Midnight Hero - By Diana Duncan Page 0,71
get teased on the playground, though.”
Nan stared at him, her dancing brown eyes incredulous. “She? It’s a girl?”
“I’m pretty sure.” Con grinned at Nan, then Bailey. “Unless I broke something.”
Nan hastily unwrapped the towels to verify his claim. “Well, I’ll be! The ultrasound was wrong. A girl, how fun!” She laughed, tears streaming down her face.
“Guess you’ll have to rethink that name.”
Nan kissed the top of the baby’s fuzzy head. “Constance Bailey Thompson. Welcome to the world.” She arched her brows at Con. “What time is it?”
As sweaty and exhausted as if he’d run the Boston Marathon with his leg shackled to an armored car, he consulted his watch. “Eleven fifty-nine, and counting.”
Chapter 12
12:00 Midnight
“Happy New Year!” Bailey whispered along with Con and Nan. Grady echoed the sentiment over the headset.
Bailey hugged Con and gave him a kiss. “To new beginnings.”
A wondering expression crossed his face. “Excuse us, Nan. Cover wee Constance’s eyes.” He turned Bailey, bent her over his arm and kissed her. His warm, silky tongue teased and tantalized. Caressed and plundered. He staked a possessive claim, consuming her. Branding her as his. Her breath evaporated and her head spun. Her bones melted. Bright spots danced before her eyes.
He eased back and flashed her a wicked grin. “Have to kiss my girl properly, and start the new year right.”
“Looked kind of improper to me.” Nan chuckled and bussed her newborn daughter’s cheek. The baby gurgled and waved her fists in the air like a miniature prizefighter. “The best kind.”
“Absolutely,” Bailey woozily agreed. She couldn’t have felt fizzier and warmer had she consumed too much celebratory champagne. High on the miracle of life. High on Con.
“Party’s over.” Con clapped his hands. “We need to get these ladies hidden and wrap up this incident so we can all go home.”
Bailey crashed to earth. They had a lot more work to do before the miracle of life could triumph over evil and death.
Con propped open the door to the employee lounge. “I’ll carry Nan to the sofa.”
Nan offered Constance to Bailey. “Want to hold your namesake?”
Bailey accepted the precious bundle. The baby was much lighter than she’d expected. Fragile and helpless. Dependent on them to protect her. “She’s so small.”
Nan laughed. “Yeah, now! She didn’t feel small a while ago!”
Constance stared up at Bailey with wide, dark eyes spiked with long lashes, and her alert expression asked, Who are you?
Bailey caught her breath in awe. “She’s beautiful.”
Con winked at Nan. “In a few years, she’ll have the boys eating out of her hand.” He carried Nan into the lounge.
Bailey followed with slow, careful steps, and then handed Constance to Nan. Nan hugged the infant close. “Her daddy might have a thing or two to say about that.”
Bailey straightened. Her gaze locked with Con’s, and her heart flipped over.
Emotions shimmered between them. Hope. Love. A thousand unspoken promises. His gorgeous brown eyes glowed with visions of the future. “The first time I saw you,” he whispered, “I saw my unborn children in your eyes.”
Her heart ached with longing. Con’s babies. Would she have the chance to rock them in her arms? Nurture them as they grew. Shower them with the love she and Con shared.
He held her gaze a moment longer. Between one breath and the next, the shimmering connection dissolved. Regret shadowed his handsome face before he turned away. “I’ll scout around and figure out how to secure this place.”
Bailey tucked away the beautiful memory. One of the most important lessons she’d learned tonight was to savor every moment. You never knew when—or if—you’d get another chance. The time had come for her and Con to separate. Not knowing if they’d see one another again.
Just as she’d tucked away the pleasure, she set aside the pain. Both would wait for later. She needed a clear head and uncluttered focus. “Are you leaving me with Nan and Constance?”
“No. I’ve modified the plan. Since Nan escaped, the suspects will be furious, their reactions unpredictable. I’ll station you with Syrone. He has a weapon, and you’ll be my eyes and ears on the first floor as the incident comes to a head.”
Surprise, mingled with validation, washed over Bailey. Instead of stuffing her into a hidey-hole as if she were a timid little rabbit, he was keeping her in action. He might not want her on the front line, but he did trust her to back him up. She nodded, smiled at him. She would not let him down.
Con used the red walkie-talkie to update