Page 78 of Off Limits Daddy

Were there moments that I wished I was working instead of hiding in the safe house with Aiden. Yes. But it wasn’t about feeling stifled. It wasn’t about sacrificing a piece of myself. I wanted to be with Aiden. The times I wished I was working had to do with knowing what was going on. Pinsky and Riker would give me updates sporadically, but it wasn’t enough. I needed to know Wally was gone. I needed to know Aiden was safe. I needed to reunite Aiden and Duncan.

I desperately wanted to go see Duncan, but knew I couldn't leave Aiden and I couldn’t bring him with me. Not with Wally still on the loose.

The first time I called the hospital to ask about Duncan, they wouldn't give me any information. The second time, I told them I was his fiancée, and all that they would tell me was that he'd been stabilized.

“Tell him Aiden is safe and misses him,” I told the nurse.

She said she would. I hoped she did.

Eventually, I got a call from Detective Riker who told me he had seen Duncan and talked to him. Surely, that was a good sign that Duncan would be okay. Riker reported that Duncan named Julia Racine as the person who shot him. So far, he hadn’t been able to find her. That meant she'd either run, or Wally had gotten to her and at some point, her body would turn up.

It was the third night in the safe house. I had just put Aiden to bed and was logging into my laptop when my phone rang.

Seeing it was Riker, I picked it up right away. "Riker. You have news?"

"We've just found Racine."

My heart sank. She had to be dead, which meant we wouldn’t get information from her.

"She walked right into the station and turned herself in.”

“What?”

“I’m not shittin’ you. It’s like on TV. She walked in and told us she would give us anything and everything we needed on Wally as long as we protect her son. We don’t really do that sort of thing, but Pinsky said he could arrange it if she gives us the goods.”

“So, does she have enough to stick to Creighton?”

"She's got receipts. And she's willing to testify, but again, we have to keep her family safe. Apparently, that's how Wally got her in the first place. She had a son that owed him money and was about to end up with the fishes. But then Wally used her in this crazy Social Security scheme. As long as she continued to do that, her son was safe."

"She knew what sort of man he was, and she still placed children with him?"

"There's no telling the things people will do. The son is now married and has a couple of kids. He had no idea what his mother had been doing to save his ass. Anyway, we've brought them all in and are waiting for Pinsky about the protection.”

“How long do you think before you pick up Wally?"

“Not long, hopefully. We’re working with Pinsky on that too. I’ll be in touch.”

When I hung up, I went to the room where Aiden was sleeping. I lay down next to him as I’d done the last two nights to make sure that he felt safe. I watched him sleep. It was the only time he seemed completely relaxed. It was horrible to have so much trauma in such a young life. But if anyone could help Aiden overcome his past and have a bright future, it was Duncan. Duncan was the epitome of a life lived fully, lovingly. He was full of light and showered Aiden with so much love. It was the type of love that he might have given me had I been more open to accepting it.

The next morning, Aiden and I sat in the kitchen. I made him breakfast that I knew wasn't as good as what Duncan made, but Aiden didn't say a word as he ate it up. I sat across the table from him, my phone next to me as I waited for news that this was all over with.

"When do we get to go home?" Aiden asked.

I reached out and took his hand. "I hope it's going to be soon. As soon as the bad guys are caught, I'll take you there."

"Is it going to be a new home? Because I don't want to go to a new home."

I shook my head. "Your home is with Duncan." And if Mrs. Thomas showed up to tell me otherwise, she was going to have a problem. There was no way I was going to allow anything to tear Aiden and Duncan apart. They were a family and they needed to be together.

The ache in my heart told me that I wanted to be a family with them. I didn't want to give my baby away to Duncan. And to be honest, I didn't want to coparent. I wanted to have it all. I wanted to do my job, but then come home to a warm and loving home. To a husband who loved me and supported mydreams. And to children who knew that they were loved and supported by their parents. I'd realized too late that I didn't have to sacrifice myself or my dreams to have love and a family.

"Can he be my daddy?"

"Oh, Aiden, Duncan is your daddy. Maybe there hasn't been an adoption, but he’s your daddy just as sure as I’m sitting here."

His lips twitched upward slightly. "Does that mean that you're going to be my mommy?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, fearful that the answer was no. "I don't know, Aiden. But what I do know is that Duncan loves you very much. And when he gets home, he’ll be so proud of how you helped catch the bad guys."