Chapter Nineteen
Livvy sat in the chair of the exam room in the ER and watched as the nurse stitched Ethan’s head. It was a five-inch gash that went from his temple to the top of his right eyebrow. If the angle of that bullet had been just a fraction off, it could have slammed into his head.
And killed him.
That was why Livvy was still trembling and having trouble leveling herself out. That was why she was cursing herself for not having seen what Sunny had been about to do and stopped her.
“We got lucky,” Ethan said, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile. It wasn’t a real one, not heartfelt, and that was probably because he was worried about her, not himself.
But there was no reason to worry about the baby and her.
Livvy had already gotten checked out by the doctor and had had yet another ultrasound.
Ethan had insisted on that before he would even consent to being stitched up.
The doctor had said all was well, and he’d used a similar “You got lucky” remark since she didn’t have a scratch on her.
Anthony, Vernice and Sunny definitely hadn’t fared so well.
Anthony was dead, and the verdict was still out on Sunny’s injuries.
The woman had been whisked away into surgery as soon as they’d arrived at the hospital.
So far, there had been no word on her prognosis or condition.
It was entirely possible Anthony would end up claiming another victim.
Vernice also fell into that “to be determined” category. She was in another ER room, being treated for the injuries she’d gotten when Anthony had kidnapped her and taken her to that cornfield.
“All done,” the nurse, Abigail Summers, announced, stepping back from Ethan. Livvy knew the young woman, and in a small town where there were often no degrees of separation, she had actually babysat Abigail a time or two.
Abigail aimed a reassuring smile at both of them, and her gaze lowered to Livvy’s baby bump. “When are you due?”
“Mid-March,” Livvy answered, and while four months still seemed a long time off, she figured it would be here before she knew it.
“And what are you having?” Abigail added, clearing up her stitching supplies.
Livvy looked at Ethan who gave nothing away. “To be determined,” she settled for saying.
“I wish you both well. You’re free to go,” Abigail added to Ethan before she finished gathering her things and walked out.
Ethan immediately got off the exam table, and he went to her. Livvy stood so he could pull her into his arms. Exactly where she needed to be. And yes, the leveling out finally started, though she was certain this latest incident would be giving her nightmares for some time.
“I came too close to losing you,” she muttered.
He brushed a kiss on her forehead and held on tight. “I came too close to losing you. Please tell me you’ll do desk duty for the rest of the pregnancy.”
Livvy didn’t intend to give Ethan, or Grace, an argument about that, especially since Grace had already made it clear that field work was off-limits for her until she got back from maternity leave.
She nodded, and while Ethan would still stay fully on the job, she had to say, “And you’ll be careful as you can be.”
“I always am,” he assured her, easing back to meet her gaze.
And to kiss her.
His mouth came to hers, pressing gently and doling out way more pleasure than it should have, considering where they were and what they had just gone through. After he’d pretty much robbed her of her breath and made her feel all warm and pliant, he pulled back and smiled at her.
“To be determined,” he repeated. “You closed your eyes again during the ultrasound.”
Livvy nodded. “I decided I wanted you to be the one to tell me about the baby’s gender.” And she hadn’t wanted that to happen in front of the ultrasound tech. She wanted that news during a more private moment.
Like now.
Except Livvy needed to tell Ethan something first, and she didn’t want to wait to do it.
“I told you that I’m in love with you,” she started, and then she had to touch her fingers to his mouth to stop him when he tried to interrupt her.
“But I want you to know you don’t have to do or say anything about that.
What I want you to think about instead is more of a… partnership.”
His left eyebrow rose, causing the bandage on the other side of his forehead to lift a little as well. “Please tell me that involves sex. And having you in my bed.”
She smiled because this sounded promising.
“Sex is on the table,” she admitted and then laughed when she heard how suggestive that sounded.
“I was thinking more of us maybe moving in together after the baby comes. And you don’t have to give me an answer now.
