Claiming King's Baby

by Maureen Child

  “Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?” Justice asked.

  Jonas’s tears had subsided, and he was suddenly fascinated by the doctor’s stethoscope.

  “Babies sometimes spike fevers,” the doctor was saying. “Not sure why, really. Could be a new tooth. Could be he didn’t feel well. Could be growing pains.” Still smiling, she handed Jonas to his mother and looked from Maggie to Justice.

  “The point is, he’s fine. You have a perfectly healthy son.” She checked her chart. “According to this, his temperature has already dropped. You can take him home, give him a tepid bath, it’ll make him feel better. Then just keep an eye on him, and if you’re worried about anything at all, you can either call me—” she wrote down a phone number on the back of her card “—or bring him back in.”

  Justice took the business card she handed him. He glanced at her name and nodded. “Thanks, Dr. Rosen. We appreciate it.”

  She grinned at him. “It’s my pleasure. But if you meant what you were saying earlier, the hospital could use the extra wing and I’ve got lots of ideas.”

  Justice stared down at her and found himself smiling. There was so much relief coursing through his veins at the moment that he would have built the woman her own clinic if she’d asked him to. And he had the distinct feeling she knew it. As it was, he tucked her card into his breast pocket and said, “Give me a few days, and we’ll talk about those ideas.”

  Her eyebrows shot straight up in surprise, but she recovered quickly. “You’ve got a deal, Mr. King.”

  When she left, Maggie leaned in close to Justice and he slid his arms around her and their son, holding them tightly to him. He rested his chin on top of Maggie’s head and took a long minute to simply enjoy this feeling.

  He had his family in his arms, and there was simply no way he would lose them now.

  The ride back to the ranch was quiet and Maggie was grateful.

  There were too many thoughts whirling through her mind for her to be able to hold any kind of rational conversation. Behind her in his car seat, Jonas slept fretfully. Soft whimpers and sighs drifted to her, and she turned in her seat to look at him, needing to reassure herself that he was safe. And healthy.

  When she faced the front again, she took a moment to study Justice’s profile in the muted light from the dashboard. His eyes were fixed on the road ahead of them. His mouth was firm and tight, his jaw clenched as if he, too, were having trouble relaxing from the scare they’d had. In the shadows he looked fierce and proud and untouchable.

  But the memory of his arms coming around her, holding her and the baby, was so strong and fresh in her mind that she knew he was right now hiding his emotions from her. Which was probably just as well, she thought. Now that they were back on solid ground, now that they knew Jonas was fine, everything would return to the way it was. The way it had to be.

  God, she could still hear him at the dance. We’ll get married. Did he actually think that she would stay with him just because Jonas was his son? Or because he knew now that he could give her more children? Didn’t he see that a marriage for the sake of the children was a mistake for everyone involved?

  She blew out a breath as Justice steered the car down the long drive to the ranch house. Before he’d even turned off the engine, the front door flew open and a wide slice of lamplight cut into the darkness. Mrs. Carey stood on the threshold, wearing a floor-length terry cloth robe, fisted in one hand at her neck.

  “Thank goodness, you’re back. He’s really all right?” she called out. “I’ve been so worried.”

  Maggie stepped out of the car. “He’s fine, Mrs. Carey.”

  “Go on to bed,” Justice added as he came around the front of the car. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

  The older woman nodded and turned for the stairs, leaving the front door open with the lamplight shining like a path in the darkness.

  Maggie went to the backseat, opened the door and deftly undid the straps holding Jonas in his car seat. He stirred a little, but as soon as his head was nestled onto his mother’s shoulder, he went back to sleep. Having her child cuddled in close gave Maggie the strength she was going to need when she spoke to Justice. So she held on to Jonas as if he were a talisman as they headed for the house.

  Once inside, Justice closed the door and silence descended on them. It had been one of the longest nights of Maggie’s life—and it wasn’t over yet. She couldn’t wait until morning to say what had to be said. She didn’t know if she’d find the will to have this conversation in the morning; by then, she might have talked herself out of it, and she couldn’t allow that to happen no matter how her heart was breaking.

  “Quite a night,” Justice said, splintering the quiet with his deep, rumbling voice.

  “Yes, it was.” She turned her gaze up to his and stared into those dark blue eyes for a long moment. God, how she would miss him. Say it now, Maggie, she told herself firmly. Do it and get it over with. “Justice…”

  He watched her, waiting, and she could see by his rigid stance that he wasn’t expecting good news.

  “I’m going to be leaving tomorrow,” she said, the words bursting from her in a determined rush.

  “What?” He took a step toward her, but Maggie backed up, stroking one hand up and down Jonas’s spine. “Why?”

  “You know why,” she said sadly, feeling the sudden sting of tears. She blinked them back, desperate to at least complete this last part of their marriage with a little dignity. “Your leg’s nearly healed. You don’t need me, Justice, and it’s time I actually moved on with my life.”

  “Move on?” He shook his head, ground his teeth together and said, “Now you want to move on? Now when we know I’m Jonas’s father? Now that we can have the big family you always wanted?”

  “It’s not about that,” she said with a sigh.

  “I signed those divorce papers a hell of a long time ago, Maggie, but you never filed them. Why?”

  She shook her head now. “You know why.”

  “Because you love me.”

  “Yes, all right?” She raised her voice and immediately regretted it when Jonas stirred against her. Hushing him, Maggie lowered her voice again and said, “I did. Still do. But when I go home, I’m finally going to file those divorce papers, Justice.”

  “Why now?” He stared at her, his features shadowed by the overhead light.

