Page 36 of Not the Bodyguard's Widow
“It doesn’t mean they disagree either. It just isn’t what Mom envisioned.”
“I can’t imagine any mom planning for her son to marry a pregnant woman dressed in Amish garb. Maybe had a nightmare about it...” The annulment couldn’t come too soon.
Alex laughed. “It sounds funny when you put it that way.”
“You know those lame get-to-know-you games?”
“Like two truths and a lie?”
Kimberly nodded. “After today, you will always win.”
Alex brushed a hair out of Kimberly’s face. “I have a lot of good ones from today. A nurse kept calling me Dad, and I got to hold your hand and see this little one.” He patted the hand Kimberly covered her baby with, then looked away. When his gaze returned to hers, Kimberly was sure there was an extra layer of moisture in his eyes. “When this is all over, may I be an honorary uncle?”
“I would like that very much. After all, you loaned me—I mean, us—your name to protect us. You may have full uncle rights and privileges.” An if-only ran through her head, but she pushed it away.
“So I can spoil the kiddo rotten and buy too much junk food at Cubs games?”
“Definitely.” Kimberly licked her lips.
Alex’s eyes followed the movement. “Well, I am not being a good uncle now. I’ll be right back with a water bottle.”
Kimberly watched him leave. He deserved to be so much more than an uncle. She prayed the right woman would see past the quick marriage and divorce. So many women ran at the mention of the D-word assuming it meant damaged goods.
13
The next morning,Alan grumbled a goodbye but didn’t resist Alex’s bear hug. “Are you more upset about my marriage or about leaving Elle here?”
“ZoElle will be fine. There haven’t even been any credible tips at the Indianapolis airport on social media, and I suspect you won’t have any problems here for a few days. If they’d figured out the link between Kimberly and the Art House, they wouldn’t still be looking in California. They are still working on the airplane trail.” Alan sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
“You’re sure?” Alex didn’t like waiting for some unknown thug to show up.
“As sure as I can be. I’m not the FBI or law enforcement, so I have less to go on.”
“Speaking of which, Kimberly is willing to talk to Uncle Donovan officially. I need a plan to get them together.” As tired as Kimberly had been last night, he wasn’t ready to make her endure the three-hour drive to Chicago.
Alan opened the front door of his SUV. “I’ll let him know. Watch out for ZoElle.”
“Elle is ready for this. I know you still see the woman you met last year, but she had uncommon strength even then. She faced down the world only a few days later. Trust her.”
Alan shrugged. “I know she does well in the gym, but—”
The door between the garage and the kitchen opened, and Elle stuck her head out. “Kimberly’s father-in-law is on the morning show. You’d better get in here.”
Alex sprinted across the garage. “Does she know?”
“She’s watching it in her room.”
Alex jogged down the hallway. Maybe putting a TV in there last night wasn’t such a good idea. Kimberly sat in the middle of the bed, blankets piled around her. She wiped away a tear with the corner of the sheet. Alex sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms as the face of her father-in-law filled the screen.
“That is a good question, Dave. After following several tips, we believe our dear Kimberly may be suffering from a delusion that she is Leigh Benz, the popular children’s book author, or she is merely impersonating the author.”
Kimberly gasped and grabbed Alex’s shoulder.
The morning-show host commented. “Could she be Leigh Benz? We’ve tried for the last two years to get her to come on when we’ve done our holiday show as her books are always featured, but her publisher always declines. To the best of my knowledge, no one knows who Leigh Benz is.”
Mr. Thompson laughed. “My daughter-in-law just doodles. I’ve seen her studio. She thinks she is an artist, but she couldn’t sell a landscape in one of those traveling art shows.”
Kimberly stiffened. “I knew you were spying.”
