Page 13 (1/2)
CHAPTER ONE
THOMAS
I SAT ON THE SMALL, cold loveseat in Liis’s hospital room The brown and blue color-blocked walls and minimalist décor reminded me more of an Aloft hotel than a maternity ward My future wife looked cozy and beautiful, holding Stella’s tiny, curled body against her chest in the sahter For the first tied, and I blew out a long puff of air Little to no sleep had never botheredsuffer sohad taken its toll
Liis was visibly exhausted I could see the purple half-h she was theto take Stella and waiting for her to request it
Stella was sleeping in hereach other was both co Stella was a new life that we’d created, a perfect coers Now, she would have her own thoughts, feelings, and—because she’s our daughter—strong opinions I wondered about her entire life as she lay sleepily suckling at Liis’s breast
Finally, an
As if she knew, Stella stopped nursing, and her head fell back, her mouth open Liis smiled and carefully positioned the baby onto her shoulder
“I can do it,” I said
Liis s after every third tap or so Stella’s body jerked as an almost inaudible burp broke the silence of the dark hospital room
My shoulders fell Liis sh, and then touched her lips to the dark, soft wisps of hair on Stella’s head
“You’ve got to give her up sohter for just a few short ht, measurements, and footprints After that, they returned her to Liis for another half-hour before whisking her away for her first bath
“It’ll get easier, right? To share?” Liis asked, only half kidding
“I hope not,” I said with a tired grin “I realize you just got her back, but I can change her and rock her back to sleep”
Liis thought about otiator
I stood up again, walking across the roohter to her clear bassinet, Liis’s breathing evened out Even her FBI personnel file had stated she’d always had a knack for grabbing shut-eye when she could, especially just a few hours before a raid Her head fell to the side She had sunk into oblivion just seconds after she’d finally agreed to let me take over
Liis was most comfortable when in control, but as hard as she resisted, I knew she trusted me I was the only one she would trust with her heart, especially now that it was living outside of her body in the for who’d just completed our faet her to agree to even consider a proposal Liis had been happily married to the Bureau, and until she learned Stella was on the way, she wasn’t open to infidelity