A haze swirled in Tabitha’s head. Doug had stood beside her during her sonogram and held her hand. The same hand that now warmed the small of her back as they meandered down the hospital hallway to Michael Lane’s room. She itched to pull the picture of her baby from her purse and stare at it. According to the doctor, her baby girl was healthy. And if her daughter’s somersaults were any indication, she was quite happy in her current home.
Doug whispered into her ear. “Thank you.”
Her forward motion stopped. She blinked, struggling to connect the dots. “For what?”
He shifted to face her and cupped her cheek with his palm. “For letting me come with you to your appointment.”
Without thinking, she leaned into his touch. “I hope it wasn’t too hard for you.”
A silent moment lingered between them. He cleared his throat. “I can’t say that my heart didn’t hurt for my son, but when your little girl filled the screen, and you smiled... I realized God gave me a gift. Two, in fact. You and your baby. And I intend to enjoy it and not let the past dictate my happiness.”
Staring into his brown eyes, she saw a myriad of emotions. She’d suffered from a cruelty that no one should experience, but his life had held an agony of a different kind. “It’s okay to grieve—to remember. I won’t hold that against you.”
Relief flashed through his gaze and vanished. “And I’m sure I will. Especially now that Wade is behind bars and I have closure in my wife and baby’s death. But I refuse to let it control me. You deserve more.” He kissed the top of her head. “Come on. Michael’s up and around. Doc says he’ll discharge him tomorrow.” Doug laced his fingers with hers, and they continued down the hall.
Michael Lane had changed her life. She owed him everything. Including the relationship she had with Doug. If Michael hadn’t told her to trust him...nope, she refused to go there. No more second-guessing herself. Well, not as often, anyway.
Standing outside the hospital room door, Doug slid his hand up her back to her shoulder. “Are you ready?”
She nodded. “Knock-knock.” Tabitha poked her head inside Michael’s hospital room. “May we come in?”
“Tabitha. Doug. Yes, please.” Michael scooted to an upright position. The bruising on his face had faded to a lovely yellow green. “It’s good to see you both.”
She hurried to his side and gave him a hug. When she pulled back, their gazes locked. “I can’t thank you enough for saving my life in more ways than one.”
The man blinked, opened his mouth, and closed it.
Tabitha laughed. “I never thought I’d witness that.”
Michael scrunched his forehead. “What?”
“You at a loss for words.”
The agent rolled his eyes. “Very funny.”
Doug joined her at Michael’s bedside and shook the man’s hand. “Looking better, my friend.”
“Feeling better too.” Michael clapped his other hand on top of their linked ones. “I appreciate you stepping in and helping Tabitha.”
Doug wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close. “Trust me, it wasn’t a hardship.”
“Oh, I see how it is.” Michael chuckled. “Do I get credit for playing matchmaker?”
“Whatever makes you feel better,” Doug teased.
Michael turned serious. “Sheriff Monroe came by and updated me. I’m happy to hear that Tommy Wade is behind bars, but I’m sorry I was out of it and couldn’t warn you about his attorney Danielle Thompson. I figured out that piece right before someone tried to blow me up.”
“I’m glad they didn’t succeed.” Doug caressed her arm as he spoke to Michael. “By the way, your little tip to Beth about a leak at your office helped plug that hole. Your boss never would have investigated your department without it.”
“Yeah? Did they figure out who was tipping off Wade?”
Doug nodded. “Avery.”
“The new guy?”
“Apparently, one of the bigwigs planted him on your task force for the very reason of keeping Wade out of jail. Now that we have threads to pull, the entire organization is unraveling as we speak.”
Michael’s attention shifted to her. “What about you, Tabitha? Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. We’re all alive, and that’s what counts.” Tabitha refused to let either man wallow in guilt. “To answer the question that you are tiptoeing around, the baby is good.”
Michael’s shoulders relaxed. “I’m glad.”
“Me too.” She swiped at the tears pooling on her lashes. Stupid hormones.