  “Because I’m not going to stay married to you for the sake of our son,” she told him, willing him to understand. “It wouldn’t be right for any of us. Don’t you see, Justice? I love you, but I need to be loved in return. I want to be needed. I want a man to share Jonas’s life with me. I want a man who’ll stand beside me—”

  “Like I did tonight, you mean?”

  “Yes,” she said quickly, breathlessly. “Like you did tonight. But, Justice, that’s not who you are normally. You don’t let people in. You don’t let yourself need anyone.” She blew out a breath, bit down on her trembling lower lip and said, “You’d rather be right than be in love. Your pride is more important to you than anything or anyone. And I can’t live like that. I won’t.”

  She turned for the stairs, her heart heavy, her soul empty. She picked up the hem of her dress, took one step and was stopped by a single word from Justice.

  “Please.”

  Stunned to her core, Maggie slowly turned to look at him. He stood alone in the entryway, a solitary man in the shadows though he stood beneath an overhead light. There was hunger in his eyes and a taut, uncomfortable expression on his face.

  She’d almost convinced herself she had imagined him speaking when he said again, louder this time, “Please stay.”

  Maggie swayed in place, shocked by his words, astonished that he would swallow his pride and so damn hopeful she nearly couldn’t breathe. “Justice? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that before.”

  “You haven’t.” Justice went to her then, desperate to make her hear him. Make her understand everything he’d learn
ed in the past few hours. It had been coming on for days, he knew, but the time spent in that emergency room, sharing their fears, standing beside her, wanting to take on the world to help his son, had coalesced everything into a very clear vision.

  Without Maggie, he had nothing.

  She’d knocked the floor out from under his feet by telling him she was going to leave him again. And if he allowed it this time, he knew it would be permanent. If he clung to his pride and refused to bend, he would lose everything that had ever mattered to him.

  So he threw his pride out the proverbial window and risked everything by going to her. Two long steps brought him to her side. He reached for her but stopped himself. First, he would say what she needed to hear. The words he’d denied them both the last time they were together.

  “I need you, Maggie. More than my next breath I need you.”

  Her beautiful eyes filled with tears that crested and spilled over to roll down her cheeks unchecked. Her lower lip trembled, and he lifted one hand to soothe that lip with the pad of his thumb. His gaze moved over her, from her tumbled, tangled hair to the now-ruined elegant ball gown. She was magnificent and she was his. As she was always meant to be. This was a woman born to stand beside a man no matter what came at them in life. This was a woman to grow old with. To treasure.

  To thank God for every night.

  And damned if he’d lose her.

  “Justice, I—”

  He shook his head fiercely and spoke up, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb his son. “No, let me say this, so you’ll never doubt it again. I love you more than should be humanly possible. The last time you left, you took my heart with you. When you came back, I came alive again. I won’t let you leave, Maggie. If you go, I’ll go with you.”

  She laughed a little, tears still spilling down her cheeks, and she’d never looked more lovely to him.

  “See?” he asked. “No more pride. No more anything unless you’re with me.”

  “Oh, God…”

  “Stay with me, Maggie,” he said gently, tipping her chin up so that he could look into those tear-washed eyes of hers. “Please stay. Please love me again. Please let me love you and Jonas and all the other children we’ll have together.”

  She laughed again, a small sound filled with delight and wonder, and Justice could have kicked his own ass for taking so long, for wasting so much time, before setting things right between them.

  “It’s getting easier to say please,” he told her, “and I swear, tonight won’t be the last time you hear it.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” she admitted, staring up at him with a smile curving her mouth and tears glistening like diamonds on her cheeks.

  “Say yes,” he urged, pulling her and the baby into the circle of his arms. “Say you’ll stay. Say I didn’t blow it this time.”

  She leaned her head against his chest and sighed heavily. “I love you so much.”

  Justice grinned and held them a little tighter. So much relief had flooded his system in the past hour that he felt almost drunk on it. He wanted to shout. He wanted to go call his brother Jeff and thank him for sending Maggie back home where she belonged.

  Then she pulled back and looked up at him again. “Am I dreaming?”

  He smiled at her, bent his head and placed one quick kiss on her upturned mouth. “No dream, Maggie. Just a man telling you that you are his heart. Just your husband asking you to give him another chance to prove to you that he can be the man you need. The man you deserve.”

  “Oh, Justice,” she said with a sigh, lifting one hand to cup his cheek, “you’ve always been the only man for me. You’ve had my heart since the moment I saw you, and that will never change.”

  He rested his forehead against hers and gave silent thanks for coming to his senses in time.

  Then Maggie shifted their son in her arms and handed him to Justice. “Why don’t we take him upstairs and tuck him in? Together.”

  Justice cradled the tiny boy who was the second miracle in his life and dropped his free arm around Maggie’s shoulders. Together, they climbed the stairs, and when they reached the landing, Maggie stopped and smiled up at him. “Once our son is settled in, I think I’m going to need a little attention from my husband.”

  Justice grinned at her. “I think that can be arranged.”

  Her head on his shoulder, they walked down the hallway of home, passing from the shadows into the light.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-4099-9

  CLAIMING KING’S BABY

  Copyright © 2009 by Maureen Child

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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  *Summer of Secrets

  *Summer of Secrets

  †Reasons for Revenge

  †Reasons for Revenge

  †Reasons for Revenge

  ††Kings of California

  ††Kings of California

  ††Kings of California

  ††Kings of California

  ††Kings of California

  ‡The Guardians

  ‡The Guardians

  ‡The Guardians