Alex’s heart rattled in his chest as he coasted into Beth’s driveway. It was almost hard to grasp how quickly things had changed in twenty-four hours.
Claire had been sent to the hospital, where her gunshot wound—just a graze, fortunately—had been stitched up. The doctor had determined she had a mild concussion. Knowing full well who Claire was, the doctor had suggested she take some time to recuperate before being grilled by the police. But Claire had been anxious to tell her side of the story. She’d been escorted to the station, where Alex had stayed by her side.
By the end of the day, Claire’s name had been cleared. Law enforcement hadn’t been too happy with Claire, or him, for being on the run. They’d expounded upon the number of hours they’d spent searching after they’d been spotted at the campground. It had taken some firm talking from Claire’s lawyer to get them to move on. She pointed out that they had been about to charge an innocent woman and that they should be grateful that Claire and Alex had brought not just one but two killers to justice.
Both Veronica and Xavier had been charged with murder. The police felt assured they had enough evidence to convict Xavier of arranging Penelope Goodman’s murder and Veronica of committing Jared’s murder. They had contacted the Chicago PD in the hope of tracking down Tony Moretti. They were also looking into the disappearance of Vincent Monroe. Alex felt confident that another murder charge would be added soon.
Possibly two more once they looked into Uncle George’s suspicious death once more.
They had spent hours rehashing the events of the last few weeks. By the time they’d finished at the station, they’d both been exhausted.
As much as Alex wanted to meet Mia, he had agreed to wait until morning. Claire had wanted time to speak to Mia alone, to try to explain things as best as she could to a three-year-old.
Now it was morning.
And he was about to meet his daughter.
He had anticipated jogging right up to Beth’s front door. Instead he sat in his newly fixed truck, sucking in a few calming breaths.
Due to his career choice, and his years in the military, he’d faced off with some of the worst of the worst that humanity had to offer. He’d done so with a trained sense of calm.
But not now.
He was terrified of meeting his little girl.
What if she didn’t like him? He had absolutely zero experience with children, let alone with being a father to one.
He realized how ridiculous he was being when Beth’s front door opened. Claire stepped onto the porch and motioned him inside with her uninjured arm.
It wasn’t as if he could sit there all day. He reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed the glittery pink gift bag he’d brought along.
“You can do this,” he muttered under his breath as he got out of his truck. “It’s just one tiny girl. How scary can she be?”
“Hey, there,” Claire said as he approached the front door. “I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to show up.”
Alex jiggled the gift bag. “I had to make a pit stop.” Actually, two stops, he thought. He’d stopped to buy something for Mia, but he had something for Claire, as well.
“How are you doing?” she asked as she led him into the house.
Alex knew that Beth and Steven had gone out for brunch. They planned to do some shopping after that to allow Claire and Alex the time they needed.
“Honestly, I’m kind of a wreck. What if she doesn’t like me?” Alex asked.
Claire paused in the hallway.
“She’s three. Right now, she likes everybody,” Claire assured him. “As soon as she gets to know you, she’s going to love you. I promise. Now come on.”
They reached the kitchen and Alex froze in the doorway. He had played this moment over in his mind a hundred times this past week. He thought he was prepared for it. But nothing, no amount of imagining or speculating, could’ve prepared him for this. He felt as if his heart exploded in his chest, as if all the air had been sucked from his lungs.
His little girl was as perfect as he’d imagined...and then some.
* * *
Claire heard Alex’s breath catch.
Mia sat at the kitchen table with a stack of paper and a box of crayons. She was so entranced with her artwork she didn’t look up.
Claire gave Alex a moment. She watched as he studied their daughter. Her thick, dark hair was pulled into a ponytail. Her teeth were clamped onto her bottom lip as she concentrated. She wore a pair of striped leggings, a pink tutu and a purple sweater. She swung her bare feet as they dangled from the kitchen chair.
As usual, she hummed a nonsensical song as her crayon twirled across the page.
“I told her about you,” Claire said. “She’s too young to really grasp the significance of the situation. But she’ll understand soon enough and she’s going to be grateful to have you in her life.”
Mia glanced up when she heard her mother speaking. She clenched a purple crayon in her fist as she slid her curious gaze over Alex.
“Mia, remember when I told you there’s someone I’d like you to meet?” Claire asked as she crossed the room to put a hand on her shoulder. “This is Alex. Can you say hi?”
“Hi,” she responded promptly. “Are you my daddy?”
“Uh...” Alex glanced at Claire, clearly surprised by Mia’s bluntness. “Yes.”
“I should’ve warned you. Preschoolers aren’t very subtle,” Claire said.
“That’s okay. I like directness.” He smiled as he pulled out a chair and took a seat. “What are you drawing?”
