ZOE STARED OUT her bedroom window at the gloomy gray sky. The forecast called for a fifty percent chance of rain.
“Perfect day for a ribbon cutting,” she muttered under her breath.
The dreary weather only added to the menacing undercurrent that had taken up residence ever since Mitch’s revelation. His memory had, for the most part, returned, in a most spectacular way. If she’d had to come up with a scenario of what happened to him, the truth would not have come close by a mile. The accident? Tragic, but people were in accidents every day. An accident because he’d witnessed something he shouldn’t have? More like a movie plot than real life.
How could this have happened? Their world turned upside down by a chance encounter that had taken place on the opposite side of the world.
She still couldn’t believe it.
“Zoe?”
She jumped at her mother’s voice, placing a shaky hand over her chest as she turned.
“Ready to go?”
Puffing out a breath, she took one last glance in the mirror to check her cream-colored blouse and navy slacks, fluffed her hair, then picked up her purse from the bed as she went out of the room. “Is Leo ready?”
“Chomping at the bit. Literally. That teething ring has seen better days.”
She stepped into her son’s room to find him in the playpen, carrying on a conversation with his stuffed lion. Indecision gripped her. Should she stay home? Keep her child safe? Canceling last minute had been an option, but after discussing the pros and cons with the police chief, they’d decided to go ahead. There was no proof danger lurked outside her door. She couldn’t stay inside forever.
“I’ll be home later this afternoon,” her mother chattered as she tidied up the room. “The art show will probably be a bust due to the threat of rain, but I promised to attend. Bob put up the booth last night so I’ll be protected.”
Protected.
Never before had reality hit her in the face as keenly.
Promised.
As the town leader, she’d always been good to her word.
Two words wholly at odds with her mission today. Couldn’t hold up one if she didn’t make good on the other.
When she talked to Mitch, he assured her they would be fine. She had to accept that, even though she wanted nothing more than to stay home, draw the curtains and keep her son safe in her arms.
“Okay, kiddo. Let’s go.”
Leo bounced around, giggling as she tried to pick him up. “Hold tight,” she said as she rested him on her hip, smoothing his flyaway hair.
“What’s gotten him all wound up today?” her mother asked.
“He knows we’re going out. That’s enough.”
Samantha swooped in for a big kiss. “Have fun, little man. Grandma will see you later.” She glanced at Zoe. “I’m not sure what’s up with you, but enjoy yourself today.”
She hadn’t told her mother about Mitch’s revelation, and apparently neither had the police chief. No point in having another worried person living in this house. “I’ll try.”
Procrastinating as long as possible, Zoe finally got Leo in the car seat and off they went. As she traversed the town, her mind stayed busy. She’d been worried about reconciling with Mitch because she was afraid he would leave, when instead he was determined to stay put and defend his life. His family. She admired the man he’d become, but how did she fight her own fears? Get through her own nightmares when he’d literally brought danger right to her?
It’s not like he did this on purpose, her inner voice argued. No, but the results were still the same. They would all be looking over their shoulders until this stranger, this man who wanted Mitch out of the way, was apprehended. She couldn’t fault Mitch for wanting to help catch the guy, but his actions reinforced all the fears she’d lived with since the bank robbery. Since the day she and her friend walked into danger, blithely thinking an adventure could never hurt them. She’d learned a hard lesson then, one that had formed who she was today.
And it had all come back courtesy of the husband she had fallen in love with again.
Pulling into the parking lot, Zoe was surprised to find a large crowd gathered in the park near the playground despite the cloud cover. Leo laughed and bounced when she settled him on her hip. She made her way through the throng, saying hello to various attendees as she headed in the direction of the blue-colored ribbon with the printed words Grand Opening in gold across the span of cloth. She found the chief waiting for her.
“Thanks for coming,” she said as Leo reached out for the older man. To her surprise, Bob didn’t scoop up Leo like he normally would. Instead, he seemed…focused. On what?
“No problem,” he replied. “I felt you needed me here.”
“Well, it is just a ribbon cutting,” she said, adding a note of humor to her voice. “We’ve done this many times.”
When he didn’t assure her his presence was no big deal, her internal alarm clanged big time. “Is there something going on I don’t know about?”
“Change of plans.” His gaze met hers. “You should talk to Mitch.”
That explained the cop face.
The ideal strategy was not to interact with Mitch until the current situation was resolved. Then they needed a serious sit-down.
Scanning the crowd, she glimpsed Mitch, dressed in a casual polo shirt and jeans, camera in hand, taking pictures. “I really don’t have time. The ceremony is starting soon.”
The chief sent her a scorching look. “Talk to him.”