Just give it some thought because that could be the easiest way for us to co-parent. ”
He frowned, causing her heart to drop. No, no, no. She’d pushed too much, too soon. Ethan wasn’t ready for this kind of arrangement.
After too many snail-crawling moments, he finally opened his mouth to respond, but the knock on the door stopped him.
“It’s me,” they heard Grace say, and she opened the door and peered in. She saw the way they were standing, with Livvy still in Ethan’s arms, and she smiled. “Glad to see you’re both doing well.”
They were, physically anyway, but Livvy could feel that broken heart of hers coming on.
“How’s Sunny?” Ethan asked.
Livvy was thankful he’d spoken and filled the silence. She didn’t want Grace to pick up on the gloom and doom that had to be coming off her. Besides, she wanted to know how Sunny was doing as well.
Grace gathered in a long breath. “She’s out of surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.
” She paused, groaned and shook her head.
“I’ll have to charge her, though, with the shooting.
A good lawyer will argue diminished capacity because of her injury and grieving her sister’s death, and she might get off. ”
Livvy hoped she did. She couldn’t condone Sunny’s actions of trying to kill Vernice, but she understood being overwhelmed by a horrible situation. Sunny had lost her twin sister and had nearly been killed twice. Most people would break under circumstances like that.
“What about Vernice?” Ethan asked.
“She’s already been treated and released,” Grace explained.
“Rory is taking her to the station, where he’ll get her statement.
She’ll be charged with obstruction of justice for bringing in that knife.
The statute of limitations is up on her failing to report a crime, but I’ll see if there are any other charges we can bring against her. ”
Livvy hated that Vernice hadn’t turned in Chloe. Sunny had been right about that—if Vernice had reported Belinda’s murder, then Zadie would be alive. Chloe, too. Sunny wouldn’t have been injured, and the attacks wouldn’t have happened.
But there was a silver lining of sorts here.
All of this had caused Livvy to remember, and while they were horrible memories, at least now she knew the truth about what’d happened.
“How are you dealing with all of this?” Grace asked, volleying glances at both of them but her attention settling on Livvy.
Livvy had to take a breath, too. “Part of it—to be determined. I’d like to find out what happened to my mother’s body so I can give her a proper burial.”
Grace nodded. “I’ve already called out a team to search the area around the old house. If her remains are there, we’ll find them.”
Good, because that would be a start. “I’d also like to learn more about my mother. Maybe talk to some of the other surrogates or New Hope employees who might have known her.”
Grace nodded again and hiked her thumb in the direction of the waiting room. “You might be able to get some of those answers from Franklin. He showed up here about fifteen minutes ago, asking to speak to you. If you don’t want to see him, I’ll tell him to get lost.”
“No, I’ll speak to him.” Though Livvy didn’t intend for it to be a long conversation. More like scratching the surface for now. Because at the moment her priority was finishing her conversation with Ethan.
“All right,” Grace said, stepping out of the way and then following them to the door.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.
In the meantime, you’re both off duty. I don’t want to see either of you in the station for at least the next three days.
If you need more time than that to sort things out, just let me know. ”
“Thank you,” Livvy and Ethan replied, and while Livvy couldn’t speak for him, she would take every hour of those three days. She needed the rest and the time to process everything that’d happened.
When the three of them made it to the waiting room, Livvy immediately saw Franklin stand up from one of the chairs. He didn’t have that cocky look he’d sported when they had first visited him at New Hope. Just the opposite. He appeared to be exhausted and devastated.
Franklin didn’t walk toward them. He just waited for them to come to him.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “So very sorry for what my sister did to you and your mother. Your mother was a good woman, and she didn’t deserve what happened to her.”
Livvy had had a decent rein on any tears, but that caused some to pool in her eyes. She blinked them back because she was afraid if she started crying, she wouldn’t be able to stop.
“I came by to tell you how sorry I am,” Franklin explained.
“And to let you know that I’m closing New Hope and transferring the current clients and surrogates to other facilities.
