Protecting His Kidnapped Family (Southern Soldiers of Fortune 2)

“Here you go,” Olive said, handing her a steaming mug of herbal tea, then taking a seat beside Levon on the loveseat and curling into him under his arm. They were totally in love, that much was obvious. And it gave Serena hope, seeing big tough Levon be so gentle and caring with Olive and their daughter Allie—who was also sleeping. If they could make it work, maybe she and Noah could too.

She sipped the warm, sweet tea and sighed.

Noah glanced over at her and gave her a little wink that made her toes tingle. “Gracie down for the night?”

“Yeah, at least until the next diaper change,” Serena said.

“Man, I remember those days.” Levon grinned. “Sounds corny as hell, but enjoy them. They go by too fast and before you know it, the kid’s crawling around already.”

“And once they’re mobile, no one sleeps again,” Olive said, and they all laughed.

“When I was locked in that villa with her in St. Dourdane, all I wanted was a few hours to myself,” Serena said, shaking her head. “But now that we’re out, I’m afraid I’m going to miss something she’s doing. That’s weird, right?”

“Not at all,” Olive said. “Allie does new things every day. The surprises never stop.”

Noah was quiet. Serena frowned and nudged him with her shoulder. “Everything okay?”

He nodded, staring down at his hand on his thigh, his expression pensive. “It’s just hearing you guys talk about the babies makes me realize how much I’ve missed in Gracie’s life.”

“Aw.” She patted his hand, then kept hers there, just because it felt so good to touch him. “You’ll have plenty of time to catch up now.” If you want to…

She didn’t say the words, but they hung there just the same as their gazes locked.

Olive yawned, then checked her watch. “Well, I hate to cut this night short, but I’m beat. I’m sure you guys are too. I think I’m going to go to bed.”

“You guys all set for the night?” Levon asked, standing beside Olive. “If you need anything, just let us know. Otherwise, we’ll see you in the morning.”

“Sounds good, man. And thanks again.” Noah reached over to shake his friend’s hand while Serena gave Olive a hug.

“Thank you,” she said, tears prickling her eyes before she blinked them away. Must be the exhaustion. “Sleep tight. We’ll see you in the morning. Hopefully Gracie doesn’t wake you up.”

“Are you kidding?” Levon chuckled. “After Allie’s first few months, I can sleep through anything.”

Once they were alone, a bit of awkwardness crept in. This was really the first time they’d been on their own, without Gracie as a buffer between them, since the whole debacle at the casino. She had to admit Noah’s confession earlier, his clear sadness over how much he’d missed of his daughter’s short life so far, had given her hope that maybe he’d want to stick around once the mission was over. But she’d be lying if it didn’t bring out her anxieties too.

Not to mention the fact that the true puppet master behind everything was still out there, lurking. She shuddered at that thought and reached over to take his hand.

“I’ve got a plan, you know,” he said, rubbing the pad of his thumb over her knuckles. “Me and the guy at SSoF. Remember what I said before about thinking too far ahead. It’ll only get you in trouble.”

“I know.” She sighed and sat back, nestling into his side when he put his arm around her again. “It’s nice here.”

“Yeah.” He kissed her temple. “You should settle in here with Levon and Olive. Concentrate on taking care of you and Gracie for a while. Let me handle the rest.”

She wanted to. Really, she did, but it was hard. Serena frowned and placed her hand on his chest, the steady beat of his heart grounding her. “It’s just weird for me. I’ve always been a crusader. Learned that from my mom. I’m used to fighting for my wellbeing and that of others. And now, with this person still out there, trying to get me…” She took a deep breath. “The thought of leaving my daughter alone brings out all my momma bear instincts, I suppose. I feel like I need to know what’s going on.”

“I get it. I do.” He ran his fingers through her hair, lulling her to relax against him even more. “But think about Gracie. You can’t take care of her if you’re out crusading to save the world. I’ll still keep you informed of what’s going on with the investigation and you can share any information you have with me to take to the guys, but otherwise, you’re safer staying out of it.” She balked at that and started to sit up, but he held her fast.

“I’m not giving up my charities and causes, not forever anyway,” she said. “People need me, and my work is important.”

The moment stretched out taut between them until finally Noah said, “Did you ever think that maybe your work is what started this whole mess to begin with?”

Serena wanted to deny it, wanted to rail against his assertions, but dammit. Deep inside her something froze. Could he be right?

17

The next day was difficult, at best. Gracie was fussy and Serena was doing her best to adjust to this new life where Noah wasn’t around all the time and they weren’t on the run. At least Olive was there to keep her company.

After they’d put the kids down for a nap, Olive made them both tea and they sat at the table in the kitchen to rest and regroup before the next round of feedings and diaper changes and play times.