Page 87 of Renewal After Dark

“Yep.”

“What do you think of Auggie?”

“It’d be cute when he’s a toddler. Will it still be cute when he’s an actual man?”

Tiffany’s giggle was the best thing he’d heard from her in days of sorrow and worry. “Not as cute.”

“Right. He could decide to go by Gus when he gets older.”

“That’s an old-man name.”

“Are we back to square one?”

“We might be.”

“What’ve you got for a girl?”

“I’m almost certain he’s a boy.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Uh-huh.”

“That’d be nice. I could use some help around here, not that I don’t love being a girl dad.”

She laughed again, which made him so damned thankful. He wanted her laughing and happy all the time, which he knew wasn’t possible, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try with all his might to make it so.

Blaine’s brotherDeacon was also wide awake in the middle of the night, tormented by the same images that were haunting Tiffany. Except, as the one who’d found him, he’d actually seen Jim Sturgil in the water.

He’d spotted a bare foot that’d turned out to be him.

It would take years, if ever, before he’d get that image out of his mind.

Yes, he’d been involved in searches for people who’d disappeared on the water before, and yes, he’d assisted in recovering bodies. But something about this one had affected him deeply, maybe because it could’ve been him if Joe and his crew on the ferry hadn’t spotted him on top of his overturned boat during the storm.

He dropped his head into his hands, trying with all his might to focus on the many good things in his life rather than the sight of that goddamned foot underwater, but that was easier said than done.

Deacon smelled her distinctive scent before he felt her next to him on the sofa. He raised his head to look at his wife, Julia.

Hiswife.

Days after they’d secretly tied the knot, he was still amazed at how exchanging vows had made that which was incredible to begin with even more so. “Did I wake you?”

“No, but I woke, and you were gone, so I came looking for you. Are you okay?”

He hadn’t told her he was the one who’d found Jim. She’d been fragile since he’d gone missing during the storm. “Yeah, babe. I’m okay.”

“You’ve been upset since you got home. Are you going to tell me why?”

“I don’t want to.”

“How come?”

“It’s upsetting.”

“I don’t want you to be upset alone.”

“It might be for the best in this case.”

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