Delivering His Gifts (Mountain Men of Liberty #10)- K.C. Crowne Page 0,47

even his and insinuated multiple times that he should get a DNA test.

Greg picked up many of his terrible, distrustful, and abusive qualities from her, and no way in hell was I naming my daughter after her.

“Skyler is a more fitting name for you, and I knew it from the moment I found out I was having a girl,” I told her. “But normally, yes, daddies get a say in naming babies, and it’s only right that we ask Mason what he thinks too.”

“Alright,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I guess we’ll talk to him too.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get some say in the name,” I promised, pulling the blanket up higher on her. “But now, you need to get some sleep.”

“I’m just so excited, Mommy.”

I smiled, feeling a warmth in my heart. A familiar happiness I’d felt once I discovered I was pregnant with Skyler. “I’m excited too, honey, but we’ve got eight months to go. Do you know how long that is? You’ll almost be six by the time the baby is born.”

“I want the baby here sooner.”

“Oh no, we want the baby to stay put until he or she strong and healthy,” I said, instinctively putting a hand on my tummy. It was hard to believe that my belly was about to swell. Except for the occasional bouts of morning sickness, I hardly had any symptoms. Skyler had been an easy pregnancy too, so here’s hoping her brother or sister followed suit.

“Fine. I just wish the time would fly by,” she said. “Everything is so far away.”

Her sweet innocence. The youthful feeling of time passing by so slowly. One day, when she was older, she’d look back at this time and it would feel like it had flown by. Just like the years had flown by as a mother. It felt like only yesterday that Skyler was in my tummy, and here she was, almost ready to start kindergarten.

No, I didn’t want the time to go by quickly. I wanted it to slow down. I wanted to cherish these years with Skyler and the baby. I didn’t want either of them to grow up too fast, and I meant what I’d said - I wanted the baby to stay put, where it was safe.

Where no one could take him or her away from me.

Skyler’s eyes began to droop with sleep, and I sang to her softly until her breathing grew even and calm. I checked the time. It was only nine. How was it only nine? I was exhausted and ready to sleep myself.

I stepped out of the room, careful not to wake her again. I feared if she woke up for a third time, there’d be no sleep for anyone tonight. I wandered toward my bedroom when I remembered my cell phone. I had left it in the living room somewhere.

I grumbled as I turned around and went back to find it sitting on the coffee table. I picked it up and out of habit, turned on the screen to check for messages and missed calls. My phone was always on silent so I wouldn’t have heard it while taking care of Skyler.

And, to my dismay, there were missed calls. Several of them. And a text message to go along with it. All from Greg.

Call me now Danielle. I’m not joking.

I was too tired to deal with his bullshit tonight, so I closed the message and walked back to the bedroom. My phone vibrated in my hand.

Dammit, Greg.

I cancelled the call, but he called right back.

I stopped near the kitchen and debated what to do. I didn’t want to talk to him, I just wanted some sleep. I wanted him to leave me the hell alone.

Another text popped up on my screen. A chill ran down my spine as I read it.

Who was that man hugging you outside your house tonight?

God help me, Dani. Don’t make me come over there tonight.

My phone vibrated again, and I answered. I had no desire to deal with him in person.

I spoke quietly as I hurried away from the hallway and further from Skyler’s room. “Give me a second, I just got her to sleep and—”

“Who the fuck was that, Dani? Huh?”

I closed myself in the sunroom, far enough away from her room that she would hopefully not hear me and wake up again. My voice trembled as I spoke.

“He was a client, Greg, not that it’s any of your business,” I said. “How the hell did you even know