Page 74 of His Captor

It was the wildest thing, but I trusted him. Mace trusted him, too, I could feel it. If my alpha trusted this other alpha, then everything would be alright.

The next few minutes were a blur. I could feel the energy of the startled hotel lobby, I vaguely sensed Det. Shirley and maybe some paramedics rushing into the room. But mostly, I felt the intense focus of my alpha as my body tried to tear itself open so that Junior could come into the world.

And then he was there. A wailing cry rent the air that was louder than my own cry. I felt the gush of was must have been half my insides coming out. Mace cried out with surprise and delight, and started weeping right along with me.

A minute or so later, I really don’t know how, I was sitting in the safe circle of Mace’s arms and legs on the lobby floor, a beautiful, wrinkly, startled baby in my arms. Off to the side, Simon and Mr. Harvey were cleaning up the floor. A pair of paramedics hovered over me—one of them must have cut the umbilical cord—and the audience we’d had for the whole thing was applauding and cooing.

It was weird, to say the least.

“When you’re ready, Mr. Kipling, we’ll move you all to the ambulance and take you to the hospital to make sure everyone is okay,” one of the paramedics said.

I nodded a breathless, “Okay,” but really, all I wanted to do was stare at my baby.

My baby. My and Mace’s baby. He was so amazingly perfect. Someone brought a hotel blanket and wrapped it around all three of us, since we were smushed so close together. I moved the top aside so I could continue to just look at Junior.

“Oh my God, Mace, just look at him,” I wept.

“I know,” Mace said, more emotion in his voice than I’d ever heard. “What an angel.”

I laughed. “Little devil is more like it. Do you have any idea what you did to Papa’s insides?” I asked him.

I sucked in a breath as it hit me. Papa. I was a papa now. This tiny, squirming baby in my arms was mine, my son, and I was now responsible for him.

The prospect was terrifying, but at least I wasn’t alone.

“Hey, Junior. Have you met this guy?” I angled him so he could see Mace, even though I couldn’t remember if babies could really see that far right after being born. “This is your daddy. He’s going to be the best daddy ever.”

“Hey, little guy,” Mace said in the sweetest, sappiest voice. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to let him name you Junior.”

I laughed. I laughed so much. I was so filled with joy and relief and amazement that the only thing I could do was laugh.

“What are you going to call him, then?” Simon asked. He’d evidently finished helping with the clean-up and came to crouch beside us.

“Oh, hey, this is your Uncle Simon,” I told Junior, shifting so Simon could get a better look. A second later, I blinked and asked, “Wait, what are you doing here?”

Simon turned grave. “I raced to get here as soon as our call got cut off,” he said. “Dad and Papa are here, too, but I think they’re talking to the police right now.”

“The police?” Everything was confusing to me just then. I was exhausted and overstimulated, but really the only thing in the entire universe that I wanted to pay attention to was Junior. Well, him and Mace.

“I’ll explain later,” Mace said.

“That’s the second time you’ve told me that,” I said, sighing a little.

Really, I was too tired to care. And I was ready to get off the floor of the Grand Hotel’s lobby and on to a nice, clean, warm hospital bed.

Things moved fast as soon as I told Mace I was ready to go. The paramedics brough in a gurney and lifted me and Junior onto it. Mace hovered as they secured me, constantly touching me, even though I could tell it annoyed the paramedics and got in the way of their job. I knew he couldn’t help it, though. Our bond was suddenly blasting between us at full strength. I didn’t want him to stop touching me either.

“This isn’t how I expected the evening to go,” Mr. Harvey said, accompanying us, along with Simon out the hotel’s front door and over to the waiting ambulance.

“It wasn’t what I expected either,” Mace said with a heavy laugh.

“I know now is not the time,” Mr. Harvey went on. “But as soon as it is time, I’d like to meet, either at your office or mine, to discuss a partnership between Canton Enterprises and the Harvey Corporation.”

“I’d like that, too,” Mace said with a big smile.

We’d reached the ambulance, and the paramedics shifted me into the clean, bright space.

“Congratulations on your happy day,” Mr. Harvey said.

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