“A picture.” She slid the paper his way. “It’s a picture of Roscoe. He’s smelling some flowers.”
“I see that,” Alex said as he studied the black-and-brown blob surrounded by purple swirls. “It’s very nice.”
“It’s for you.” She nudged the picture a few more inches closer to him.
“Thank you,” he said. “I’m going to put this on my fridge as soon as I get home.”
“Momma said Roscoe is your dog, too.” Mia eyed him warily, as if worried he might try to take the dog away.
“That’s true but I think he’s really happy that he lives with you.”
She nodded, pleased with his answer.
“What’s that?” She pointed to the gift bag that had caught her eye.
“It’s a present for you.” He handed it to her.
Mia turned to Claire.
“You can open it,” Claire urged.
The little girl dropped her hand into the bag. Her brow furrowed when her fingers wrapped around the gift inside. She gave it a tug and something shiny popped out.
Her eyes lit up when she held the tiara in the air for her mother to see. “It’s a crown!” she squealed in delight.
“I heard you’re a princess,” Alex said.
She grinned and nodded as she haphazardly slid the tiara onto her head.
“Momma!” Mia said as she glanced over her shoulder. “Look! Now I look like a real princess!”
“It’s very pretty,” Claire said. “What do you say?”
Mia returned her attention to Alex. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I wasn’t sure if you’d like it. I’ve never gotten a present for a little girl before.”
“You can rarely go wrong with sparkly, shiny or glittery,” Claire teased. “You did good.”
Mia slid out of her chair and grabbed his hand.
His eyes widened in surprise an instant before a pleased smile settled onto his face. Claire had known that Mia would warm up to Alex quickly. Their daughter had a lively, outgoing personality. But to witness it, to see Alex experience it, filled her with joy.
“Come on,” Mia said as she tugged at him. “I want to show you my castle.”
Alex stood, his eyes locking with Claire’s. She
easily read the relief, the happiness, he was feeling.
“You heard the girl,” she said with a laugh. “She wants to show you her castle.”
“Let’s take a look then,” Alex agreed.
Mia led them outside. Roscoe had been snoozing in the sunshine. When he heard the commotion, his head popped up and he trotted over. Mia gave him a few firm pats on the head before dashing across the fenced-in backyard.
Claire and Alex followed.
“Up here!” Mia shouted from the wooden structure attached to the swing set. “Watch me go down the slide.”
“We’re watching!” Alex called back. He leaned against the deck railing and Claire mirrored the act.
Mia zoomed down, ran around the swing set, climbed the ladder and went through the whole process over and over again. Every few minutes she stopped to give Roscoe some snuggles and straighten her tiara.
“I spoke with my lawyer this morning,” Claire admitted.
Alex turned to her, a deep frown marring his features. “Why? I thought you’d been cleared? Did something happen after Beth took you home last night?”
She laid a reassuring hand on his forearm. “No. It’s nothing like that. I called her. I’m set to inherit Jared’s estate.” She winced, thinking of the millions and wondering if he’d come across it all legally. “But I don’t want it. I don’t want his money. I don’t want any sort of tie to him.”
“That’s understandable,” Alex said.
“I have a lot of details to work out, but when everything is said and done, I’d like to donate the lump sum to HOPE.”
Alex stared at her a moment. “Are you serious?”
“Completely,” Claire said. “I know it’s important to you. After hearing you and Mason discuss your work, it was so obvious that the organization is making a difference. I can’t think of a better cause to donate to.”
Alex nodded. “The money will be put to good use. Everyone will appreciate it, more than you could imagine.”
“Look what I can do,” Mia shouted from across the yard.
She did some sort of tumbling act that Claire knew was supposed to be a cartwheel. She hadn’t quite mastered the skill yet. Her tiara fell off her head and she quickly swiped it off the ground and plopped it back on.
“Very nice!” Alex called to her.
Mia beamed back at him.
“I think this is going well,” Claire said.
“She’s a little whirlwind,” Alex said proudly.
Claire laughed. “Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.”
“No, I suppose not,” Alex said seriously, “but I’d like to.”
“I’m sorry you missed so much time with her.”
“I am, too,” he said. “From now on, family is going to be my top priority.”
“What about your work?” Claire asked with a frown. “I understand it’s important to you.”
Alex laughed as Mia tried to place the tiara on Roscoe’s head. The confused dog kept leaping backward, trying to get out of her way. Mia realized they were watching her. She plunked the tiara back on her own head before trotting across the yard. Roscoe lunged after her and she giggled, trying to race him.
“I made an important phone call this morning, as well,” Alex admitted. “I spent quite some time talking with Helena.”
“Helena? The founder of HOPE?” Claire asked.
