shoes and climbed in. He pulled her to him and held her close.
“Hi.” Her voice was still soft with sleep.
“I’m sorry I woke you.”
“I’m not.” She looked up at him and immediately sat up. “What’s wrong?”
He told her about his meeting with Charles and his talk with Lucien. He watched anger and sympathy play across her face.
“I couldn’t imagine losing a child, but for someone to lie about it . . . To have lost all that time . . . Who would do such a vile thing?” she asked with tears in her eyes.
“I don’t know, but that’s what we’re going to find out.”
“I want to help.”
“I knew that you would. I told Lucien that you could do the research into what nurses were on call the day Darcy delivered. Your uncle can give you the details, since Darcy’s already hired him to start the search.”
Trace was silent for a moment, prompting Ember to ask, “What?”
“I’ve asked to become Seth’s legal guardian. I should have talked with you first before—”
She pressed her finger to his lips. “Absolutely.”
“Are you sure?”
“You’ve already been acting like his legal guardian, so let’s make it official.”
He grinned. Ember asked, “What’s that grin for?”
“That was the exact argument I used on Charles.”
“Great minds think alike.” Ember’s expression turned serious. “What about Darcy and Lucien?”
“They’re finding their way.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because we did.” And then he shifted and rolled, pinning her underneath him. “Please remember that you’re pregnant.”
“I will.”
“You’re showing; there’s a little swell.”
“I wasn’t sure that you noticed.”
“I know every inch of your body. Of course I noticed.”
And then to prove his point, he lifted her nightshirt up and over her head and pressed a kiss at the base of her throat. He licked her along her collarbone before pressing kisses down the valley between her breasts to her navel. He palmed the small swell of her belly before he lowered his lips and kissed her right in the middle of it.
“I know I didn’t have a great role model, but I promise you that this child will never doubt that he or she is loved.”
Ember wrapped his face in her hands and lifted his gaze to hers. “I know.”
Darcy was pacing outside of Lucien’s office. She was trying very hard to keep her temper in check, but she had heard about the meeting Lucien had called with his friends and how a strategy had been hashed out to find their child—and she had not been included. She knew Lucien’s intentions were in the right place, but she was not going to be forced to stand on the sidelines while he took control. Her head snapped up when she heard the heavy footfalls coming from the down the hall.
“Where have you been?” she said in way of greeting.
He tried to move into her, but she stepped away from him. “Lucien, you’re keeping me out of the loop.”
Determination moved across his face. “That’s not my intention. I’m trying to keep you safe.”
“I’ve kept myself safe for fourteen years.”
She saw irritation in his expression. “Things are different. Our child is alive and we’re actively searching for him or her, which is going to make the kidnapper nervous when they learn of it.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to be so high-handed. I will not be kept from this.”
Anger replaced irritation. “We have no idea who the fuck we are dealing with, but based on what they’ve done to us so far, I’m betting there is very little this person wouldn’t do to get whatever the hell it is they are after. If you think for a second that I am going to sit back and watch as you step into potential danger, you are out of your fucking mind.”
Her anger rose to match his. “And if you think that I’m going to take a step back just because you and I are sleeping together and your inner caveman is coming to the fore, you are out of your fucking mind.”
His voice turned icy. “If I were being a caveman, I would have already knocked you over the head with my club and put you over my shoulder. Not that the idea doesn’t have some merit.” She realized it wasn’t just anger pouring off him, but hurt too. “I think I’ll call it a day.”
She watched his long strides carry him away from her as anger and remorse warred inside her.
Darcy paced her office. It had been over a week since she and Lucien had had