* * *
LOWERING THE CAMERA, Mitch’s gaze swept the crowd. No one suspicious. Still, he remained on guard, especially when he saw Zoe head his way, Leo on her hip.
She wasn’t happy. He could read it in her body language from twenty feet away.
“The chief said you needed to speak to me,” she said, coming to a stop before him.
He swallowed. This wasn’t going to be easy.
“The Major’s people in Miami lost sight of Duncan. Early this morning, he was spotted in Tampa.”
Her mouth gaped. “You think he’s coming here? Today?”
Mitch nodded. “He must have realized his game is up and wants to take care of loose ends.”
“Meaning you?”
“Most likely.”
He watched her control her composure. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“I only found out a little while ago. By that time, it was too late to cancel the ceremony. It was last minute, we couldn’t figure out how to get the word spread in time. The chief is going to be stationed by you, so cut the ribbon, make the speech and leave. He also came up with a plan to divert the crowd, so play along.”
She glanced down at Leo. “I… What…”
“Max and Lilli are going to take Leo. Just a couple of friends holding the baby while you make your speech. While you’re busy, they’re going to move to the police station for safety.”
She tightened her hold on their son. “And you?”
“The Major has his men surrounding the park. I’ll be fine.” He kissed Leo’s head and touched her hand with his. “Go,” he said, his voice low and intense.
Setting her nerves on edge.
* * *
RETURNING TO THE area set up for the ceremony, Zoe had to force herself to get a handle on her emotions. They were using her ceremony to catch a bad guy? What surreal world had she woken up to this morning?
Max and Lilli waited for her, Max carrying on a low conversation with the chief. Lilli’s face was solemn when Zoe joined them.
“Are you okay with this?” her friend asked.
“Like I have much choice?”
“But you do. You can choose to take Leo and walk away.” Lilli patted her shoulder. “No one would blame you.”
“Except the people who are trying to catch this guy.”
“It’s up to you.”
Zoe bit her lower lip. She was no hero. She was a mom and the mayor, faced with a tough decision. Stay or go?
Yet she couldn’t make herself leave.
She scanned the crowd, folks she’d known all her life, talking, laughing, waiting to hear what she had to say. Townspeople who had voted for her, stood beside her in her darkest days. Would they turn and run if presented with the same dilemma? No. They’d rally together. She was sure of it.
Despite her misgivings, despite being sure she was foolish for sticking around, she had her answer. She’d stay and fight.
Turning to her friends, she reluctantly handed Leo off to Max.
“He’ll be fine,” Max assured her in his steady voice, even though passing her son to him was like ripping her heart out. She knew it was for the best, just like she knew this elaborate ruse to catch Duncan was going to make her family safe in the long run. As long as things went as planned.
“We have your back, Zoe,” Lilli said, a big smile planted on her face for show; Zoe could read the nervousness in her posture.
If her friends would willingly get involved, risk themselves to help her family, she could hold up her end.
She blinked back tears as Max stepped away with Leo and Lilli and the chief took his place beside her, speaking in her ear. “Just as a precaution, I have all my officers dressed in civilian clothes stationed around the playground. When I learned about the possibility of a problem here this morning, I called the owners of Swindler’s Ice Cream. They offered to hand out free ice cream as a way to draw the folks away from here. As soon as you’re finished speaking, tell the crowd to go to the far end of the park and I’ll have my team redirect anyone who might want to linger around the play area.”
“But what if they don’t want ice cream?”
“Nealy is on the other side of the park, as well. Tell people in order to keep confusion to a minimum, they need a ticket to get on the playground. Nealy will stall them.”
“You act like you know for sure this guy is in town.”
“I don’t, but we can’t be too careful.”
“Thanks, Chief. I’m glad you’re on our side.”
He nodded, then spoke in his lapel mic in a low voice.
Taking a breath, Zoe then greeted the crowd, flourishing the scissors to get their attention. All while her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest.
“Today we celebrate another milestone for the town,” she said, her voice shaky at first, then picking up strength. “The thing I love about Cypress Pointe is how we come together. Like a great big family. That’s why I ran for mayor, to make my town a safe and productive place to live.”
She nodded over her shoulder at the new playground equipment behind her. “You all rallied together, holding fund-raisers and taking up collections, to make a beautiful place for the future generation to play and be kids for the short time before they grow up. We did that. You and me.” She held up the ceremonial ribbon cutting scissors. “Here’s to Cypress Pointe.”
The crowd clapped and cheered as the cloth fluttered to the ground.
“Now, before we christen the playground, I want everyone to go to the far end of the park. We’re giving away free ice cream before the park officially opens. Nealy is handing out tickets so we won’t have major confusion once we move back to the play area.”