Doug tugged her and pressed his lips to her hair. When his cell phone buzzed, he released her and pulled it from his pocket. “Olsen...sure, give me a minute.” He returned his attention to her. “I have to take this, but I won’t be far.”
“Go, do what you have to do. Michael and I have some catching up.” She patted his arm.
He feathered a kiss on her cheek and strode out of the room.
“So, what’s going on between you and my Army buddy?” Michael’s cheesy grin made her laugh.
“I know it sounds ridiculous, but I love him. And he says he loves me.” She continued to worry that her happiness would vanish, but she’d chosen to trust God with her future.
“I have never known that man to say something that isn’t true. In fact, during our time together overseas, he tended to be brutally honest.”
A smile bloomed on her lips. “He went with me to my sonogram appointment today.”
“He did, huh? How’s the baby doing?” Tabitha hadn’t missed the smirk on his face.
“She’s fine.” Doubt found a crack in Tabitha’s new self-confidence and wiggled in. She shifted her gaze to the floor. “Michael, am I making another mistake?”
“With Doug?”
She nodded.
“Tabitha, look at me.”
She lifted her gaze.
“Don’t second-guess what you and Doug have. Sometimes it takes people months or years to figure it out, and sometimes they just know. If I had any doubts about that man, I’d speak up. But there’s one thing that I’m certain of.”
She nibbled on her thumbnail. “What’s that?”
“Your heart is safe with him.”
“You really think so?” Tabitha knew the answer, but she needed the confirmation.
“I know so.”
She closed her eyes. “Thank you.” Hearing it from Michael eased any lingering reservations.
“Anytime.” Michael rested back against his pillow. “Now that we have that settled, tell me what’s happened since they arrested Wade.”
Tabitha scooted the chair next to his bed and lowered onto the cushion. “Once the chaos died down and the sheriff’s department deemed it safe, I moved back into my rental. I have another month on the lease you paid for to figure things out. I still have my job at the diner, so I’ll have an income. Not much, but some. After that, I’m not sure.” She shrugged. “I want to stay in Valley Springs. The people here are amazing. But beyond that, I don’t know.”
“That’s a start.” Michael retrieved the cup and straw from the roller table over his bed and took a sip. “I’ll help any way I can. If you need another month or two of rent, I’ll take care of it.”
She swallowed the emotion threatening to bubble out. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“That’s easy. Have a wonderful life with Doug.” The grin on Michael’s face made her laugh.
The door swung open. Doug’s laidback demeanor had shifted to all business.
One look and her heart thundered. Her fingers dug into the arms of the chair. “What happened?”
His long strides ate up the distance, and he knelt beside her. He took her hand in his. “Wade is dead.”
A whimper fell from her lips. Her nightmare was gone. Black spots danced on the edge of her vision.
“Breathe, honey.” He tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. She inhaled, pushing the darkness away.
“How?”
Doug’s gaze connected with Michael’s then shifted to her. “A gang member took him out. From what Brentwood PD has pieced together so far, Wade killed the guy’s brother. It was retribution, plain and simple.”
“He’ll never hurt me again?” She clasped her shaking hands together in her lap.
Doug’s thumb caressed her cheek. “Never.”
She stared at him, waiting for the punchline to a bad joke. Was it really true? “And my baby will be free?”
“Beth, Tommy Wade is gone. You can live without fear of him.”
She struggled to wrap her mind around his words.
“What about Danielle?” Michael asked.
“That’s another story. But I don’t see her escaping the charges against her. Besides, she was only a threat to Beth while Wade was alive.”
Tears poured over Tabitha’s lashes. She buried her face in Doug’s chest and sobbed.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her shaking body. “Shh...you’re safe now.” He squeezed her tight. “I’ve got you, honey. And I don’t plan to ever let go.”
For the first time in her life, Tabitha experienced freedom. No more being used by others, just the feeling of love.
