Embrace the Night (14 page)

Tatiana dozed in the passenger seat most of the way. He glanced over at her lovely face every now and then, and thanked God for the joy and sweetness she brought to his life. The past few months with her made him wonder why he'd ever pushed her away.

Around 8:30, they arrived at the two story house in the Pine Forest neighborhood. Rousing Tatiana, he escorted her to the door, where a PHOENIX nurse let them in.

“Follow me, please.” The nurse then led them upstairs, to where Lalah was laboring in a bedroom.

Since PHOENIX didn't want to answer questions to a hospital about any odd features a baby might have, home births attended by PHOENIX midwives and nurses were the norm. The white scrub clad midwife was posted at the foot of the bed.

Lalah was lying in bed, the flowered bedspread over her midsection. Her long hair was in a disarray, some of it plastered to her sweat damp forehead. Junjie knelt on the floor next to the bed, clutching his fiancee's hand in both of his. To John's amusement, J looked just as sweaty as Lalah did.

John cleared his throat to make his presence known, and J looked back, sighing with relief.

Out of respect, they hung back, taking seats just outside the door of the bedroom. Holding Tatiana close, he waited patiently as time passed, listening to the sounds coming from the room.

A scream of absolute pain sliced the air.

Tatiana turned to him. “I told you we're not having any kids, right?”

He chuckled. “Yes, and I'm fine with that. Now that J's having a baby he and Lalah are retiring from PHOENIX.”

The midwife poked her head out into the hall. “The baby's here,” she announced. She was smiling, but there was something strange about it.

As he and Tatiana stepped into the room, he understood her expression.

Near the foot of the bed was a beautiful, chubby bronze baby. Dark curls were plastered to the infant's tiny head, and it wriggled and cried with vigor.

The baby was also hovering four feet off the carpeted floor.

With a look of pure shock, Junjie stammered, “It's a girl.”

An exhausted, but smiling Lalah sighed. “A girl.”

John looked at the midwife, a question in his eyes. She shrugged.

The baby was gorgeous, but taking in this scene made him perfectly fine with Ava being the only child in his life. Pulling Tatiana close with one arm, he took out his phone. “I've gotta get a picture of this!”

While he played photographer, he noticed Tatiana answering her own phone, the PHOENIX issued one. She stepped out of the room quietly to take the call. He could barely hear her muffled responses from the hallway.

As he congratulated his friends on their new bundle of floating joy, Tatiana poked her head around the door frame.

"Look's like Wyatt's finally cracked, and given up the name of his European contact." A sly smile came over her face. "How do you feel about Paris?"

John chuckled, shaking his head. He never knew when a call from PHOENIX would interrupt his life. He only knew he wanted to keep fighting the good fight.

Eyes on his girlfriend, he asked, "When do we leave?"

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A lifelong North Carolinian (except for 1 year and 8 months spent freezing her socks off in Alaska,) Alexandra Kane is a married mother of two. Writing has always been a favorite activity of her, along with reading, sewing, scrapbooking and other crafts. She regularly attends the Romance Slam Jam conference (www.romanceslamjam.org), and is a member of the Beverly Jenkins Fan Club.

Email her at:

alexandrakane_1ATyahooDOTcom

A Note From the Author

Dear Reader:

What a ride, huh? I really hope you've enjoyed Embrace the Night. I fell in love with the characters, and I hope you did too. Life as a PHOENIX operative is anything but dull!

While the characters and events of this novel are fiction, the North Carolina Museum of History, and the artifacts described, are quite real. For more information on the museum, and the treasures you can view there, visit ncmuseumofhistory.org.

Remember, I love hearing from readers. Drop me a note at:

alexandrakane_1ATyahooDOTcom

and let me know what you thought of the book. Also, remember to like my page on Facebook.

I've got an idea for a third book in the series, but that all depends on you, the reader. So if you want to read Marcelo’s story, ask for it. The ball is in your court!

Best,

Alexandra