Page 91 of Fallout

While Clare had been navigating life with a newborn, Destiny’s unborn child was getting bigger. Rapidly, by the size of her. Destiny’s sisters liked to say, “Whoa!” every time she saw them. Then they kissed her belly and Hope always asked if she could read the baby a story.

Usually, they all fell asleep on the couch, waking up when Jasper got home from work at whatever random time that his shift ended. Or his investigation concluded.

They had been married a few weeks. Destiny’s role at Vanguard had shifted and would again when the baby was born. She was in the process of setting up the daycare and would manage it after her baby was old enough that he or she could come to work with her.

Jasper had mentioned changing jobs several times but hadn’t found anything that suited him yet. His dad had even pitched a partnership, but it would require traveling across the state, and Jasper didn’t want to do that. His mother was settled in the Purliss Residential Center, and his father had started a private venture.

Still, she worried that he’d see this as her attempt to get him out of the police department.

It was in the back of her mind constantly that he risked his life on the job. Not that many of the other options for a man with his skills would be less dangerous. But she was worried anytime he worked a shift.

If being a cop was what he wanted to do, then she was going to support him—and ask him to pray for her as she grew and, hopefully, learned how to let go of the worry.

“Knock, knock.”

She glanced over and saw him enter, closing the door behind him. His suit and tie and the fresh haircut he’d gotten the day before made her husband look more handsome than Destiny had a right to have ever expected. But yet again, God had given her more than she could’ve asked for or imagined. The baby she was carrying, the man who loved her. Destiny didn’t deserve them any more than she deserved God’s grace.

But He was so good, and her life was richer than she ever would’ve believed it could be.

“Hey, there.”

“Hey yourself, handsome.” She lifted her face, and he touched his lips to hers.

“Holding a baby looks good on you.”

Destiny smiled. “Well, that’s a good thing, I guess, all things considering.”

“Everything all right?”

“Yes.” Had he been worried that this meeting that Clare’s assistant had called was about Destiny? She had been to an appointment with him just yesterday, and they’d seen the ultrasound images. The baby was developing right on schedule. “Everything is good.”

Clare came out of the bathroom. “Jasper. Thank you for coming. Have a seat.”

Destiny carried the baby to the bassinet behind Clare’s desk and laid Kara down so she could sleep. Then she took a seat beside her husband. He threaded his fingers between hers.

“As you know, the last few weeks have given me a new perspective,” Clare began. “In becoming a mother and speaking with colleagues who are parents. Or about to be.” She smiled at them. “I’ve realized I need to shift my role here at Vanguard. The company is constantly expanding. A number of our teams are currently breaking into multiple smaller teams in order to operate more effectively around the world, and I’ve set up a new department.”

Destiny had been read in on it and the recent acquisition of the Accountant’s Office protocol. The whole thing was incredibly complex but boiled down to one thing: Keeping people safe so they could live their lives in peace.

Clare continued, “I would like to take on a role that would look a lot more like a board member advising the Vanguard CEO but ultimately letting them run the company with the final say as they see fit. Naturally, that CEO would have to be someone I trust. Someone I know I can count on, who has proven time and again that they are a person of high caliber. Someone who puts others above themselves and understands the value of loyalty and family.”

Destiny swiped a tear from the corner of her eye. No point kidding herself that they didn’t see it. The fact Clare thought that about the man Destiny had married? She closed her eyes for a second.Thank You.God had been overwhelmingly good to her. It made her wonder if she’d needed this before things went horribly wrong in her life, but right now, all she had was trust in Him and the joy in this moment.

She rejected the worried thoughts in her mind, taking them captive as the Bible said to, and thanked God again.

Jasper squeezed her hand.

Clare said, “Jasper Hollingsworth, would you like to be the next CEO of Vanguard Private Security and Investigations?”

She heard his intake of breath.

He turned to her. “Destiny?”

She smiled at him. “What do you say?” He had to know it was his decision, not one based on her fear as a factor. “If you want to be a cop or a plumber or a library volunteer, or the Vanguard CEO or the greeter at the grocery store, I know you’ll do great. Because it’s whatyouwant to do. Whatever it is, it’s your choice.”

He looked at her with a little bit of awe. “I have been thinking lately that I need a change without knowing what it should be.”

“Gage and I talked about it at length,” Clare said. “He and I believe you’ll be a great fit, both because of your family’s incredible reputation and because you’ve made a reputation for yourself in your own right. As a cop and as a good man.”

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