Page 76 of His Captor

Hayden

Three Months Later…

The best part about having a gigantic house right on the beach in the firmly upper-middle-class neighborhood along Barrington’s northern coast was that it was the perfect place to host a pool party.

“You guys have done amazing things around here,” Rachel commented, fruity drink in hand, as she joined me and Junior by the deck railing, where the best view of the ocean was.

Junior liked to watch the waves from the carrier I almost always had strapped to my front these days. He gurgled and cooed and flailed his arms and legs as he watched the constant motion of the water.

“Yeah, I definitely married up,” I joked.

“No, you didn’t, dear,” my Papa told me with a roll of his eyes as he stepped over to join the conversation. “Your father and I have provided nicely for you and your brothers all these years.”

I wanted to tease Papa by reminding him of the time he’d kicked me out of the house to live in a one-bedroom apartment downtown, but the way Junior yanked his attention away from the ocean and cooed for his Grandpapa stopped me.

“Hello there, little man, hello,” Papa cooed right back, shaking Junior’s chubby foot. He glanced up at me and asked, “Would you like me to take him for a while?”

Translation, Papa wanted some time with the new love of his life.

“Sure,” I said, pulling Junior out of the carrier and handing him over. “I wouldn’t say no if you wanted to change his diaper while you’re at it.”

Papa sent me another eye roll before walking off, bouncing Junior in his arms and pointing to one of the flowering trees the landscaper had put in the week before.

Rachel laughed. “You’re lucky to have such a supportive family.”

I peeled out of the empty carrier and set it on one of the chairs nearby, laughing with her. “I’m lucky to have an understanding boss, too.” I gave her a sheepish look and said, “You’re sure you don’t mind me working from home half the time?”

Rachel made a sound and waved off my concern. “You’re a fantastic office manager, Hayden, but you’re an even better papa.”

“I am not,” I said, as if she’d insulted me.

“Oh, come on,” Rachel shoved my arm when I moved to stand beside her again. “You absolutely dote on Junior. You’re always taking him to the park or playing on the beach with him.”

“His name isn’t ‘Junior’,” Mace said, sliding up to hook an arm around my waist and to join our conversation. “It’s Mason Canton the second.”

I sent Mace a flat look, then turned to Rachel and said, “It’s Junior. Mason Canton, Jr.”

Mace rolled his eyes, just like my Papa, but I felt nothing but affection and amusement through our bond.

“I knew you would get your way in the end,” Rachel said, winking at me. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find my boyfriend. You two haven’t met him yet, so I want to introduce you.”

“By all means,” Mace said, smiling as if everything in the world was exactly the way he wanted it. “I’ve been dying to meet this guy.”

“Me, too,” I called after Rachel as she walked away.

Once she’d blended in with our many guests, I sighed happily and sank against Mace.

“How did our lives turn out so damn amazing so quickly?” I asked, resting my head against his shoulder.

“Because it wouldn’t dare turn out any other way for us,” Mace said.

He was absolutely right. Within less than a year, we’d gone from virtual strangers, who had happened to make a baby together, scrambling to start a new tech company while Colin attacked us from every side to growing and thriving, both in our family life and in our business.

Once news of my kidnapping, the real one, got out in the business circles Mace and Colin ran in, outpourings of outrage and sympathy came flying our way. Several former business associates from Mace’s days in Port Lucia said they’d always known something was wrong with Colin. Colin’s ex-wife and Mace had had a tearful phone call, in which she practically bled with guilt for not doing more to stop Colin or warn Mace about how unstable he had become.

Mace and I had both insisted Gloria had nothing to do with Colin’s behavior and that she’d been exactly right to getout while she could. And since Mace and Gloria had been friends way back when, in the early days of Colin and Gloria’s marriage, we’d invited her and the kids to come for a vacation in Barrington.

They’d been our first houseguests last month, and after some discussion, they’d decided to stay, since Canton Enterprises needed a new assistant office manager, and the company had just set up a top-notch daycare in the building.

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