At the mention of ice cream, the crowd was more than willing to trade swings and slides in order to fill their bellies first. Children, with their moms and dads right behind them, hurried to the tables set up in the distance. At this rate, it would take Zoe a few minutes to get to the police station. Townsfolk stopped her, thanking her for her dedication to the town, when all she could think about was gathering Leo in her arms and racing off, until she remembered her vow to fight. Still, no one was keeping her from getting to her son.
As she began to cross the grassy section of the park, mostly cleared out as the crowd had moved away from the playground, she noticed a man by himself, loitering near an empty bench. He was tall, with a ball cap pulled low over his eyes and polarized sunglasses hiding his eyes—odd, since the clouds obscured any sunshine. He glanced her way and Zoe froze, noticing the edge of a scar on his cheek.
Duncan? He sure looked like the man in the picture Mitch had shown her.
When she followed the path of his gaze, her stomach dropped. It led directly to her husband, who was walking in the opposite direction away from the children and their parents.
Digging her cell phone from her pocket, she dialed Mitch. No response. Drat. Why wasn’t he answering?
Uncertainty rooted her to the spot. She searched for the chief, but he was preoccupied and too far way to be waved down.
She’d just made the decision to follow the plan and retrieve Leo when Duncan moved. Walking at a determined pace, his shoulders stiff, he turned his head left and right to check out his surroundings, and alerted Zoe that he was up to no good.
Suddenly, a thought went through her brain. Mitch is the bait. No wonder he’d agreed to stay in full sight. He wanted Duncan to come after him. His family was in danger and he’d found a way to save them.
Oh, Mitch.
Her chest tightened. He was doing this, knowing full well how much Zoe worked to keep away any threat of danger. This had nothing to do with risky behavior. Nothing to do with adrenaline or the thrill of getting a story. No. This was a man putting his life on the line for those he loved. Right at this moment, scared as she was, she couldn’t have loved Mitch more than she already did.
Never mind the plan, now it was time to do her part.
With determination, she power walked toward Mitch. He dropped his camera into the gear bag and walked farther away from the crowd. She heard the chief call her name but ignored him, instead heading toward her husband, straight into danger. Closer now, she saw Duncan approach Mitch, pull an object from his pocket and aim it at her husband.
Bright dots flashed before her eyes. She stopped dead in her tracks.
In her memory, a gunshot rang out. The scar on her inner arm ached just as it had the day a bullet ripped through her flesh. She thought she might be sick. Did she really think she could make a difference?
The haze of the past cleared and second thoughts about intervening made her hesitate, until she noticed Mitch look her way. His eyes widened, causing Duncan to look around. She had her opening.
“Mitch,” she called out, waving in his direction.
Duncan’s focus remained on her. Mitch took that split-second opportunity and lunged at the man ready to harm him in order to save his own skin. Mitch’s momentum caught the other man by surprise and they ended up toppling to the ground.
Barely able to breathe, Zoe ran their way. Before she could reach Mitch, a swarm of undercover cops surrounded them, yelling for the gun to be dropped. Duncan fought, but soon armed men pulled Mitch off him as they took possession of the weapon and dragged Duncan away.
It happened so quickly, Zoe marveled that she hadn’t missed the entire takedown. But she had seen it. And her husband now stood, gazing at her.
Zoe ran to Mitch, throwing her arms around his neck. He hugged her back as she tried to slow her racing pulse and brush aside the residual fear. “We’re safe,” she kept repeating to herself.
Mitch pulled back to gaze down at her face. His jaw tightened imperceptibly.
“You did this on purpose,” she accused.
A brief shadow covered his eyes. “I had to,” he said, his voice raw.
“You could have left town. Taken the danger to parts unknown.”
“I could have. But this seemed a more expedient way to take care of the problem.”
“Mitch, I… It doesn’t seem enough but, thank you.”
“You have to know I’d do anything for you, Zoe.”
He’d proven it, in spades.
“Once I tell the authorities everything I know, I’ll be back, Zoe. Then you need to make your decision about us, once and for all.”
He walked away, meeting the Major and falling into a heated discussion.
Your decision.
She’d thought she’d made it when she’d torn up the divorce papers. When she’d lost the fight to keep from loving Mitch again. When she was forced to face her own past and decide which was more important: overcoming fear or running away.
A tear trickled down her cheek. Did she know anything at all?
* * *
MITCH PRESSED THE DOORBELL, forcing down the nerves playing havoc in his stomach. Smoothed his button-down shirt and straightened the box he was holding. Ignored his shaky hands.
