Page 56 of Redemption's Inferno

Franny frowned. “What’s happening in March?”

Becca grinned. “One thing at a time. Let’s get out our calendars right now and discuss all that. I’m due at the end of October and will most likely stay out until New Year’s, although I’ll be doing things from home like signing paychecks and making sure everything is running smoothly of course.” She glanced at Emilie with a smile.

“And I’m due in early March,” she said, squeezing Chains’ hand.

“You two are…” Franny’s eyes grew round.

“Well, yes, but it’s not my baby,” Chains said.

“I’m having a baby for Viggo and Jamie,” Emilie added. “Technically it’s Jamie’s baby, and we knew before Chains and I started dating.” She paused, waiting for reactions.

“That’s fabulous,” Joe said, his eyes twinkling. “Congratulations!” He shook Jamie’s hand and leaned over to kiss Emilie’s cheek.

“That’s different,” Franny murmured, leaning back and shrugging. “But, you know, to each their own. I wouldn’t have a baby for someone else—no offense—I hated being pregnant.”

“I didn’t even know I was pregnant with Simone until I was…” she frowned. “Almost four months? The only thing I noticed was being tired.”

“I was sick all the time,” Franny muttered. “And Gary was deployed for our first baby. He didn’t meet him until he was three months old.”

“Being a military spouse is hard,” Chains nodded. “Big part of the reason I stayed single all those years.”

Franny raised her eyebrows. “I suppose that’s the easy way out.”

He glanced at her with a frown. “What’s that mean?”

“Nothing.” She shrugged. “It seems like a cop-out to me. But I’m probably just jaded because I lost my husband and I don’t think I’ll ever find anyone else. Don’t mind me… I’m grumpy.”

“There’s someone out there,” Becca said softly. “You’ll see.”

Franny managed a smile and picked up her calendar. “All right, so how long will you be out, Emilie?”

“Assuming there are no complications, probably a few weeks before I start doing some work in the office, but at least six weeks before I start working in the evenings.”

“Eight weeks,” Becca eyed her. “No arguments.”

“Can’t we just hire someone else?” Dante asked dryly, leaning back in his chair. “We’re making money hand over fist—why do you ladies have to rush back to work?”

“Control,” Chains said with a grin. “Hard to give up control of something you’re invested in.”

“If I’m not back at hockey,” Jamie said, “I can take over managing at night. I’ve gotten to know how this place works pretty well, so you ladies don’t have to worry about that.”

“You’ll be back at hockey,” Becca said firmly. “So that’s not an option.”

He winked at her. “Thanks, doll. Let’s hope so.”

“However, I think hiring an assistant manager is going to be necessary with all the births and Jamie going back to hockey.”

“Why not Chains?” Joe asked, leaning back. “I can find someone else to head up security and when you ladies are back to full-time, he can go back to that.”

Emilie glanced at Chains. “What do you think?”

He looked torn. “Part of me wants to say yes, but managing and making sure security doesn’t suffer could be a huge undertaking.”

“If you’d prefer, I could stay for a while,” Joe spoke up. “There’s nothing for me in New York I can’t do from here and it’s been nice to get away.”

Chains squinted slightly. “You’re serious?”

Joe laughed. “Yeah. I’m not seeing anyone and—”

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