Page 67 of Hannah's Truth

“It is sudden,” Bart allowed. But somewhere in the back of his mind he knew the timing didn’t matter.

“You okay with that?”

He was, he realized. Provided they could work out the details, starting with her actuallytellinghim about it. “We’ll figure it out once this mess with the cartel is cleaned up.” Grinning, he slapped Ross on the shoulder. “But you and Allie? That’s fantastic. You’ll be an amazing dad.”

“That’s what Allie keeps telling me.”

“Don’t say you’re actually worried about it?”

Ross hitched his shoulders. “You know I didn’t come from the marital bliss, white picket fence kind of stock.” He toed a rock into position and sent it flying across the road.

“Is Allie buying that load of crap?”

Ross glanced up, but there was far more resignation than temper in his eyes. “No.” He sighed. “But it’s in my head.”

“The pair of you have something rare and special. Strong.” He needed better words. Ross had always believed a lack of emotional attachments made for better soldiers and Bart knew his rocky marriage to Beth had only proved the point. Repeatedly. With razor-sharp focus in the field, the downtime between ops had dragged on interminably as his relationship with Beth deteriorated.

“You planning to spew a sonnet?”

“I will if it’s the only way to get that noise out of your head. Fatherhood is just one extended op with ever-changing parameters. You used to thrive on that sort of thing. You can do it.”

Ross punched him in the shoulder. “I sure have one hell of an example to follow.”

It was Bart’s turn to look away. The praise choked him up.

He missed his son and thinking of Ross and Allie having a baby only emphasized how much of those early years he’d missed gallivanting around the globe in the name of freedom and democracy. Worthy causes, to be sure, but life back home didn’t pause in a freeze state during missions.

Now that the cartel was out of the way, he could feel good again about Kyle’s summer visit. “Well, if you need someone to plan the baby shower, call Maria.”

Ross laughed. “She puts on quite a spread.”

And Bart suddenly wanted to get back to it. Holding Hannah close was more joy than burden. Most importantly, he realizedhe was going to miss her when they no longer had to fake the marriage to keep her boss at bay. He wanted to make it real.

He waited for the panic to kick in, but it didn’t. Only a sense of calm. Weird, but true. Deep down on a gut level.

Now, if he only knew what she wanted. If the answer wasn’t him… He tossed the negative thinking away. He was good at finding solutions and getting creative when necessary. They would go back to the truck stop and he’d make the most of whatever time he had left in her life.

“I’m heading back,” Ross said. “I’ll let them know you’re on your way.”

Bart shook hands with Ross and pulled him close to clap him on the back. “Thanks for the assist.”

“Anytime.”

Bart leaned back against his truck and watched the scene. He counted each of the long minutes until Deputy Wallace escorted the man who had, at the very least, orchestrated Tim’s death to the patrol car. Apparently, they’d decided Gonzales’s medical needs could wait. A weary smile on her face, Hannah finally crossed back to his side of the highway.

“Ready to go home?” It was all he could think about, getting her away from this chaos to a safe place where she could decompress.

“Home?”

“You have a better suggestion?”

“My boss said my home in Baltimore was trashed.” She shook her head and caught her lower lip between her teeth. Her arms crossed, she rocked from one foot to the other.

“I was thinking some place a little closer.” He recognized the signs of a serious let down. They’d been ramped up for too long, running on adrenaline and skimming along the edge of panic and disaster.

For her, he knew, there was the added weight of losing the innocent mother and baby.

“There will be justice for her.”

---