Doug handed Beth a glass of iced tea and joined her on the couch. After promising to stay in touch on a more regular basis with Michael, he and Beth had come to his house to rest. At least, that was his excuse. He wanted time with her, and to be honest, he needed a moment to process what he’d experienced at her sonogram appointment.
A baby girl. Between the little limbs and heartbeat, he’d struggled to not become a blubbering mess. He smiled at the memory. “Now that Wade is gone, what would you like to do?”
“Funny, Michael asked me the same question.” She sipped the tea and placed it on the end table before shifting to face him. “I know I want to stay in Valley Springs. You see, there’s a certain detective that I’m a bit fond of.”
“You don’t say.” He grinned like a fool at the declaration.
“Yeah, he’s kinda awesome.” Her eyes dropped to her lap, and pink infused her cheeks.
He loved her bashfulness. She’d come such a long way in a short time. On occasion, she’d flinch, or the ingrained submissiveness would rear its ugly head, but her confidence had flourished. His butterfly had spread her wings, and any day now, he’d see her soar.
Beth tucked her leg under her. “Beyond that, I have no idea. I really do like working at the café. Maybe I’ll keep that job. It doesn’t pay much, but I’ve lived on a lot less before.”
“If you could choose anything in the world, what would it be?” He clasped her hand in his. “Dream big.”
She nibbled on her lower lip. Her forehead scrunched. “Anything?”
“Yup.”
“You’ll think it’s stupid.” And there was that subservient mindset again.
“Never.”
“I know I’m supposed to want a career.” Her fingers splayed on her belly. “But more than anything, I want to stay home and care for my baby.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Doug placed his hand over hers. “I think it’s a great idea.”
She shook her head. “I can’t for multiple reasons.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“Talk to me.”
“For starters, I have to provide for us. Plus, I can never let anyone have that much control over my life again.”
Doug thought about the future. One that included her. But he understood her fear and would never ask her to be that vulnerable again. It hurt knowing where the need came from, but he was man enough to swallow his pride and support her in whatever made her feel secure.
The air conditioner kicked on. The whoosh of air through the vents broke the silence. “What if you could have both?”
Her eyes snapped to his. “What do you mean?”
He took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “We’ve lived through a lot over the past several weeks. I feel a connection with you I haven’t felt since Christine. You’re the piece of my life I’ve been missing, and I don’t want to ignore what God has given me—you.”
“Doug?” Her green eyes widened.
He stuffed his trembling fingers into his pocket and retrieved the small velvet pouch. If she said no, he’d ask again and again until she said yes. He’d visited Miss Judith a few days ago. She’d set him straight and erased all his worries about proposing. Then she’d shocked him by giving him her original wedding set. The woman told him, I’d be honored if you gave her my ring. An heirloom of sorts. That girl deserves roots. Something she’s never had before.
He pulled the antique-looking princess-cut diamond from the protective pouch, slipped to the floor, and got down on one knee. “Beth, I realize how sudden this might be, but I know what I want, and I’m not going to wait because of others’ opinions. I want to show you what real love is. I want to be the man you turn to in good and bad. I want to raise that baby girl of yours together and call her mine. And just maybe give her a brother or sister or two.” He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering courage. “Miss Judith gave me her ring to give to you so you’d have the depth of a family. She wants you to have it, and so do I. Beth, will you marry me and make me whole again?”
Streams of tears streaked down her face. “Are you sure? I come with a lot of baggage. I might not ever fully recover from my past.”
“I’ve never been so certain in my life. And honey, we’ll face the future together, no matter what it holds.”
“Then, yes, I’d be honored to be your wife.” Her arms flew around his neck, and she planted the most delicious kiss on his lips.
He slipped the ring on her shaky finger.
She lifted her left hand and smiled. “It’s perfect. And so are you.”
Doug’s life had come full circle. He’d lost his wife and unborn son. And through the grace of God had a second chance with Beth and a baby girl he vowed to love and protect.