” He took out a small envelope from his pocket and handed it to Livvy.
“I also wanted to give you this. I found it last night when I was going through some of my things.”
Livvy couldn’t help but remember the last time Franklin had given her something. It’d been that file with the horrific details of her mother’s murder. That was why her hand was trembling and why her stomach had tightened to knots.
Ethan reached out, took the envelope from her and looked at her, silently asking her if she wanted him to open it. Livvy nodded, and she held her breath, waiting.
There was only one item inside, and when he took it out, Livvy saw that it was a photo.
“It was taken in the garden at New Hope,” Franklin muttered. “I thought you’d like to have it.”
Livvy heard his words but didn’t respond. That was because her attention was on the picture—a smiling woman holding the hand of a little girl. It was her and her mother.
There was no fear and terror like the memories of them cowering on the stairs. Or them running to get away from Chloe. No. This was a happy moment. And more. So much more. Livvy could see the love in her mother’s eyes.
Love for her child.
Livvy felt one of those tears spill down her cheek, and she didn’t try to blink back any others.
She just let them come. Not tears of grief and despair.
But of this moment that she remembered. The warmth of her mother’s love.
That precious time they’d had together. Chloe might have ended her mother’s life, but she couldn’t take away these memories.
“Thank you,” Livvy managed to say.
Franklin was crying, too, but like her tears, she thought there was a tinge of happiness to his. “Call me anytime you want to talk about Belinda or your time at New Hope.”
Livvy nodded, and wiping his eyes, Franklin muttered a goodbye and turned to leave.
Grace cleared her throat, and Livvy realized her eyes were misty, too. But she smiled and patted Livvy’s arm. “Go home, you two, and get started on that downtime,” she added as she walked away.
Livvy stared at the photo several moments longer and then looked at Ethan. The word home was repeating in her head, and she wanted to work that out with him before they left. So, she took his hand and led him back into the treatment room where he’d gotten his stitches.
She shut the door, turned to him and was about to launch into a full-scale apology for dumping that I’m in love with you on him. But she didn’t get the chance.
Because Ethan kissed her again.
And there was nothing gentle about this one. It was hard, hungry and all heat. It slid through her like wildfire and kept on spreading until Livvy was reasonably sure she could no longer speak.
But Ethan could, and he proved that when he finally pulled away from her.
“I’m not going to backpedal on what you said about being in love with me,” he blurted. “Ditto for your offer on that partnership thing about us moving in together. I want that, and I want the I love you.”
Livvy was certain she looked surprised because she was. Surprised, aroused and incredibly relieved. “You want the I love you?” she questioned.
“Damn straight I do. And I want to give it right back to you.” He took hold of her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.
“I’m in love with you, Livvy. And I love you, too,” he added, stooping down to drop a kiss on her baby bump.
“And I want it all. The love, the partnership, living together and marriage. By the way, in case you didn’t catch it, that’s a proposal. ”
“I caught it,” she managed to say. Livvy also managed to say something else. “And my answer is yes. Because I want it all, too.”
Ethan smiled, lighting up that gorgeous face of his, and he dragged her back to him for another kiss. One to seal the deal. And to heat up every inch of her.
“Let’s take this home,” he suggested, still smiling with his mouth against her.
“Great idea. Home, and then I can haul you off to bed.”
Ethan stole another kiss as they headed out of the room and toward the exit. “And after some great sex, maybe we can come up with wedding plans. Maybe even baby names.”
All of that sounded perfect, and she looked up at him as they walked outside and to the cruiser. “A gender reveal,” she muttered, getting behind the wheel while he took shotgun. “You think this is the right time and the right place for that?”
Another smile. Another kiss. This one even hotter than the last one. “Perfect time and place,” he assured her.
He pulled back, and still smiling, Ethan murmured, “What do you think about the name Ben?”
“A boy,” she whispered, letting the joy flood through her.
Livvy got an instant flash of images. New memories that they’d make together. Happy ones with the family that she would have with Ethan and their son.