Tempt Me

* * *

The next few days passed in a blur, the focus not on their personal lives but on Mia’s testimony, something Austin was determined to see her through. The district attorney came to the house the day after the shooting and went over court prep with Mia. She’d also assured them they now had police officers watching the house and sticking by Mia’s side through the trial and until Parker Alexander was back in jail, where he belonged.

Austin spoke to the DA and all agreed Parker’s agenda had been to prevent Mia, the key witness against him, from testifying. Once that was over, he’d turn his focus elsewhere. Revenge wasn’t his MO. Self-preservation was. When Mia’s testimony was finished and the verdict was in, she would be safe. And she’d have him by her side to make her security a certainty.

She was set to testify only two days after the shooting, and she insisted on showing up on time. She wanted the trial over with and he didn’t blame her. As long as she felt physically capable, he would support her all the way.

The bad news was that Austin wasn’t sleeping, because when he shut his eyes, he saw Mia covered in blood, remembered holding his jacket on her shoulder to stop the flow. The good news was that he now had her by his side, in his bed. He took care of her day and night, catering to her shoulder and the pain she was in and repeating how much he loved her.

The day of her testimony, it went like clockwork. She walked through the city streets and entered the courtroom surrounded by protection on all sides.

Her words were damning, her demeanor calm, her voice strong as she testified. Not even the gunshot or the bandage covering her arm kept her from doing the right thing, and Austin was so damned proud of her.

Their lives as a family could soon begin.

* * *

After the trial testimony ended and Mia walked out of the courtroom, Parker’s angry eyes on her as she went, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She refused to be afraid now that it was over. Parker should go back to jail and he no longer had a reason to want her out of the way. She’d done her duty.

An hour later, they returned to the house. Austin’s parents’ car was parked in the driveway.

“Bailey’s home?” she asked, excited.

“I thought it was time. But don’t worry. You’re still healing and you don’t need to take care of her,” Austin said.

“What? Of course I want to take care of her. I’ll do what I can with this arm. They want me to keep it immobilized. But I don’t want to scare her, either. So what’s our story? What happened to me?”

He studied her, a soft smile on his face.

“What?” she asked, uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny.

“You worry more about Bailey than yourself. It’s one of the things I love about you.”

Her heart fluttered at his words and she wondered if she’d ever get used to hearing it. She hoped not.

“If she asks, we’ll tell her you fell. She won’t know the difference.”

No sooner had they walked into the house from the garage than Bailey came running. “Daddy! Mia! I’m home!” she yelled, crashing into Austin’s legs.

“Hey!” He swung her into his arms, one eye on Mia.

She smiled, reassuring him she was fine.

“Oh, Mia!” His mother rushed up to them. “I’ve been so worried about you,” she said, lowering her voice at the end so Bailey wouldn’t catch her concern.

“Thank you but I’m fine. I promise.”

Sarah squeezed her hands. “You’re a strong, brave woman.”

Tears sprung to Mia’s eyes. If this was what she had to look forward to in her life, wonderful people caring about her, she was even luckier than she had thought.

“Hey, everyone, let’s go sit. Mia and I have something to tell you,” Austin said.

They’d talked about filling Bailey in on their engagement and the fact that she would be having a baby brother or sister, but they hadn’t said when. Mia was coming to realize that Austin was impatient when it came to things that he wanted.

They settled into the sofa in the family room, Mia and Austin on one corner of the sofa, his parents on the other, a pleased, hopeful look on Sarah’s face.

“Come up here, baby.” Austin patted his thighs and Bailey came and sat on his lap. “So here’s the thing. You know how much you love Mia?” He looked at his daughter, love in his expressive brown eyes.

“So much,” Bailey said, causing Mia’s breath to catch.

“Well, Daddy loves Mia, too.” He reached out and grasped Mia’s hand, pulling her close.

His mother gasped and his father chuckled with pleasure at his wife’s reaction, while Mia sat happy and overwhelmed by the emotions both filling and surrounding her.