She’d taken leave from Wellington and James and had spent the last nine weeks learning to be a mom.
A cold wind rushed down the street, whipping up the edges of her coat. Balancing a diaper bag, she kicked the car door closed and, cupping her hand over David’s head, rushed into the heat of the pub.
She’d not taken two steps inside when the crowd turned in unison and shouted, “Surprise!”
Angie startled. David flinched and looked up at Angie waiting for his cue to cry or laugh. Angie smiled and the baby relaxed.
Her entire group of friends had gathered. Charlotte, Iris, King, Bobby, Garrison, and Eva. She searched briefly for Malcolm but didn’t see him.
Eva cut away from the crowd and moved toward Angie. Her slightly rounded belly and fuller face made her look lovely. “We wanted to throw a party for the new mom.”
Angie saw the sign that read, WELCOME, DAVID. “Honey, this is so wonderful.You have enough going on and did not have to do this.”
“I wanted to do it.” She squeezed Angie’s arm and whispered, “The CF test was negative. My daughter is fine.”
The words took a moment to penetrate. Daughter. Fine. Tears pooled and ran down her face. “Honey, I am so glad.”
Garrison moved toward them. For the first time in weeks she sensed his grin was heartfelt. “We both slept like the dead last night. First night with no real worries.”
Angie had had a nightmare the other night. She’d dreamed of Louise stealing into her house and taking David. “You owe me a son,” the old woman had cackled. Angie had awoken with a start and gone to the baby’s crib. She’d been so relieved to see him sleeping, she’d wept.
When she’d returned to her bed, it had grown cold. She thought about Malcolm and how good his body had felt next to hers. She missed him and wished she could have both him and her son in her life.
Eva tickled David’s stomach. “Put your bags behind the bar, Angie, and let me hold my nephew.”
Releasing David didn’t come easy to her. She loved David so much that it frightened her. The little guy had opened her heart so wide. But she needed to let the fear go and enjoy her life. She smiled and let the boy go to her sister.
I will always keep you safe, no matter what.
Garrison touched the top of the boy’s head, now covered with thick brown hair. “We promise to take good care of him and will have him back in a minute. My sister Carrie wants to meet him, and my mom is itching to hold a baby.”
Angie watched as her sister moved through the crowd introducing her new nephew to everyone.
She’d grown so accustomed to carrying the boy around she felt oddly lost without the weight of his body in her arms. But this moment alone gave her the chance to scan the crowd again for Malcolm. There was no sign of him.
Irritated and disappointed, she moved to the bar, where King had laid out a feast. She reached for a square of cheese. It had been weeks since she’d eaten a meal without David in her arms.
“He’s a great-looking kid,” Malcolm said. His deep voice glided down her spine, making her skin tingle.
She turned and faced him. He looked good wearing a flannel shirt, jeans, and hiking boots. His hair was brushed back, and despite the winter chill, he had a tan. He’d no doubt gone to his cabin in the woods.
“I’m so lucky,” she said. It was all she could do not to touch him. “You look really good.”
He nodded. “So do you.”
If she’d learned anything during those horrific moments with Josiah it was not to hide her feelings. She spoke what was in her heart. “I’ve missed you.”
He cocked his head. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “That’s good.”
“It is?”
“Makes it easier to say what I need to say.”
“You look nervous, Detective.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Because I love you. And I’ve been trying for weeks to screw up the courage to tell you.”
She closed her eyes, unable to bear his gaze.
“I needed to make sure I had it in me to be the man you and David needed.” Tension rippled through his body. “When I make a commitment I don’t back down.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her through the crowd into the kitchen. King was at the stove. He raised his hand to speak, but when he caught Malcolm’s expression he mumbled something about the bar and left them alone.
Malcolm turned Angie to face him. “I’m crazy about you, Angie. I want to make a go of it with you just like I did before.”
“My life is a little more complicated than before.”
“David’s the kind of complication I like.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He hugged her, growing at her touch. He deepened the kiss.
She broke the kiss. “I don’t want to jump ahead and borrow trouble, but it’s what I do best. What if—”
“Stop with the what ifs. Please. For once.”
She leaned her forehead against his. She spoke softly, unable to not say the words. “I’m not going to be able to ever give you the perfect storybook kind of life you wanted. No mini-Malcolms running around.”
Malcolm traced a strand of hair from her face. “My mother would tell you that one Malcolm is quite enough.”
She laughed and kissed him. “I’m just so glad there is the one.”
The kitchen door burst open, and Eva held a crying David. The instant he saw her, he held out his arms.
Eva handed him over to Angie. “I swear he was just fine, and then in the next instant he looked around the room and didn’t see you and just started crying.”
Angie kissed him on the head. “It’s okay. I got him. The books say they start to tell the difference between Mom and the world at this age.”
Eva patted the boy on the back. “Well, he sure does know who his mama is.”
Angie’s mind flashed to Lulu, the young woman who’d loved this kid to distraction. She would always make sure the boy knew he had two mothers.
When Eva left and David calmed, Angie faced Malcolm. “You two haven’t seen much of each other lately.”
Malcolm tickled the kid’s belly. “Angie, why does the boy have one blue sock and one green sock?”