He nodded. “I needed to talk to her about my next assignment.”
“I see.” Claire pressed a smile onto her face, preparing for the moment when Alex told her he was taking off again. Possibly to parts unknown, for an undisclosed amount of time. Sure, he wanted to meet his daughter. But of course he needed to get on with his life, to get back to his job and his colleagues.
“She was pleased with the help I was able to give the new recruits,” he began. “When I was at Mason’s, I was able to do some mentoring for a few of our newest team members. It got me thinking, what if I could do that full-time, or close to it?”
Her brow furrowed as she took a moment to mull that over. He couldn’t possibly be saying what she thought he was saying. It was almost too much to hope for.
“Instead of working in the field?” she asked.
“I might have to take an assignment here or there, hopefully nothing too far away,” he said. “But I’m pretty sure I can find a balance.”
“Why would you do that?” Claire’s heart took off, rattling out a chaotic beat as she began to think of the possibilities. Alex had declared his love yesterday, but they hadn’t had a chance to talk about it since. The rest of the day had been nothing short of chaos.
“You’re the reason why, Claire. You and Mia.” He turned from the railing, pulled something from his pocket and, before Claire could question him, he’d dropped to one knee. She blinked at him in surprise.
Looking up at her, he said, “I love you and I already love our little girl. I want the chance to prove it to you. I won’t let you down this time. I promise I won’t,” he said sincerely. He flipped open the top of the burgundy-velvet box he held. A princess-cut diamond sparkled up at Claire.
She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.
“Hey!” Mia called as she raced across the yard. “Why are you on the ground like that?”
Alex hesitated a moment as Mia bounded up the steps, skidding to a stop next to her parents.
“I’m on bended knee,” Alex said as he slid his free hand around her waist, “because I’m about to ask your mom to marry me.”
Mia giggled with delight.
Alex returned his gaze to Claire. “I feel like I’ve loved you my whole life. I know I’ve made mistakes, but if you’ll let me, I’ll prove to you that I can do better. I can be the man that you need. Claire...” He pulled in a breath and said, “Will you marry me?”
“Momma say yes!” Mia commanded excitedly.
“Yes,” Claire echoed, her laughter mixing with her tears. “I will marry you.”
Alex scooped Mia into the crook of his arm as he rose to his feet. He looped his other arm around Claire. Her arms slid around them both.
Her heart felt ready to burst with happiness. It swelled, so full of love for the two people wrapped in her arms. She had wanted to believe Alex when he’d said he had changed, that things would be different. It wasn’t until that moment that she really, truly, believed him.
“I’m so thankful that God led me back to you,” Alex said. “I’m thankful to Him for teaching me to trust in His plan, to bend to His will. We were always meant to be a family.”
He leaned over to press a kiss onto Claire’s forehead.
“‘Seek God in all that you do, and He will direct your path.’” Claire sighed happily. “We have so much to be thankful for.”
“We do,” Alex agreed. “We have a lot of work to do. We need to get planning a wedding. We’ll need to look at houses, so we’ll have somewhere to live after the big day. I’m thinking at least a four-bedroom. Mia needs a sibling or three.”
“Three?” Claire laughed, pretending to be shocked but really, she couldn’t think of anything she’d love more. Marrying Alex, creating a family, teaching their children to follow the ways of the Lord, had always been what she’d wanted most out of life.
She had trusted in Him and He had given her the desires of her heart.
* * *
If you enjoyed Reunion on the Run, look for these other books available this month from Love Inspired Suspense:
Justice Mission by Lynette Eason
Rescuing His Secret Child by Maggie K. Black
Identity Classified by Liz Shoaf
Lethal Ransom by Laurie Alice Eakes
Undercover Jeopardy by Kathleen Tailer
Keep reading for an excerpt from Justice Mission by Lynette Eason
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Dear Reader,
I’ve always adored second-chance romance stories. I love the rich histories the characters often share. In Reunion on the Run, Claire and Alex have a painful past. But they also share a daughter, and the desire to get back to her drives them. Claire learned a long time ago that forgiveness can set your soul free. Alex has spent a lot of years running from his past. He’s finally come to understand that true peace can only come from God. He’s handed over his regrets, his fears.
Have you ever failed at something that left you feeling as if you let others down? Have you ever been entangled in regret? Alex finally realized that God’s grace is greater than all our sins and our faults. It is my hope that every one of you find the same peace in the knowledge that your sins and mistakes are forgiven and forgotten.
I hope you’ll join my characters and me on future adventures. You can find me on my Amity Steffen, Author Facebook page. Check in for future releases, or just stop by to hang out and say hello! I’d love to hear from you!
Blessings,
Amity
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Reunion on the Run Page 19