Page 86 of The SEALs' Single Mom Baby Surprise

The moment Alistair scrawls his signature across the last page of the paperwork, I push past him into his house to where Reese is waiting on an oversized wingback chair. Every detail of the house screams pretentious prick, so I home in on that little girl’s sweet face.

Her eyes light up when she sees me, and I crouch down in front of her. “You okay?”

Reese nods. “Are you here to take me back to my mommy?”

“I am.”

She flings herself into my arms, wrapping herself so neatly around me, and it is the sweetest feeling. The fury and defeat on Alistair’s face as I take her from him are the next best.

Everyone but the villain loves a happy ending.

39

SLOANE

Icannot keep my mind on what the doctor’s saying to me beyond that I’m okay. Jack is nodding, taking everything in for me. My head spins. From the moment I saw the look in his eyes, I knew Alistair followed through with his threats. And I’ve been lost to the intrusive thoughts ever since.

Even after the phone call, the news story, my life won’t seem safe again until I have Reese in my arms.

Commotion roils out in the hall, but no one has said a thing about where my daughter is. If they’ve gotten her back yet. If Alistair tried to pull some new move on them to make this harder.

Pressing back into my pillow, I try to take full, calming breaths but the bruising in my ribs refuses to give me even that. I’m beyond frustrated, angry, bereft. I just want my baby.

After everything, I just want to hold onto her.

When the doctor steps away, Jack’s big hand brushes my hair back from my forehead and he looks down at me with softness around his features. “Don’t fret. We’re getting her back.”

I suck in a shaky breath and nod. I believe him. Taking his hand in mine, I press our clasped fingers against my chest and close my eyes. We stay like that for a while before I hear a soft, “Mommy?”

Eyes flying open, I spot Reese in Rhett’s arms. His smug smile says it all, and I shoot upright with a hiss of pain. It doesn’t matter, my arms are out and waiting to be filled.

Rhett doesn’t make me wait. He swings her onto my lap, and my baby’s arms are around my neck.

Everything is right with the world. My relief is insurmountable. I can’t explain it. I feel whole.

I don’t realize I’m crying until Reese whispers, “It’s okay, Mommy. It’s okay.”

I laugh and hug her to me tighter. “Now, it is.”

The reporter lingering in my doorway can’t even put a damper on this.

After what feels like not long enough, I relax my grip and run my hands through Reese’s hair. Rhett waves the reporter in, chagrin coloring his cheeks with his half smile. “I promised her an exclusive.”

“You helped me get my baby back?” I ask.

The reporter nods, holding out her hand. “Becky Carlson. I’m glad it had a happy ending.”

I give her a shake. “Thank you. I hope this is going to work because I’m not letting go of this angel until I have to.”

“I completely understand. My little girl is only three.” Becky gives me a knowing smile, which I share with her.

“That’s a fun age.” Taking a deep breath, I let it go loudly. “Okay, you’re here for the whole story, right?”

“Right.” Becky’s smile is made for television.

So, I tell her about the odd paper trail that led us to the illegal arms deal, that most of my job was comparing numbers and checking inventory, but I couldn’t let it go when I discovered something was amiss. How I’d been threatened, about the break-in, about the attempted kidnapping, and finally, the full kidnapping.

I try to be as real as possible without giving details that will haunt my baby girl, like the very real threats Mikhal made or how Edmund was a part of it—not when he used to play matching games with Reese on slow days at the office during the summer.

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