Zoe would give him her decision today. Either they were going to live together like a family or he’d leave, because the pain of losing her and being separated from Leo would be too much.
The door flew open. Zoe’s brows rose.
“Sorry I didn’t call first.”
She ran a hand over her tousled hair, looking gorgeous in a T-shirt, shorts and bare feet. “Actually, I’ve been expecting you.”
He held out the wrapped box. “For you.”
Her lips pursed. Moments passed before she reached out. “What’s this?”
“Open it.”
A giggle came from just inside the door, then his son crawled into view.
“Come in,” Zoe invited.
Mitch entered, picking up Leo as he went. The baby laughed and hugged him tight.
Zoe perched on the armrest of the couch, her fingers running over the paper.
“It’s something I made for you.”
Curiosity in her eyes, she tore at the paper, opened the box. Inside, nestled in sparkly tissue paper, sat a book, the words Our Wedding Album in cursive script across the front. Lifting the album, the box slipped from her lap to the floor. Mitch set Leo down and he scampered right to his new toy.
He watched as Zoe opened the first page. Knew the inscription from memory: To my wife. I’ll always love you, Zoe.
She flipped one page, then the next and the next, each a memorial to their life together; featuring pictures from when they were teens, their wedding day, to more recent shots including Leo.
“When did you do all this?” she asked, looking up from the last page.
“I’ve been working on it for a while at the studio. Wanted to give it to you when I asked you to renew our vows.”
Her eyes went wide. “Renew our vows?”
“Either way, whatever your decision is,” he said, “I wanted you to have it.”
She clutched the album to her chest. “Oh, Mitch.”
“Look, I get it. What happened at the ribbon-cutting ceremony must have crossed a line for you. There’s no coming back from that.”
“But there is.” Leo tugged at her ankle. She laid the album on the cushion and leaned down to pick up their son. “I’ve spent too many sleepless nights, spent too many endless hours thinking, and I’ve come to this conclusion.” Her eyes watered. “You had no control over events in Jordan or at the park. I haven’t made life easy for you since you came home, shoot, even before then. I let my unresolved fears color my reactions. I know you’d never ever do anything to intentionally put us in harm’s way.”
“But I did and I take responsibility for it all.”
She met his gaze, eyes shimmering. “I love you, Mitch. Always have, always will. You’re my husband and the father of our son and deserve more than I’ve given you.”
He took a step back. Afraid there was a “but” coming. Could almost see the invisible wall forming between them. Knew the last brick had fallen into place when Zoe stayed glued to the couch instead of walking into his embrace.
“Dada,” Leo giggled, his arms outstretched.
Unsure, he stayed put until Zoe made her intentions clear.
“You can’t leave. Leo needs you.” She stood. “I need you.”
Relief, swift and hard, overtook him. “Are you sure?”
She sent him a beaming smile. “Never been so sure in my life. You stood in harm’s way to protect us. I could have run but instead intervened when you were almost shot. In a weird way, what happened in the park put things into a new perspective for me. Made me see I can’t insulate our world. Bad things happen in life, but so do beautiful things. We worked together, Mitch. In a way that counted the most.”
Her sentiment touched him, but she hadn’t said if they were going to stay together. He needed to hear the words. “What is your answer, Zoe?”
She paused. Grinned. “I want more than anything for us to be a family. Maybe you need to temper some of your fearlessness and I need to work on being brave, but we’ll figure the rest out as we go. For now, I’ll be happy to watch the two men I love most discover the world around them while I tag along.”
He crossed the room in two long strides, hugging Zoe and Leo tightly until Leo squawked. He pulled back and met her gaze.
“You’re really sure?”
“Yes.”
He kissed her hard and felt her love seep down to his toes. When Leo fussed again, Mitch loosened his hold, but his arms remained circled around his family.
“Coming back to you, finding out about Leo, I learned that I didn’t need to run around the world for excitement or meaning. Raising Leo with you, right here in Cypress Pointe, will be all the adventure I need.”
She smoothed the hair on Leo’s head. “And when you do need to go off to exotic locales for a job, we’ll be right by your side.”
Mitch kissed her again, love and gratitude welling inside him. Being at home would surpass traveling alone. On that dusty road back in Jordan, he’d had his eureka moment; he’d wanted a family all along, never dreaming how much until he’d almost lost them.
When he finally broke the kiss, Zoe said, “There’s one thing that bugs me, though.”
Mitch tilted his head, his expression in check as he waited.
“I can’t believe Leo called you Dada first. He’s never said Mama.”
Barking out a laugh, Mitch hugged her again. “He will,” came his positive reply. “There’s plenty of room in the Simmons family, and in that photo album, to treasure all the memories we’re going to share. Together.”