groaned and felt the sickening knot form in her stomach. “So, either George Devereux or Kevin might have spawned this?”
“There’s only one way to find out which one. Those two men will provide the answers.”
Yes. The men. With all the talk about Devereux and revenge, she’d nearly forgotten that they might be very close to learning what this was really about. In fact, if the men confessed to trying to kill her, then they’d be off the streets for a long, long time. Their confession and incarceration could give her the safety she’d been praying for and the freedom to resume a normal life.
For all the good it’d do her now.
Luke Buchanan’s arrival had changed everything, and Elaina didn’t think they would agree on what she considered a normal life. Heck, he could still try to have her arrested for the illegal adoption.
Elaina felt sick. That feeling didn’t go away when she heard Theresa call out. “I hope those protestors are gone. Christopher’s up from his nap. Is it okay if I bring him out there?”
She was on the verge of saying no, but the word stuck in her throat. Luke, however, seemed to have no trouble responding. Obviously following the sound of Theresa’s voice, he headed straight for Christopher.
Elaina rushed after him. It was like a train wreck about to happen.
Luke paused in the doorway of the nursery, and since he took up nearly the entire space, Elaina had to stand on her tiptoes to see what had stopped the agent in his tracks.
Christopher was there. He wore the denim overalls and long-sleeved knit blue shirt that she’d dressed him in that morning. He was standing, holding on to the arm of the rocking chair where Theresa was seated.
“The protestors are gone?” Theresa asked.
“They’re gone,” Luke assured her, but his attention was focused solely Christopher.
Luke stepped toward the baby. Elaina’s instincts screamed to stop him. But she couldn’t. She could only stand there and watch as Luke reached down and gently lifted her son into his arms.
Chapter Five
Luke forgot to breathe.
In fact, he forgot everything when he picked up his son. He’d never thought anything could feel like this. It was magic. Pure magic. And the weight of the world slipped off Luke’s shoulders.
Well, in one way it did.
In another, he knew instantly that he would do whatever it took to protect—and claim—his son.
Christopher whimpered a little and tossed a questioning glance at Elaina before turning those suspicious gray eyes back on Luke. Eyes that were a perfect replica of Luke’s own.
The genetics didn’t stop there. Luke had seen baby pictures of himself, and Christopher was a little DNA copy, right down to his chocolate-brown hair.
His son’s bottom lip quivered, and judging from his expression he was about to cry.
“It’s okay,” Theresa said, her voice soothing. “It’s Da Da. Remember, we talk about Da Da. Well, Da Da’s come home to be with you.”
Even more skepticism came into Christopher’s eyes, but he tested out the syllables he’d heard his sitter say. “Da Da.”
Behind him, Luke heard Elaina’s breath shatter, and he looked back to see the tears streaming down her cheeks. Theresa was crying, too, but Luke was almost positive that the sitter’s tears were of the happy variety.
He couldn’t say the same for Elaina.
Those were real tears of pain and anguish. Luke understood them. Though he hadn’t cried, he’d felt those same raw emotions from the moment that he learned he had a son. It’d ripped his heart into pieces. Now, just holding his baby, just hearing him say those precious sounds, made all the pain and anguish melt away.
“I’ll give the three of you some privacy,” Theresa insisted. She stood and left the room, closing the door behind her.
His son smelled like baby powder and cookies. Luke brushed a kiss on Christopher’s forehead, and because he suddenly wasn’t feeling too steady on his feet, he sat down in the rocker. Elaina sat, as well. Groaning softly, she sank down onto the floor and buried her face in her hands.
That seemed to be Christopher’s cue to get moving. The little boy squirmed to get out of his arms, and though Luke hated to let go of him, his son was insistent. Fearing that he might drop him, Luke finally deposited him onto the floor. He held on to him until Christopher plopped into a sitting position and then immediately crawled toward Elaina.
The only mother his son had ever known.
Christopher used her knees to pull himself up to a rather precarious standing position. He slapped at her hands until she lowered them. Despite her tear- stained face, the little boy smiled at her. It wasn’t an ordinary smile, either. It was a smile of joy and love.
Seeing that love aimed at Elaina put a fist around Luke’s heart. On the one hand, he despised the woman who’d perhaps robbed him of months with his son. On the other hand, she was the center of his baby’s world.
For now, anyway.
She reached out and pulled Christopher to her. “You can’t take him away from me.”
Maybe not right away he couldn’t, but if she was innocent Luke couldn’t see including her permanently in his life. Except for perhaps visitation rights. He only hoped that was enough.
“Concentrate on the here and now,” Luke told her. “I will raise my son, and that’ll be a lot easier to do with your cooperation.”
That sent her gaze slicing to his. “And what do you consider cooperation?”
“Help Christopher through this adjustment.”
She huffed. “You’re talking about your plan. You want me to pretend to be your loving wife until you’re comfortable enough to take Christopher.”
“I don’t want him to have too many changes at once,” Luke clarified. “I want this to be the easiest possible transition for him. If we’re in the house that he considers home, if you’re there, and if we can create a safe, nurturing environment for him, then—”
“Then you’ll wait until he gets to know you and then take him.”
Yes. But Luke couldn’t say that to her, not with those tears in her eyes. “We’ll see what we can work out,” he offered.
And under the circumstances, it was the best he could give her.
They sat there, both looking at the little boy they loved and wanted. And there was no doubt about it. Luke did love this child. Unconditional, total love. Even though he’d just met him for the first time, he couldn’t imagine a life without his son.
Christopher babbled something
