Read Stolen Goods: A Secret Baby Romance Online
Authors: Lola White
Stolen Goods: A Secret Baby Romance (8 page)
14
The weight of the
ankle monitor made Weslyn limp, as she walked out of the probation officer’s
office. Her stomach in knots, she still took a deep breath and trekked down the
hall toward the lobby. Her P.O. said someone was coming for her, to take her to
her new home, which had already been outfitted for her needs. She’d spend the
rest of her sentence there, confined. Other than that, the details were vague
and Weslyn didn’t care enough to probe further.
She tried to feel
some sort of optimism or even a sliver of hope, but happiness was a far-off dream.
Not even a memory, but a wish, perhaps. After all, she had nothing and no one,
and hadn’t even gotten a letter from Nolan since she’d given birth to their
son. The son that had been snatched from her and given away.
All in all, it was
about what Weslyn had expected. Or feared, rather.
So when she turned
the corner to the lobby and saw Nolan on the other side of the long desk,
chatting up the receptionist, she almost fell over. She stumbled to a halt, the
monitor dragging her a little to one side. She caught herself against the wall,
but lost all her breath in the process.
He turned to her
with a wistful smile that broke the rest of her heart. “Moon.”
“What—” She forced
air into her lungs and ignored the sudden pain in her chest. “What are you
doing here?”
“I came for you.”
Bitterness flooded
her, tears came to her eyes. “Why bother? I haven’t heard from you in over a
month. Why bother to come now?”
“Because you’re
coming home with me.” He cocked his head and stared at her with eyes deepening
into a grassy green that she remembered meaning trouble. “I didn’t transfer
back to Vermont because I liked the fall foliage, you know.”
“Why did you,
then?” She folded her arms over her chest and tried not to hope for much. But
the butterflies in her stomach didn’t listen.
He smiled again.
“I found us a house with a real nice room you can use for a studio. A friend of
mine is working on your website as we speak. This time, the landscapes you sell
can be Moon originals.”
“I told you, my
stuff doesn’t sell.”
“It didn’t,” he
agreed. “But that was before there were fake Moon fakes out in the world,
Weslyn. You’ve made a name for yourself, and now it’s time to make it legit.”
Her stomach shook
up into her chest and her eyes burned. Weslyn wanted nothing more than to fall
into the plans Nolan outlined, let him take care of her the way no one else
ever had. But she’d tried that before, and spent long, lonely months in jail
because of it.
“Why?” she managed
in a thin, strained voice. “Why now, when I haven’t heard from you? Why all
this after…you stopped coming to see me. Not even a fucking letter, but now you
just show up and—”
“I was a little
busy, Moon. Something real important.”
“I bet.”
Nolan winked and
disappeared behind the counter. The lady manning the phones grinned. When Nolan
straightened, he held a baby.
Their baby.
Weslyn’s heart
dropped to her toes.
“You have no idea
what I had to go through to get our child from the state foster system, Weslyn.
Paternity tests, letters from my supervisor, court testimonies. I had to
undergo investigation from every state agency Vermont could think of to get
involved. I had to agree to stay here for an extra year on top of your sentence
so we could continue to be evaluated as parents, and I’m relegated to desk duty
at the Bureau for the foreseeable future.”
The tears that had
been crowding her eyes finally fell. Weslyn stepped forward hesitantly, scared
to dream, scared that her wish might have come true. “You got our baby back?”
“I did.” Nolan
held out his hand, pulling her close the moment she was within his reach. “But
I didn’t want to tell you how close I was until I had everything together. I
didn’t get the final custody papers until a few days ago, and by then I
figured… I’d surprise you.”
“Oh, I’m
surprised. Very.”
She huddled close
to his side as he put their baby in her arms. Weslyn was shaking so badly she
didn’t dare move away from Nolan’s strength, terrified she’d collapse. Hot
shudders raced through her and the butterflies that clogged her stomach worked
their way into her throat. Her head spun.
“I love you,” she
told him on a broken breath. She told both of them, her lover and their baby.
Nolan dipped his
head and put his lips next to her ear. “I love you, too Moon. Now, let’s go
home.”
“I’ve never had
one of those before. Not a real one.”
He picked up the
carrier the child had been in and steered her toward the door with a hot hand
against her back. “Now you do. A home, a family…and I’ll make damn sure you get
a happily-ever-after, too.”
The End
About Lola White
Delve into the
emotions, dive into the erotic.
An extensive
traveler who loves to incorporate various legends from around the world into
her tales, Lola White likes to twist reality at its edges in her stories. She
likes delving into the emotions of her characters, finding their strengths and
weaknesses, and seeing (and showing) how they get themselves out of whatever
trouble has found them—if they can.
For news,
exclusives and special deals, sign up for her newsletter at
http://goo.gl/N4YZ1K
Visit
her website
www.lola-white.com
Books by Lola White
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