Page 148 of Say My Name

“I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost you.”

“Us,” she whispers.

“What?”

“Lost us,” she says, and then she glances down at her stomach and rests her hand there. “I’m pregnant.”

My mind overflows with thoughts and not one of them is freaking out. I’m already planning how to adjust my schedule for Little League. Or ballet. Boy or girl, I don’t care. I crash my lips to hers, and tell her with my lips and tongue how overjoyed I am at this moment. And then I rest my hands over Chloe’s belly, bringing my lips to her stomach. “Hey, little one.”

Epilogue

Chloe

“We need more lights,” Ashley says to Greer. “I think if we string lights around the back yard, it’ll give it a nice romantic glow.”

Greer tilts her head, probably envisioning the scene. “I think you’re right. You’ve got a great eye,” she says to my sister. “What do you think, Chloe?”

“I think these macaroons are divine.” I relax in my chair, my belly practically bigger than me, and scarf down another of the decadent treats my mother had catered for the baby shower.

“Sounds like approval to me,” Ashley says. She whisks Greer away to find more lights in their plethora of decorations.

“Do you need anything, Chloe?” Vin asks as he steps past me with a bunch of pink and blue balloons in his hand.

I smile. “I’m all good.” I glance around, looking for Devereaux.

He’s standing near the back door with Roman and Ledger. His whiskey-colored eyes meet mine and like always, a low and pleasant hum warms my blood. He says something to the twins and then makes his way across the patio to where I’m beached like a whale.

“Hi, beautiful,” he says, pulling up a chair to sit next to me. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m ready for this baby to come out.”

He leans over, rubbing his hand on my back. “I know. Soon.”

Not long after, once a few more lights are hung, Greer and Roman join us.

“How you doing, Mama?” Roman asks, using the nickname he’s been calling me since he found out I’m carrying Devereaux’s baby.

“Tired. But happier than I’ve ever been.”

“Are you still working or did you take your leave yet?”

I rub my stomach, hoping to ease some of the aches I have from the pressure of holding this giant baby inside my belly. “I’m working on a few small cases.”

Devereaux told me I could quit and he’d provide for me and the baby, but I love my job. I thought about all the hard work I put into becoming a detective and I just couldn’t throw it all away.

Captain Adler and Katherine enter the fray and shake Devereaux’s hand.

“Chloe, you look radiant,” Captain Adler says. “I’m really proud of you for catching Guy Adams. Never would’ve guessed that one. I can’t believe he worked for the police force for as long as he did.”

“I’m sorry about your mother,” Katherine says to Devereaux and Greer.

“Me too,” Greer says with sadness clouding her bright eyes.

Devereaux grabs my hand and squeezes tight. When he found out that Guy had murdered his mother, he didn’t know what to think. He’d spent so many years believing it was a suicide. That his mother didn’t care enough about him to stick around.

And now, his emotions are all over the place about it. He hasn’t spoken to his father, but maybe one day he’ll reach out to the man he’s blamed for so long.

“Today’s a happy day. To celebrate new life,” Devereaux says, changing the subject. “I don’t want to think about Guy or what he did to my family.”

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