Page 39 of A Moment Never Forgotten
“But, I can’t—” she started to protest.
He cut her off. “Yes, you can, and you will. I have a very nice guestroom that nobody ever stays in unless Austin is here for a few days. Target is on the way and it’s open twenty-four hours. We’ll stop there and get anything the two of you need to make it through the night.”
Micah turned to Mak. “I’ll talk to Commander Hubbard in the morning and explain the situation. I want you to figure out how to get an emergency paternity test. We need to get this little girl into the system and designated as a military dependent. Once you’ve got that handled, stop by the base daycare and get her registered.”
“Where’s her car seat?” Berit asked.
“I was going to pick one up this weekend.” Mak had the decency to look sheepish. “We’d planned on doing all the major shopping on Saturday.”
“We can get one at Target.” Micah glanced at the baby. “You’ll have to hold her until we can get there.”
“I’ve got her.” Berit had found two baby blankets and pulled the throw from the back of the couch, bundling up Kenzi.
“I’m going to go start the car and get it warmed up.” He looked between mother and son. “I’ll wait for you there.”
Micah didn’t know how long it would take for Berit to say goodbye to her son, but he waited inside the car that got warmer every minute.
He liked the idea of having Berit at his home. Caring for an infant who probably awoke every four hours was not what he had in mind when the picture of her standing in her bedroom in nothing but a bra and panties refused to leave his brain. He wanted to taste her everywhere. Kiss every square inch of her body. Slide into her moist heat and take them both to a much-needed ecstasy. Then do it all again.
Light flashed as the front door opened. Micah jumped out of the car and ran to the passenger side, opening the door and closing it quickly when Berit and the baby slid onto the seat, preserving as much heat as possible.
When he closed his door and reached for the gearshift, Berit put her hand over his.
“Thank you. For everything tonight. No, today.” Berit closed her eyes. When she reopened them, she held his gaze. “I never expected this.” She nodded toward the baby. “It’s too much for you to put us both up for the night.”
He rolled his hand over and intertwined their fingers. “If I didn’t want you in my home, I wouldn’t have invited you.” He gave her the grin that any other time would have guaranteed him a bed partner for the night. “Besides, I’ve already seen you nearly naked. I’m hoping for a repeat…and maybe more.”
Chapter Fourteen
Berit sat in an antique rocking chair, her new granddaughter nodding off with a full belly. From the moment she took Kenzi into her arms, it was instant love. She looked a lot like Mak at that age, right down to the eyes that matched her own.
Micah had been wonderful, but he wasn’t a shopper. She’d been so distracted by the adorable clothes for little girls that it had been easier to send him off to select a portable crib and the car seat.
She hid her grin when he explained his decisions based on national testing, reviews, and the advice of a mother making a mad dash in the middle of the night for diapers. But when he came back with the baby swing, claiming it had been a Godsend with Austin, her heart melted for the man. He might’ve been a bachelor all his life, but he knew a little bit about babies.
As they checked out of the store, they’d filled three carts. The night manager had been so accommodating, storing the larger items for an hour while Micah took her to his home and returned with his SUV.
She watched him now, as he double-checked every joint in the portable crib that could also be used as a playpen. Micah Reid was a very special man. After reading his file, she was completely aware of what he was capable of doing to an enemy, but nowhere did it mention the man in front of her who was overly concerned for a baby who wasn’t his own.
He was working his way into her heart, without even knowing it.
Damn it. She couldn’t allow that to happen. He was a mission. But it was too late. She was already falling in love with him. He was such a good man and she’d known so few of them in her life.
They needed to have a conversation about the Syrian mission. There were secrets there. But did Micah have any or was he just on the perimeter as spotter for Logan?
Secrets.
Fuck. She had a big one. Watching the wonderful man on his knees securing a safe place for her granddaughter, she wondered, worried what would happen when he discovered that she was ordered to spy on him and his friends.
A buzzer went off, bringing her out of her dismal thoughts.
“Perfect timing.” He turned and looked at her, his eyes dropping to the baby. “Let me go get those clean sheets and blankets and we’ll get Miss Kenzi into her brand-new bed.”
As he passed her, he ran his hand all the way across her shoulders. “How about a glass of wine once we get her down?”
“I would love a glass of hardy red, if you have one, but beggars can’t be choosy. At this point, I’ll drink almost anything alcohol. It’s been one hell of a day.” She gave him a smile as he left the guest bedroom.
“Testing to see if this thing works.” His voice came over the baby video monitor just before his face appeared in the small square on the base unit that sat on the nightstand. He’d insisted on buying the expensive communication unit, claiming it as a baby gift for Mak.
