Page 70 of Deny Me
King nodded. “We’ll be right here. No one is getting through us to get to her. Don’t worry about anything but Becky and her daughter.”
A daughter. Despite the ache that always struck her at the thought of a new baby, Charlotte felt excitement spark inside her as well. Becky was having her daughter tonight. And Charlotte would be there to see it. She went on tiptoe and gave King a hasty kiss before turning away. “Be back soon.”
Chapter Thirty-One
“Sophia Charlotte Jones.”
Charlotte’s heart clenched at the name Becky gave the nurse for her daughter’s birth certificate. “Becky, are you sure?”
Her friend lifted an eyebrow. “About my daughter’s name? Absolutely.”
Tears gathered in her eyes. “It’s a beautiful name, Sophia.” But it was only part of the reason she was crying.
“So is Charlotte,” Becky said, rocking her sleeping daughter against her chest. “She’s named for a strong, sweet woman who made certain she came safely into this world. Without you…” Becky shook her head, and her eyes grew suspiciously wet too. “I’m not sure either one of us would have made it.”
Charlotte gave Becky a gentle sideways hug, careful not to squeeze the baby. “You would have—you’re far stronger than me. So is this little one,” she said.
“Why don’t we take Baby Sophia to the nursery?” the nurse asked, gathering the paperwork she’d completed. “You can have a little nap before her next feeding, Mama.”
Becky’s smile drooped at the edges. “I love hearing people call me that.” Reluctantly she lifted Sophia into Charlotte’s arms, letting her cuddle the baby long enough to get her to the bassinet. “It feels weird not to have her with me.”
“She’ll be perfectly safe in the nursery,” Charlotte reassured her. “The team is stationed throughout the floor, and Elliot will be right outside the nursery at all times to make sure no one gets in without authorization.”
“Not that we don’t already make sure of it,” the nurse pointed out.
“Doubling up on security never hurts.” Charlotte brushed the pink hat keeping Sophia’s tiny head warm with gentle fingers.
“True.” The nurse took hold of the handle at one end of the bassinet. “Get some sleep while you can, young lady.”
Becky’s lids were already getting low. Her labor hadn’t been long, but it hadn’t been short either. Three hours at home, four more at the hospital. Little Sophia had arrived just in time for breakfast after keeping her mom up all night. Becky watched them through half-open eyes, a smile on her face, as they took Sophia through the door.
King waited in the corridor outside. Becky’s room was situated halfway down the hall, as close as they’d been able to get her to the nursery with the other rooms already occupied. The elevators were at the end, square in the middle of the floor. To the left of them was a corridor leading to more rooms, and to the right was a hall leading to the nurses’ station and the nursery just beyond.
“Everything all right?” King asked. No matter how tired she was, Charlotte still felt a thrill just at the sight of him. Stubble covered his chin and cheeks where he hadn’t been able to shave this morning, giving him a rough edge that went with the tight tee and fatigues he wore. When his eyes lit and a smug smile curved his mouth, she knew he’d noticed her reaction.
“Everything’s fine,” the nurse said. “Just taking Sophia down for a nap.”
“Sophia, huh?” King’s grin widened. “I like it.” He leaned over the bassinet, eyeing the sleeping baby. “It fits.”
The cell in his pocket rang, a short, sharp couple of chirps that startled Sophia. King stepped back from the baby quickly. “Let me grab that.”
The nurse was already pushing the bassinet down the hall. With a quick glance at King, Charlotte followed her, hurrying until she was right beside the baby.
“He’s really something, isn’t he?” the nurse asked. “Is he attached?”
Charlotte turned to see the woman fanning her pink face, and couldn’t resist a chuckle. “He is something, isn’t he?” After all, she’d just been having the same reaction. “And he is definitely attached.” She leaned over conspiratorially. “But the hunk stationed with him is free.”
“The one with the Mohawk?”
“The other one.”
“Oh…Hispanic hottie?” A visible shiver hit her. “He’s definitely a sight. Where do they get all these good-looking men?”
Charlotte laughed, nodded her agreement. “I have no idea, but if there’s a formula, they could make a mint as a dating service, couldn’t they?”
They were coming up on the elevator, and she heard the bell signaling its arrival as they drew closer. The doors began to swing open, and for a moment she couldn’t believe what she was seeing as a man stepped off. A man she recognized. A man who shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t know they were here.
What the hell?
