Page 52 of Claiming Becca

“I ran away. That’s why he didn’t. He was probably trying to look for me,” Liv says.

“This is crazy,” Caroline whispers. “I remember parts of town were not in the best shape, but I didn’t think much of it. I just assumed every town had its bad apples. You know?”

“What exactly was Donovan the boss of?” Bailey asks.

“Drug and human trafficking,” Becca answers. “That’s what Connor and Bass saved me from.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CONNOR

“SHE’S SOtiny,” I whisper. Caroline and Bass give me tired smiles. “She looks just like Bass.” Caroline smiles, but Bass scowls.

“We have to have another one. That one will look like you, Care,” Bass declares. My eyes widen, and Caroline shakes her head.

“That is not happening anytime soon,” she replies. Bass scowls again.

I laugh at them. “You just got a new baby, Bass, and you’re already planning for the next one.” I shake my head at him.

He shrugs sheepishly. “I’ve always wanted a big family.”

Caroline grabs his hand. “We’ll have one, I promise.” He leans down and kisses her on the forehead. It makes me feel like I’m intruding. I turn my gaze away from them and look at Mia. She’s perfect.

Connor walks in and watches me for a few seconds before stepping beside me to look down at Mia. “You two made one cute baby.”

“Isn’t she perfect?” Caroline replies. We both nod in agreement. I glance at Connor.

He smirks at me. “Still want to wait five years?” I chuckle and shrug my shoulders. The thought of having kids with Connor seems surreal. He’s mine, and he’s planning our future together. Mia starts squirming, and then she lets out a cry.

“I think it’s time for her to eat,” Caroline says. I kiss Mia on her forehead and hand her over. Leaning down, I give Caroline a quick hug. “We’ll stop by later to visit.”

She smiles. “Okay. Hopefully, we won’t be here too long,” she says with a yawn.

Connor hugs Caroline, a smile on his face. “Before I go.” He leans over Mia. “Baby Mia, what do you call a group of baby soldiers?” Caroline and I giggle while Bass groans. “An infantry.” Mia’s eyes stay locked on him like she’s listening.

Everyone laughs, even Bass. Connor stands. “My work here is done.”

I shake my head at him. “You’re such a dork.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders and kisses me on my head.

Bass walks us into the hallway. “So, how many of those do you have up your sleeve?” he asks.

Connor shrugs. “Enough to keep her entertained until she graduates high school, at least.” I poke Connor in his side, and he smirks down at me.

“Was anything decided?” Bass asks Connor, changing the subject.

“We’re meeting at Julian’s office to devise a plan,” Connor tells him.

Bass nods and runs his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know how much I want us to be involved. Of course, we want to help Liv, but—”

“We get it, man. Caroline and Mia come first. We’ll keep you in the loop,” Connor tells him.

Bass looks up at the ceiling and inhales deeply. “I should have done more years ago. I was so caught up in Angela.” He shakes his head.

“Stop. She did a number on you. So, don’t listen to that voice,” I tell him. “Look at what you have now. A great woman who loves you and the cutest baby ever.”

Bass pulls me into a hug and kisses the top of my head. “Thanks, you two. I’ll see you when you come by later.”

We say our goodbyes and walk back to the waiting room. Everyone is chatting, but they look up when we walk in. They’ve already visited with Caroline and Bass.

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