanket cocoon.
“Ay Dios mio! Oh my God! She’s a beauty. Can I hold her?”
Doug sat on the arm of his wife’s chair. “I don’t know, can you?”
Jordan rolled her eyes and looked at Christine. “Does he do this to you? Are you wishing now you would have had a longer courtship and gotten to know him better?” She didn’t give the woman a chance to answer. “Okay, may I hold her?”
Christine smiled. “Yes, you may. I would have let you without the grammar lesson. I pretty much ignore him half the time, anyway.”
She reached for the baby and eyed Doug. “Smart woman.” Lifting the light load, she wondered if the blankets weighed more than the kid. “So tiny! How big was she?” Jordan sat on the next chair over.
“Six pounds, five ounces. Twenty inches long,” the daddy said proudly.
Examining the tiny fingers, she sighed. “Perfect. She’s so beautiful, you two. I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”
“Duty calls. We certainly understand that around here.” Christine reached for Doug’s hand and held it.
Jordan raised the baby to her shoulder and rocked as she spoke. “I don’t mind duty. I don’t mind flying an annoying tax evader all the way to Atlanta. Well, I really do, but you know what I mean.”
Doug leaned over to his wife. “Jordan hates the guilty witnesses. She’d much rather protect an innocent person than someone who’s committed a crime.”
She shrugged. “Can you blame me? As my dear late mother used to say, ‘you lie with dogs, you get up with fleas’.”
They chuckled and she went on, “But I do mind when we get to the courthouse and discover the trial has been continued. Seriously? They couldn’t have figured this out earlier?”
He shook his head. “They don’t always know beforehand. Sometimes it happens at the last minute.”
“Shush, you.” She turned back to Christine. “So there we are, me and Willy E., the tax evader, right back on a flight to Kansas. All I accomplished was missing the birth of my goddaughter. Sigh. They didn’t keep you in the hospital very long.”
“One night. She’s healthy. We’ll take her back in a couple days to be checked, and then again at ten days.”
Jordan rubbed her tiny back. “Avery Elizabeth. What a nice name. I’ll bet grandma is pleased.”
Doug’s mother went by Liz, but her given name was Elizabeth. “Yep.” He grinned. “Mom’s in hog heaven. She was over here a while ago, and she’ll be back later. She’s picking Ethan up from school for us.”
“Sweet. How’s E taking the new arrival?”
“He’s only seen her in the hospital, but so far so good. He was very excited. Peyton can’t wait to meet her.” Christine’s children from her first marriage were eleven and eighteen. Their father, Larry, got into big trouble which landed him in prison and the family in witness security, where they met Jordan and Doug. Larry was killed before his trial in Chicago. Doug and Christine got together after that.
“How’s her first year of college so far?”
“She loves it. My parents are bringing her here on Friday for the weekend. They’re all anxious to meet Avery.”
Jordan inhaled the fresh baby fragrance. “Aw, little Avery. I’m sorry you’re coming into a world where you’ll never be quite sure what your last name is. Some people will call you Jernigan, others will think you’re Jackson. Living within the boundari
es of Witsec will keep you on your toes.”
Doug cleared his throat. “She’ll be just fine. We’ve all managed this far, haven’t we?”
“Not without some confusion!” Jordan understood the necessity for stealth. As US Marshals, they dealt with criminals every day. Those people didn’t need to know their real names. She was born Jordan Branan, but her family was gone now. For all intents and purposes, besides paying taxes, she was Jordan Burke.
“So…” Doug smiled at her. “What else is new?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t give me that, you turkey. You know damn good and well what’s new. Charlie Archer got a trial date at the end of this month. With you on paternity leave, imagine that? How long are you taking?”
He grinned. “A month.”
“To do what?” she teased. “It’s not like you gave birth.”
Shrugging, he defended himself. “I’ve got the vacation time. I’m going to use it to bond with my daughter and take care of my wife. You’re just spoiled because I never took vacations before. I finally have a reason.”
“I know it, haragan. Slacker. I just can’t believe you’re making me deal with Charlie Archer.”
“Who’s Charlie Archer?” Christine glanced from one to the other of them. “Or should I not ask? I know you aren’t supposed to discuss witnesses.”
“We’re really not,” he agreed.
Jordan made a face. “Oh please, since when are you Mr. and Mrs. Witsec-by-the-book? You wouldn’t be here today if you knew what it meant to follow the rules.”
Doug chuckled. “Okay, maybe we can bend one more. Charlie Archer used to live in Los Angeles. He’s the stereotypical gamer-Star Trekish kind of nerd. One night he witnessed a mob hit on someone in his neighborhood. He vacated the premises pronto and was relocated by Witsec.”
Jordan picked up the tale. “Problem being, Charlie was writing a book. The next great American novel, to hear him tell it. In his rush to vamoose, he left his flash drive with the manuscript behind. Try as he might, he’s not been able to recreate the novel.”