Dirty Thief

A smile lifts my lips, and Hajib holds the door for us to exit the vehicle. Zelda unhooks her daughter, and I’m out the door, looking up at the little girl at the top of the steps. She’s again wearing that white pin-tucked dress with white ankle socks and black shoes. The stuffed bunny is under her arm, and her green eyes glow today with excitement.

“You’re just in time,” Clare says as I go through the gate. “Sanaa will be arriving any minute.”

Zee is through the gate with Belle, and I walk up the steps to where Suad waits. Bending down, I hold out my hand toward her. This time, she smiles and takes it. I bite my bottom lip as joy warms my chest. Her eyes move behind me, and I turn at the sound of a car stopping in front of the orphanage.

The door opens, and a petite woman with dark hair and eyes steps out of the black limo. Small flags are on the front, and I recognize it as the German ambassador’s car.

Sanaa is through the gate so fast, she’s practically a blur. I step aside as she scoops Suad into her arms, and the two of them hug each other for the longest time. A tear rolls slowly down her aunt’s cheek, and the little girl’s eyes are closed as she smiles bigger than I’ve ever seen. I glance toward the gate and Dieter is waiting at the car, also smiling at the reunion.

“You are the woman who made this happen?” Sanaa releases her niece and holds out her hand to me.

“I’m one of them,” I say, taking it in mine. “Clare has been directly involved with the children, and Dieter, you know, made it possible for you to come here.”

She does a little bow to me and covers my hand with both of hers. “Thank you. Thank you so much for helping me find her.”

We give Sanaa the tour of the orphanage and let her see where Suad has been living. She doesn’t recognize any of the other children, but she seems pleased with what we’ve been able to do. Clare has prepared a suitcase with several of the donated outfits that fit the little girl, a few pair of shoes, and a small envelope of money. Once she has everything, we hug them both again and wave as we watch them climb into the limo and drive away. Glancing over at Clare, we both laugh when we see tears in each other’s eyes.

“We can’t be crying,” I say. “This is the whole point of what we’re doing.”

“I know, but I can’t help it,” Clare sniffs, touching her eyes. “She’s gone, and we have to trust she will be okay.”

“She’s going to be great.” Zee bounces Belle on her hip. “She has a family who loves her, and she’s seen that there is kindness in the world.”

Leave it to my sister to put everything into perspective. I step closer and put my arm around her waist. She reaches for Clare’s hand, and the three of us share a moment as we watch the car vanish around the curve.

* * *

We’re on the beach at Occitan. It’s a Sunday afternoon, and Rowan and Cal are with us this time. I’m reclining against my husband’s broad chest, his large hand resting on my still-flat stomach, and we watch Cal and Zelda horsing around in the waters of the small bay. She jumps on his back, he grabs her ass, and I can’t help laughing.

Only a short time has passed since, but with Freddie’s help, we’ve been able to accomplish so much. Rowan’s hunch that the fifteen thousand dollar note had belonged to Emily Farther proved right, and using government channels and help from the State of Florida, we’d been able to anonymously return it to her in Maryland.

Rowan had also helped me send money to pay for Ramona’s burial. I’d never been able to learn if she had family or if there was someone to take care of her, but I was able to put her to rest. Grace, as I’d later discovered, did have extended family, cousins who had taken care of her.

The queen mother is back at her spa retreat, and the four of us are spending one last night at the beach before my sister and her family return to their island home.

I watch as Belle chases the small waves rushing back and forth on the sand. She’s so cute in her little ruffled-butt bikini with her chubby arms and legs.

She stops and bends down to touch the tiny bubbles left by clams that disappear in the wet sand, and when a wave rushes in and splashes her, she screams and runs up to the dry sand again.

“No matter what happens, it never stops,” I say softly, threading my fingers through my husband’s. In less than nine months, we’ll have our own chubby baby to watch on the shore, and my days of stealing to try and find control seem like a far-distant memory.

“What are you thinking?” Rowan’s voice is a smooth vibration at my back.

“It’s over.” I turn to find his gaze. “I’m no longer a thief.”

A sexy smile curls his lips. “No more discipline?”

Warmth floods my lower stomach, and I think about what that means. I think about possible alternatives. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“Either way, it’s not true.” My brow lowers, and he touches my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “You stole my heart.”

I laugh and stretch my chin up to meet his mouth. I might not be a dirty thief, but lying here, in the arms of my king, with family close by and more on the way, I’ve found the calm I’ve always been seeking.

Epilogue

Two Years Later

Rowan