and Elizabeth during their wedding and Tyler’s birth, and then we had our own wedding.’
‘Exactly. Points to you for remembering.’ She grinned at the amusement in his eyes, and then felt it soften to a smile. ‘But all that’s done now.’
‘Yes—thankfully. So I don’t have to be reminded about it all the time.’
She felt her lips twitch. ‘No, Blake, all that’s done now.’
‘I heard you the first time.’ Blake frowned at her, and then sat up a little straighter. ‘You mean we can start trying for a family?’
‘I mean that it’s happened without us really trying.’ She whispered the words, unsure, even though she knew that this was what they both wanted. ‘I think my body knew about our timeline, too.’
He took a moment to process her words, and then whispered back, ‘Do you think you’re pregnant?’
‘I know I am. The doctor called yesterday.’
* * *
She had barely finished saying the words before Blake pulled her into his arms, needing the contact with her more than he’d thought possible. His heart was exploding, and it was a long time before he let Callie go.
‘Hey, none of that in front of my kid.’
Blake heard Connor’s amusement and smiled, unable even to pretend that he was upset. ‘Well, I think expressions of love are important. Maybe we should start making notes of all the things we’ve learnt from Connor about what to do and what not to do before our baby gets here, honey.’
Connor’s eyes widened. ‘You’re pregnant?’
Blake laughed, and thought he had never felt this good in his life. ‘No, not me personally—but Callie is.’
The announcement was met with laughter and congratulations, and even though he accepted the hugs of his family, even though he toasted his unborn child, he couldn’t take his eyes off Callie. She was radiant, he thought, and saw her blushing every time she caught him looking at her.
It made him love her even more.
When Connor and Elizabeth had left, Callie and Blake moved back to the swing seat in the backyard. It would be a special place to him for ever, he thought. This house where he had finally found a home, where he had finally found himself be a part of a family. This yard where he had celebrated his godson’s first birthday. And now this swing seat, where he had found out he was going to be a father.
‘How have you made every dream of mine come true?’ he asked, his heart filled with the love that overwhelmed him every time he looked at her.
She gave him that soft smile of hers and moved closer to him. ‘We’ve made each other’s dreams come true.’ She laid a hand on his cheek. ‘You’re going to make the best father, Blake Owen.’
‘Our child will have the best parents in the world.’
And then he kissed her, and knew without a doubt that he had finally found his home.
* * * * *
Bella Bucannon
Melting her boss’s frozen heart...
Shy computer expert Lauren Taylor can handle any tech issue—it’s the clients she finds more challenging! Especially when she realizes her new boss, brooding tycoon Matt Dalton, is the first man she ever kissed...
Haunted by his parents’ infidelities, Matt’s mission was to save his ailing father’s company, then leave. Except Lauren’s compassion begins to melt his defenses. He never planned on sticking around, but another earth-shattering kiss later, could Lauren give him a reason to stay?
To my special husband, whose extra help enabled me to
conquer the challenge of a deadline.
To Brett for expert advice, once he and other friends
had stopped laughing at the idea of technically inept
Bellas heroine being a computer problem investigator.
To the Paddocks Writing Group
for support and encouragement,
and to Flo for her advice and belief in me.
My grateful thanks to you all.
LAUREN TAYLOR ALIGHTED from the taxi, smiling in surprise. A multi-storey glass and cement edifice had replaced the six-storey building with a bank at ground level she remembered from years ago.
Anticipation simmered through her veins. A rush job. Urgent—which usually meant challenging.
Her initial reaction to her employer’s Monday morning call had been to refuse. She had managed to squeeze in a much-needed week off and had planned on some ‘me’ time—seeing movies, reading in the park, aimless walking... The promise of an additional week on completion of the assignment, plus a bonus, had won her over. A few days of Adelaide in March wouldn’t be too hard to take.
The flight delay at Sydney airport the next afternoon meant it was three o’clock by the time she’d booked into her hotel and caught a taxi to the address. A quick phone call to a brusque Matthew Dalton raised some apprehension but he was the one with the critical dilemma.
Dalton Corporation’s reception area on the eighteenth floor suited the building. A patterned, tiled floor drew the eyes to a curved redwood desk and up to the company name, elaborately carved in black on a gold background. Sadly the lack of human presence, along with the almost complete silence, detracted from the impact. The three doors in her sight were all shut.
Scrolling for the contact number she’d used earlier, she stopped at the sound of a crash from behind the second door along. Followed by a loud expletive in a woman’s voice.
Lauren knocked and opened the door.
A blonde woman stood leaning across a desk, her hands shifting through a pile of papers, a harassed face turned towards Lauren. A document tray and its previous contents lay scattered on the floor.
‘You want Mr Dalton.’ Uttered as a hopeful statement. ‘Sorry about this. I’m usually more organised. Last door on the left. Knock and wait. Good luck.’
Her words heightened Lauren’s unease as she obeyed, instinctively smoothing down her hair before tapping on the door. The light flutter in her pulse at the raspy ‘Come in’ startled her. As did the unexpected allure in the deep guttural tone.
* * *
Without looking up, the man with a mobile held to his left ear
