Taker - A Single Dad's New Baby Romance (Criminal Passions Book 4)

by Layla Valentine

  “And today?” asked Abbie, her hands on her belly. “He’s going to be safe?”

  Agent Simms nodded. “This is the case of the decade. We have agents in from all over the country to make sure this trial goes off without a hitch. And we’ll be providing you with security for the next couple of months once he’s behind bars.”

  The answer appeared to put Abbie at ease.

  “Then let’s do this,” I said.

  Abbie and I got into the back of one of the agent’s cars, a convoy forming as we made our way to the courthouse. I held her hand and she squeezed it back tightly. I didn’t doubt that Agent Simms was speaking the truth, but I wasn’t going to let my guard down until the day was done.

  We arrived at the courthouse, a mob of reporters already out front wanting to catch a glimpse of me.

  “There’s a reason I never wanted to be famous,” I said as I looked them over.

  “We’ll get them cleared out,” said the agent. “Give us a second.”

  The agents went to work, and once a path was clear, a pair of them came to the door to let us out.

  Abbie’s eyes went wide as she stepped onto the sidewalk, and I quickly placed my hand on the small of her back.

  “You all right?” I asked.

  “Fine,” she said, balancing herself. “Baby just kicked extra hard.”

  I took her arm and together we went up the steps of the courthouse. Once inside we were caught up in a blur of activity, the agents leading Abbie to the courtroom audience, others leading me back to the room where I’d be prepared for my testimony.

  It was going to be the first time I’d seen Marshall since the incident at the cabin. But I wasn’t afraid.

  I was ready to put his ass behind bars for good.

  It wasn’t long before I was called to the stand. I said my piece, answering all of the questions asked, going over my years with Marshall, outlining the crimes he’d committed, how he’d lied and cheated and stolen and murdered his way to where he was.

  And he was seated in the courtroom, of course, staring me down the entire time.

  When that was done, I was seated back with Abbie. The trial was wrapping up, the lawyers giving their closing statements to the jury.

  And when the jury was sent to deliberate, they weren’t gone long at all—less than a half hour.

  The verdict was read: Marshall had been found guilty of all charges. Commotion rose up in the courtroom, but Marshall sat sullenly, whatever spark he’d had long gone.

  The judge raised the gavel and banged it down, the noise signifying the end of it all. Marshall was going to spend the first of many, many more nights behind bars.

  And Abbie’s eyes went wide as soon as the gavel hit.

  “Hear that?” I said. “It’s finally over!”

  But she continued to stare straight ahead, her hands on her belly.

  Something was wrong.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “The baby,” she said, her tone even. “It’s coming.”

  Chapter 24

  Abbie

  Right there, in the middle of the courtroom, my water broke.

  It was possibly the most surreal thing that had ever happened in my life. I was still getting used to the idea of being pregnant, knowing I was going to be a mother.

  And then it happened.

  “Abbie!” said Tate, his voice calm and even as ever, bringing me back into the moment.

  “We need to get to a hospital,” I said.

  Tate didn’t waste a second. He rose from his seat and called out.

  “Ambulance! Now!”

  Nearby agents swarmed around us, making certain there was nothing more severe in progress. Once Tate informed them what was going on, they helped him get me from my seat and on my way. Out in the hallway, Agent Simms was there with a wheelchair, Tate easing me into it.

  “It’s happening now?” asked Agent Simms.

  “It is,” said Tate as he wheeled me down the main hall of the courthouse. “Guess the baby doesn’t care much about courtroom decorum.”

  “Come on,” said Agent Simms. “We still have the escorts outside.”

  Tate put his hand on my shoulder as he wheeled me through the courthouse. Once outside, Tate and Agent Simms helped me into the back of a nearby police cruiser, and we were off.

  The contractions were about the most intense pain I’d ever experienced in my life. I’d expected labor to be painful, but this was something else.

  “Tate,” I said, in between contractions, the cruiser’s sirens blaring as we whipped through the city. “I…I think something’s wrong.”

  “What?” he asked, concern all over his face. “What do you mean?”

  “It really, really hurts.”

  But he stayed calm. “It’s okay, baby. You’re going to be fine. And we’re almost to the hospital. Just take my hand and we’ll be there soon. It’ll all be okay.”

  The pain was intense, but damned if Tate didn’t help ease it. The man was a wonder, never breaking his cool no matter the circumstances.

  I rose a little in my seat, seeing that there were escort cars in front of us and behind.

  “See that?” asked Tate with a smile. “You’ve got the FBI and the police on your side for this one. The baby’s going to arrive in style.”

  I forced a smile onto my lips before another wave of pain rushed through my body. I’d have been lying if I’d said I wasn’t scared. Tate was helping, but the pain was such that all I could think about was whether or not my baby would be okay.

  I said a silent prayer he would be as we pulled up in front of the hospital emergency room entrance. It looked as if someone had called in to let them know we were coming, as a team of blue-scrub-clad doctors and nurses were there to assist. They helped me out of the car and into another wheelchair and into the hospital.

  “Where’s Connor?” I asked as they wheeled me into the emergency room.

