by Rita Herron
His mother gasped. “Oh, Antwaun…”
He looked his mother in the eye. “It’s okay, Maman. I found him and planned to kill him, but then I realized if I did, I’d be just like Frederick Fenton, my father.”
“I am your father,” his papa said defensively.
Antwaun gave his papa a grateful look, moved by the conviction in his voice. “And that’s what I realized. At least I knew I wanted to be like you. So I turned Swafford over to the authorities.”
“We heard he’d been arrested,” Jean-Paul said. “But not that you were responsible.”
Antwaun shrugged. “My next order of business was to confront Fenton.”
His sisters moved up beside him to squeeze his arm.
“Before I could, though, I got a call from Kendra. She’d seen news of Swafford’s arrest, told me she was alive and that we had a baby.”
Kendra slid her arm around Antwaun’s waist, and he pulled her in the crook of his arm, wanting to protect her forever. The baby gurgled and swiped at his hand, and Antwaun let her wrap her chubby fingers around his pinky. He loved his daughter so damn much it hurt to think that he’d missed a single moment with her. But he wouldn’t dwell on the past, only the future.
“Kendra explained everything, and I was so happy to know that they’d both survived that we got married that night. And together we went to confront Fenton,” Antwaun said. “When I looked at him, I realized he wasn’t my father. That I had to come back here.” His eyes grew misty. “I know I’m not blood, but I’m grateful to have had you all. And I’d like very much to raise my daughter as part of the Dubois family.”
His mother shrieked with joy. “Of course you will.”
His father choked on emotion and dragged him in his arms, and the entire family engulfed him and his new family in their arms.
“We have to sit down and eat now!” his mother finally said with a laugh. “I’ll set a plate for Kendra.”
Antwaun glanced at the table and noticed his usual place was already set.
So they had been hoping he’d come. That meant more to him than anything.
The family hurried to the table, hugging and crying and laughing. His maman quickly made a place for Kendra beside him, and his papa grabbed a chair to sit the baby seat in so she, too, would be part of the family.
Then his maman waved her hands to quiet everyone and gestured for them to link hands. “Now Papa will give thanks, because we have so much to be grateful for this year.”
When they bowed their heads, his father thanked the heavens for bringing them all together again, for the love they shared and for the new additions to the family, the wives and children, and those to come in the future.
Antwaun silently gave thanks, as well. New Orleans was slowly recovering from the storms it had weathered, and so was he.
All because of the love of a wonderful family.
* * * * *
If you enjoyed this story by USA TODAY bestselling author
RITA HERRON
be sure to check out these other edge-of-your seat titles in her
THE HEROES OF HORSESHOE CREEK series!
LOCK, STOCK AND MCCULLEN
MCCULLEN’S SECRET SON
ROPING RAY MCCULLEN
WARRIOR SON
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ISBN: 9781460399859
DON’T SAY A WORD
Copyright © 2007 by Rita B. Herron
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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