Page 67 of Surprise Baby for the Enemy

I let out a sigh of relief. “Mom, it’s-”

“Oh my god- Derrick!” she bursts out. “Where are you? Are you all right? I found your phone- it was in pieces in the attic! Did Raleigh break it?”

Raleigh flinches beside me, and I squeeze her hand. “No, mom, listen to me. I did a really bad job of explaining this morning. That’s my fault. Raleigh did absolutely nothing wrong, but-”

“Nothing wrong?! You had her in handcuffs!”

If I could tell my mother the truth now, I would. To save my mother more pain, to save Raleigh from the fear of losing her affection, I’d tell the entire messy, humiliating truth. But from the corner of my eye, Raleigh shakes her head. She’s not ready for the truth to be told yet either.

Maybe because, until this very morning, we hardly knew what the truth was ourselves. It would be better for my mother to hear it from both of us together.

“I know,” I say placatingly through the phone. “I know. The truth is- I got a call from one of my deputies first thing this morning. Before it broke. I can’t give you too many specifics right now because the investigation is still ongoing. But last night, members of Raleigh’s family were involved in a robbery. I had reason to believe she knew it was going to happen. I made assumptions that led me to take her in for questioning, but I wasvery quicklyproven wrong. She’s completely innocent, and I was an idiot.”

Raleigh’s thumb brushes over the back of my hand, and I press her knuckles to my lips.

“Oh, Derrick…” my mother sighs heavily. “Did you two break up?”

I can’t help but laugh at that. She sounds like she’s speaking to a boy a third my age. My mother has her priorities, and I love that Raleigh still being my girlfriend is now one of them.

“No, mom, we’re still together. I’m making a lot of apologies.”

“You’d better,” she warns. “Take her to dinner. Buy her some nice jewelry. Rubies maybe- oh, or opals! I think she’d look lovely in opals. Though honestly, she’s such a beautiful girl, even after you dressed her like a boy. Make sure you apologize very well, sweetheart. She’s a keeper, I’m telling you.”

Raleigh puts her free hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle, her eyes sparkling. I force myself to cough instead of laugh.

“I will mom, I promise. I’m planning to buy her some jewelry soon.”

Raleigh’s hand drops, her eyes widening. I kiss her knuckles one more time.

“Good,” my mother says promptly. “I’m glad.” She lets out an explosive sigh. “Thank you for calling, sweetheart. I really appreciate the explanation.”

Guilt squeezes my chest, but I nod. “Of course, mom. I have to get back to work now. I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Give Raleigh my phone number too. Tell her she can call me absolutely anytime. And next time you two visit I insist you stay through the holidays.”

I let myself imagine that, staying in the house as it gets buried by snow, staying cozy and safe by the fireplace with Raleigh. By then, the baby will nearly be born. I can’t imagine a better place for Raleigh to spend the later months of her pregnancy.

“We’ll try, mom,” I say, my throat tight. “I love you. I’ll try to get back up there in the next couple days to grab the boys. I’m sorry I left you with them so suddenly.”

“Oh, you know they’re fine here. I love you too, sweetheart. Please be safe.”

I swallow and hang up. Before I’ve even replaced the phone in its cradle, Raleigh takes my face in her hands and pulls me into a possessive kiss. It’s like a cloud clearing from before my eyes, and I grab her waist to lay her down on the bed, but she quickly breaks our kiss.

“No, not here,” she insists.

She pulls me out of the guest suite and marches me across the house to a room that I have to assume is her own. The bed, curtains, and rug are covered in gorgeous jewel-toned patterns and gold accents, with an overly large vanity set up on one wall and clothes spilling out of the closet.

Only after Raleigh closes the door between us and the rest of the house can the line of my shoulders relax. This day has been too long, and too full of twists, turns, and emotional torment. It might not even be midnight, but I’m ready to collapse on the bed and sleep for the next two days straight, no matter the adrenaline now racing through me.

That is, until Raleigh starts casually stripping off her clothes in front of me.

“I’m honestly shocked Thomas left us alone together,” she sighs.

And I thought I’d never see her again at all after I went into Thomas’s office. Which makes the sight of her gradually appearing bare skin even more beautiful than it’s always been.

“Do me a favor?” Raleigh asks sweetly, lifting her shirt over her head to reveal her full breasts.

“Anything,” I promise boldly.

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