  Tate stayed at my side, his hand still on my shoulder as he kept up. “I’ll call the school,” he said. “You think Jamie can pick him up?”

  “She said she’d help. You have her number, right?”

  “I do. Don’t worry about anything, baby. I’m here for you, and the doctors are going to take care of everything.”

  He stayed at my side until we reached the delivery room. There, the doctors let him know he wouldn’t be allowed past.

  “No,” said Tate, his voice hard. “I want to be by her side the whole way.”

  “Tate,” I said, the most recent contraction fading. “I can do this. Just be there when I come out, okay?”

  He took a deep, slow breath, and I could tell he wasn’t happy about leaving me.

  “Okay. But if you need anything—”

  “You’ll be there for me. I know you will. You always are.”

  He leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips.

  “I love you, Abbie.”

  “And I love you.”

  He squeezed my hand one last time before the doctors wheeled me into the delivery room and helped me into the bed, getting me undressed and my body in position. A petite woman in blue scrubs, her hair blond and tied into a ponytail, entered the room.

  “All right, Ms. McKenzie, my name’s Dr. Wexler. I’ll be helping you get your little one into the world. And I just spoke to your husband—he’s right outside.”

  “He’s not…he’s not…” I couldn’t finish. Another wave of pain rushed through me. “I think there’s something wrong,” I finally managed to get out.

  Dr. Wexler looked me over. “Your contractions are intense, but there’s nothing that’s giving me pause. I think you’re on the verge of a perfectly normal delivery.”

  Her words sent calm through me as the nurses went to work prepping everything for the delivery. Another contraction arrived, and I winced through it.

  “Okay!” the doctor said. “I think this kid’s coming right now—eager to meet mom and dad, I bet. You ready, Abbie?”

  “I�
��m ready.”

  The next few minutes passed in a blur. Dr. Wexler led me through the breathing, the rest of the staff there to assist.

  And then, at the start of another contraction, Dr. Wexler urged me to push as hard as I could.

  Crying. I heard the sound of a crying baby.

  “There we go!” said Dr. Wexler, her voice triumphant. “A beautiful baby girl!”

  The pain stopped, replaced by a rush of relief and joy that had to be some kind of chemical surge in my body.

  “Is she okay?” I asked, the relief giving way to an intense, overwhelming desire to make sure my baby was safe and sound.

  “Totally fine,” she said. “A healthy girl. As beautiful as can be.”

  I watched as a team of nurses surrounded Dr. Wexler, all of them checking and cleaning my daughter before one of the nurses brought her over to me.

  The nurse placed the baby in my arms, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My daughter, my baby, happy and healthy and beautiful. She opened her eyes, revealing a pair of striking blues that reminded me right away of Tate and Connor.

  The baby curled up into my arms, calm and sweet and perfect.

  I was a mom.

  I couldn’t put into words the happiness I felt.

  Dr. Wexler met my gaze. “I can send in the proud papa, if you’re ready for him?”

  “So ready,” I said gratefully.

  The doctor nodded and a moment later the doors opened.

  Tate came in, all smiles. He rushed over to me and the baby and pulled us both into a gentle, infinitely loving hug.

  When we parted, I gently placed the baby in Tate’s arms, my eyes welling up as I took in the sight of him with our daughter.

  “Hey there, little sweetie,” he said, holding her close, the baby reaching out to him with tiny fingers. “I’m your dad.”

  Happy tears sprang from my eyes. Everything was wonderful, everything was perfect.

  The nurse ran a few more tests, making sure the baby and I were in good health. When she was done, Tate and I were finally alone with our new daughter.

  “I called Jamie,” he said. “She’s thrilled, of course. And Connor’s home with her. You ready to start this family of ours together?” A broad smile formed on his face.

  “We’ve already started our family,” I said. “And now we have another member to share the love.”

  After twenty-four hours and no complications, my new daughter and I were discharged to go home. Tate gave me a soft kiss before the three of us got into the back of a waiting cruiser. We still had a security detail protecting us, so the escort was there ready to take us to the house.

  We spent the entire ride home fawning over the baby, the adorable, perfect little person we’d made together. When we arrived at the house—Tate’s place where we’d been living since we had returned to town—Jamie and Connor were waiting for us on the porch, both of them running up to the car, eager to see the baby.

  “Oh my God!” cooed Jamie as soon as she saw the baby swaddled in the pink blanket. “She’s beautiful!”

  “She’s so tiny!” said Connor, in disbelief. “This is awesome! I’ll be the best big brother ever, Mom!”

  My heart sang every time Connor called me that. I’d told him he didn’t have to, and that I never intended to replace his birth mother. But he’d been insistent, his explanation that he had two moms now.

  “Awesome is right,” said Tate as the agents helped us out of the car. “Now, Mom’s had a long day. Let’s help her get inside and rested.”

  I watched as Agent Simms approached Tate, having driven over in one of the cruisers.

  “First of all, congratulations. I’ll let you all get acquainted, but in the meantime, I want you to know we’re going to be keeping agents looking after you for the next few months. We’re certain Marshall is no longer a threat, but I figured we’d give you some peace of mind after everything you’ve been through.”

