Page 120 of Mine to Share
Who knew I just needed a plus-one in the equation to make it fucking perfect?
Forever.
EPILOGUE
RAIN
Seven months later
At the sound of the garage door, I clicked off the TV, silencing the Dallas news reporter’s next words. There were still a few boxes we needed to unpack, but the house was mostly done. After I accepted the job with the FBI, it took a month for my replacement to arrive, and then we made the long drive to Texas. Thankfully, Slade had flown out a couple times and found a house he deemed acceptable.
Tossing the remote to the coffee table, I rolled my eyes, remembering him constantly complaining about the lack of ocean nearby.
It was cute in a spoiled little kid type of way.
Jameson walked in, go bag in one hand, laptop bag in the other. Seeing me on the couch, sitting straight up in anticipation of his arrival, he dropped both to the floor and strode toward me. Leaping off the couch, I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my face to his neck.
“Someone is happy to see me,” he chuckled as his arms banded around my back and tugged me even closer. Nose in my hair, he inhaled, his tight muscles automatically softening. “Fuck, it’s good to be home.”
“I missed you. Two weeks is a long time.”
He sighed, his breath blowing my hair. “I know. I’m sorry, Raindrop.” He pulled back to look at me. Honey-brown eyes scanned my face, brows narrowing. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Lie. Such a bald-faced lie. After the last few days, I should’ve been used to it, but I wasn’t.
I hated lying to both of them, but it was necessary. Things had to stay even and everyone on equal footing if this would work between us.
Grabbing Jameson’s hand, I pulled him toward the massive kitchen that any chef would be envious of, following the scents of cooking meat, garlic, and fresh bread.
His back to us, Slade glanced over his broad shoulder as we entered and hitched his chin in greeting to Jameson. “You catch that sick fucker?”
I dropped Jameson’s hand and moved toward the island, strategically putting myself between the two.
“Yep.” At the fridge, he yanked open the door and pulled out two beers. “Sneaky-ass fucker, but we got him before he could hurt any more kids. The sick asshole preyed on the parents’ trust. No one even suspected him because he inserted himself into the investigation early on and kept the cops running in circles.” Popping off the top to both, he took a sip from one and set the other in front of me.
Where it stayed. I didn’t even attempt to wrap my hand around it.
“Until you showed up,” Slade tossed over his shoulder, attention back on the beef Bolognese sauce on the stove. “Hope you’re hungry.”
I sure as hell was, though the delicious smells were making my stomach roll with nausea.
Bottle raised, hovering right in front of his mouth, Jameson eyed me, his suspicion shifting to concern.
“Rain?”
With a quick headshake, which made the room spin, I slapped a hand over my mouth and bolted to the powder room right off the kitchen. My knees hit the tile floor a second before the delicious lunch Slade made me earlier came back up, not tasting nearly as amazing as it had a few hours ago.
I felt them in the doorway, didn’t need to turn around to verify both stood there waiting for an answer. An answer they’d probably already pieced together themselves. The fact that I’d kept the news and morning sickness—now apparently all-day sickness—from Slade the past three days was a testament to how distracted he was with talking about becoming the next chief of police with my dad.
“Have some important news to share with the class, Raindrop?”
Head still in the toilet as another wave of nausea had me dry heaving, I raised a hand in the air, middle finger straight up. Their combined chuckles made hot, emotional tears prick behind my eyes.
“Surprise,” I rasped, finally feeling well enough to scoot back and lean against the wall. Because I sure was when those two pink lines showed up on the pregnancy stick. We really should have used condoms when I was on antibiotics a while back. Not that I was upset or devastated by the unexpected, yet completely welcomed news. When I took them both in, their wide radiant smiles and the tears glimmering in their lower lids had a sob welling in my chest. “I’m pregnant.”
“Oh, Raindrop.” Reaching down, Jameson scooped me off the floor and pulled me in for a tight hug. I shook against him with every heavy sob, tears now leaking down both cheeks. “I’m at a loss for words for how stupid happy I am. I never—” His voice caught. Pulling back, I watched in awe as his own tears slipped down his jaw. “I never thought it was in the cards for me to have a family. And when I found you, and then Slade, I thought it couldn’t get any more perfect.”