When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,12

decision to me. In the beginning, he had deferred a lot of things to me. At the time, I had fully intended to open it before the baby’s birth, when the time felt right, but I’d waited, and waited some more, and it had begun to feel like a big deal. At this point, we’d gone so long without knowing, we both figured we might as well go the whole way. “Besides, you know we made the nursery neutral so it works for either gender.” I shook my head. “Enough about my baby! I want to hear more about yours.”

“The mother just turned eighteen and realizes she can’t take care of a baby. She’s really smart, Rose, like valedictorian smart. She has a scholarship to LSU, and she knows she can’t have the life she wants if she keeps her.”

“So she’s not only book smart but has common sense too,” I said.

Her smile widened.

“The agency matched you?”

“No,” she said. “It’s a private adoption. Jed found out from her older brother that she was thinkin’ about giving up her baby. We met with her, and she even came to our house to see where the baby would live. At the beginning of the week, she called and said she had picked us. I’m scared she’ll change her mind, but our attorney says she’s 99% sure she won’t.”

“We have so much to do!” I said.

Her face glowed with happiness. “I can’t believe I’m getting everything I ever wanted.”

“Oh, Neely Kate, you deserve every bit of it and then some.” The baby kicked, and I grabbed her hand and placed it on my belly. “See? My baby’s excited to meet his or her new cousin.” My eyes widened. “Have you told Joe? Because I’m gonna have a terrible time keepin’ this a secret.”

“I think Jed accidentally spilled the beans this mornin’, so you go ahead and tell him.”

I pursed my lips. “He never said a word to me.”

Laughing, she said, “I think Jed threatened to skin him alive if he told you before I did.”

I looked at the ultrasound photos again, and then we got up and finished putting my kitchen back together. She yawned as I put the last plate away, so I sent her home, telling her I’d meet her at the nursery in the morning and we could go to the kids’ daycare together.

I got ready for bed and plopped on the sofa. I was exhausted, but it was hard to get comfortable. I couldn’t stay in any position for long, and every time I lay still for any length of time, the baby started his or her acrobatics. Plus, I was too excited to sleep. While I’d suspected Neely Kate and Jed would adopt, I hadn’t expected it to be this fast. Some things were just meant to be.

I was dozing when the front door opened. The Netflix show I’d been watching had turned off, and the room was only lit by one lamp. Joe walked in and frowned when he saw me stirring.

“You didn’t need to wait up.”

“I didn’t,” I said, putting both hands behind me and shifting my weight to sit up. “I thought I’d lie down in front of the TV for a while, but I fell asleep.” I groaned. “And your son or daughter has decided it’s Gymboree time.”

A grin lit up his face. “He’s movin’ now?”

“Yep.”

He sat down next to me and placed his hand on my belly. I grabbed it and placed it where the baby had been kicking. “Wow. He’s really got a kick.”

“I think that’s an elbow,” I said. “Sharp and pointy.”

He looked up at me with eyes full of concern. “I’m sorry you’re uncomfortable.”

I smiled at him. “I’m not complainin’.” Because other than the last week or two, I’d loved every minute of being pregnant. “How did it go at the crime scene?”

He sat back, leaving his hand on my stomach. “Too soon to know anything for certain, but he was an electrician subcontracting for several building contractors in the area.”

I shifted to get a better look at him. My ex-brother-in-law was a contractor, and sick or not, there was no denying he’d acted strange this afternoon. “Did he do work for Mike?”

“I don’t know. We’re still tryin’ to get ahold of his records.” He gave me a pointed look. “I’m not supposed to be tellin’ you any of this.”

“I won’t tell anyone, Joe.”

“Not even Neely Kate, Rose.”

That one was harder, but I wouldn’t break his trust. “I won’t. I