  Tate and Agent Simms shook hands. “Thank you,” said Tate.

  “So much,” I said.

  He nodded, wished us goodbye and good luck, and was off.

  The evening was magical, all of us going crazy over the baby, Jamie and Connor helping us out by making dinner and taking care of everything else.

  “Maggie,” I said after we finished dinner, all of us gathered in the living room. “That’s what I want to call her.”

  “You carried her, you get to name her,” Tate said with a smile. “At least, that’s how I figure it.”

  Something about naming the baby made everything more real, more certain. And as we all sat together, love all around us, I was ready to begin the next chapter of my life.

  Nothing could be more perfect. There was love, there was family, there was an amazing future spread out before us, just waiting.

  Epilogue

  Sixth Months Later: Abbie

  I woke up to Tate’s smile.

  “There you are,” he said. “I was worried you were going to sleep through vacation.”

  I gave him a quick kiss, smiling in the afterglow of a wonderful night’s rest.

  “You kidding? Today’s the big day. Connor’s finally going to see Mount Rushmore.”

  Tate laughed. “Yeah, I think he’s waited long enough.”

  “Where’s he at, anyway?” I asked, noticing the sunlight pouring in to the bedroom of the cabin.

  Our cabin.

  “Believe it or not, he’s still asleep. I think all the hiking yesterday wore him out.”

  “And Maggie?”

  “Jamie said she’d take care of her this morning so we could sleep in.”

  But as I looked over at Tate, his body naked aside from the sheet covering him from the waist down, I knew the last thing I wanted was to sleep in.

  I moved closer to him, pressing my body against his.

  “Still not used to having a flat belly,” I said, glancing down.

  “You’re beautiful either way,” said Tate.

  I chuckled. “Such a cornball.”

  “I know, I know. But something about love brings it out of you, I suppose.”

  “And there’s something love brings out of me, too,” I said, tracing the outline of his chest with the tip of my finger. “If you’re in the mood.”

  “With you, I’m always in the mood.”

  With that, Tate took my chin into his hand and brought me in close for a kiss. Passion rushed through my body at the touch of our lips. We’d made love hundreds of times by this point, but it never stopped being magical, never stopped making me confident that I’d found the man of my dreams.

  He placed his hands between my legs, touching me slowly, my eyes closing as I focused on the pleasure he conjured from my body. And I returned the favor, wrapping my fingers around him and caressing him.

  Eager for more, I placed my hands on Tate’s hips and guided him on top of me, moaning out as I watched him disappear inside.

  “I love you so damn much,” he said. “More than you’ll ever know.”

  “I love you, too, with all my heart.”

  He gazed down into my eyes as he spoke, those blues shimmering in the morning light. As Tate moved inside of me, I wrapped my legs around his body, the two of us becoming one, lovemaking in the truest sense of the word.

  Tate knew just how to touch me, how to kiss me, how to hold me to bring the orgasm through my body slow and steady, letting it crash like a wave onto the shores. I watched his body work, his muscles flexing and tensing, a thin sheen of sweat forming over both of us as we brought one another to the brink of pleasure, each guiding the other over.

  The way he felt inside of me was like nothing else. All I could do was savor it, treasure every moment our bodies, our souls were linked so intimately.

  We came together, Tate kissing me as he finished deep inside, warm pleasure running through me like a river. And when we were done, he stayed inside me, holding me in that silent, strong way he did that let me know without words that he’d never let me go.<
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  But life was out there waiting for us, and both of us were too excited to let the day get away.

  “Now,” he said, “before we go down there and join the chaos, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

  “What’s that?” I asked, my body still tingling from the lovemaking.

  He smiled. “It’s good. Let’s shower and get dressed, and I’ll talk to you about it.”

  “You know, for someone who doesn’t like surprises, you sure love giving me them.”

  “Because I love the look on your face when you see them. Now come on, lazybones. Let’s get moving.”

  Before I could say or do anything, he slipped his arms under my body and lifted me off the bed. I let out a happy shriek as Tate carried me over to the bathroom and set me down on my feet.

  We climbed into the shower, taking our time washing and caressing each other’s bodies. Of course, there was only so much of that we could do before we were making love again, Tate holding me up against the shower wall, my legs once again wrapped around his hips as we brought one another to another series of incredible orgasms.

  When we were done and cleaned up and dressed, Tate led me out onto the balcony.

  The view was incredible from the cabin, now our home that we’d bought, using the profits from Tate’s new construction business and my café. Business had been so good for the both of us that we hadn’t even needed to touch the money we’d put into savings. And we were already talking about building a new house in Denver, one higher up in the mountains with more space for our growing, happy family.

  Tate looked out over the endless sweep of trees, the mountains glorious in the distance. Though he said nothing, it was clear to me that he had something on his mind.

  “All right,” I said, stepping to his side. “Let’s hear it.”

  “Just thinking about how damn happy I am. My life, well, it’s been hard, Abbie. And I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of. But you, and our family…that’s something I sure as hell am proud of. Like I’ve brought some good and love into this world.”