by Janie Crouch
“What the heck is she doing?” he asked Grizzly. The dog stared at him with the same bored acceptance he always did.
Still more water. Maybe something was really wrong. He dropped the coffee cup onto the table with a thud and rushed to the shower.
Quinn was sitting on the shower floor, arms wrapped around her knees, crying.
He got in fully clothed and turned off the water. He sat down next to her, hauling her up into his lap.
“Cupcake, come on. Don’t cry.” He smoothed her hair down, pushing it back from her face.
“I need to tell you something,” she finally got out after a few shuddery breaths.
Baby closed his eyes. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to say. And maybe he’d been wrong in what he’d been thinking. Maybe if she really didn’t feel like she could handle a child with special needs, he shouldn’t push it. Adoption was still just as great an option as a biological child.
If this child wasn’t meant to be, then he would trust they would have children other ways.
He remembered that trip he’d taken to Cambridge to convince her that they belonged together. He’d been prepared to leave everything behind here in Oak Creek because he’d never wanted her to feel trapped by the choices she’d made to be with him.
That was still just as true in the choices they made to start a family.
“What do you need to tell me, Cupcake?”
“I’m afraid you’ll think I’m being unreasonable, but I’ve made up my mind about my pregnancy.”
He closed his eyes and rested his lips against the top of her head. “Tell me.”
“I know you want me to have the amniocentesis today, but I don’t want to have it.”
His eyes flew open. “What?”
“There’s some risk of miscarriage from the test itself, and I don’t want to take that chance.”
“But it’s the best way to know whether the baby has Down syndrome or not.”
“I don’t care. I know you want me to have it but—”
He shifted her so he could see her eyes, ignoring the fact that they both resembled drowned rats. He trailed a thumb under one of those brown eyes that had gutted him from the very beginning, now rimmed red from crying. “I wanted the test so you would have all the information, Cupcake. I know how your brain works. If our child has Down syndrome..."
She shrugged. “Then he or she has Down syndrome. It doesn’t change anything. It’s still our child and will be loved no matter what. I want this baby. I’m not afraid.”
He placed a hand over her belly. “Me neither. No matter what.” They would face whatever the future brought together.
She smiled. “Shower with me, then let’s go into town to eat. I’m starved. It’s time to start telling everyone that Baby is going to have a baby.”
***
Thank you for reading BABY!
The Linear Tactical series continues with Gavin & Lexi’s passionate story in REDWOOD. To get to her, they’ll have to come through him.
And be sure to sign up for Janie’s newsletter HERE to receive notification of when the TWO bonus Linear Tactical books release this fall!
Other Linear Tactical Books
CYCLONE
He’d protect her from any threat…
But what if the biggest threat is him?
EAGLE
He’s fighting for what’s right.
She’s fighting just to survive…
SHAMROCK
Every mission has a price.
He never meant for her to pay it.
ANGEL
Even angels have their demons.
GHOST
Sometimes the dead don’t stay that way.
SHADOW
Dragging an innocent into his war was never part of the plan.
ECHO
The deepest scars are often the ones that can’t be seen.
PHOENIX
You have to burn before you can rise.
BABY
Don’t let the name fool you.
STORM
Noah & Marilyn
(Susan Stoker Special Forces world crossover)
Coming soon
REDWOOD
Gavin & Lexi
Coming soon
SCOUT
Wyatt & Nadine
Coming soon
BLAZE
Kendrick & Neoma
Coming soon
FOREVER
Ethan & Jess
Coming soon
Linear Tactical: military alpha heroes who will face down any danger for the women they love
Acknowledgments
I’ve been waiting to write Baby Bollinger’s story since he first showed up walking into a strip club with his brother way back seven books ago in Eagle. The Linear guys always tend to be gruff and moody. Baby...was fun.
Pairing him with Quinn, perhaps the character most similar to me if only in age, made this book a pleasure to write. What woman approaching forty (ahem...or forty-seven) wouldn’t love to be swept off her feet by a charming younger man?
As always, it takes a village to write a book. To my editors, Marci Mathers of Moonflower Manuscripts and Sylvia Curry at Sylvia’s Reading Corner...the drafts I give you are rarely more than hot messes. You take them and help shape them into a story readers will enjoy. If it wasn’t for you, I’d have no hair left because I would’ve pulled all mine out. Thank you for your hard work.
Also thanks to my alpha readers: Susan Greenbank and Denise Hendrickson. My stories are not really complete in my mind until I get the all-clear from you. You always point out the things I miss and offer suggestions on how the story can be better—thank you. And especially thank you because I know it’s hard to overlook the errors and get to the heart of the story, but you do. And I appreciate you.
A special thanks to my early ARC Proofreading team... Marilize, Susan, Dee, Mary, Lynn, Sharon, Linda, Sophie, Karen, Tesh, Jo, Sammye, Anna-marie, Lisa, Diana. You ladies are amazing! I am wowed at your ability to catch things missed by darn near everyone else! Thank you for your dedication and perseverance. Maybe someday we’ll figure out where the random barracuda came from.
And finally, thank you to you, the reader. As we’re moving into the last few books of the Linear Tactical series, I’m overwhelmed at how blessed I am to create these amazing characters for a living. Thank you for reading. Thank you for enjoying protective heroes and smart heroines. Thank you for believing in the power love and that the world can be a better place, one decision at a time.
Love is the greatest adventure,
Janie
Also by Janie Crouch
LINEAR TACTICAL SERIES (series ongoing)
Cyclone
Eagle
Shamrock
Angel
Ghost
Shadow
Echo
Phoenix
Baby
Storm
Redwood
Scout
Blaze
Forever
INSTINCT SERIES (series complete)
Primal Instinct
Critical Instinct
Survival Instinct
THE RISK SERIES (series complete)
Calculated Risk
Security Risk
Constant Risk
Risk Everything
OMEGA SECTOR: CRITICAL RESPONSE (series complete)
Special Forces Savior
Fully Committed
Armored Attraction
Man of Action
Overwhelming Force
Battle Tested
OMEGA SECTOR: UNDER SIEGE (series complete)
Daddy Defender
Protector’s Instinct
Cease Fire
Major Crimes
Armed Response
In the Lawman’s Protection
OMEGA SECTOR SERIES (series complete)
Infiltration
Countermeasures
Untraceable
Leverage
A
bout the Author
"Passion that leaps right off the page." - Romantic Times Book Reviews
USA TODAY bestselling author Janie Crouch writes what she loves to read: passionate romantic suspense. She is a winner and/or finalist of multiple romance literary awards including the Golden Quill Award for Best Romantic Suspense, the National Reader’s Choice Award, and the RITA© Award by the Romance Writers of America.
Janie has lived in Germany (due to her husband's job as support for the U.S. Military) for the past five years, with her hubby and four teenagers. When she's not listening to the voices in her head—and even when she is—she enjoys engaging in all sorts of crazy adventures (200-mile relay races; Ironman Triathlons, treks to Mt. Everest Base Camp) traveling, and movies of all kinds.
Her favorite quote: "Life is a daring adventure or nothing." ~ Helen Keller.
