Page 28 of A Trident Christmas Baby

“This is for your baby,” she said, pressing it into his hands before he could protest.

“Ma’am, you don’t have to—”

“Nonsense,” she interrupted, her smile soft but firm. “It’s Christmas. You just promise me you’ll be the wonderful father I know you will be.”

Before Ace could say anything more, she disappeared into the crowd, leaving him holding the little bag.

He opened it cautiously, his breath catching as he pulled out a pair of tiny, crocheted baby Santa booties. For a moment, he simply stared at them, the weight of everything he was rushing home to sinking in.

“Hey!” Frost’s voice jolted him back to reality.

Ace looked up and saw the team waiting near the front of the plane. He shoved the booties gently back into the bag and hurried to join them, his heart a little lighter and his resolve stronger than ever. He couldn’t help the small smile that pulled his lips.

After collecting their gear from baggage claim, they made their way to the rental car counter.

As he approached the desk, the woman working behind the counter smiled.

“Hi, how can I help you?”

“I have a reservation for a van.”

“Sure. I just need your name.”

“Marcus Chambers,” he said, producing his driver’s license.

The woman tapped the keys on her computer. Her eyebrows scrunched together.

She looked up, and just from the guilty expression on her face, Ace knew she was about to give him some bad news.

“I’m so sorry, sir, but it seems the van you reserved was mistakenly given to another party.”

Ace stared at her, his patience getting thinner by the second. “Mistakenly? How does that even happen?”

“I understand, but it was an error on our end,” she said, glancing nervously at his scowl.

Ace sucked in a sharp breath, fighting to keep his voice level. Losing his temper wouldn’t help, and it wasn’t like it was her fault. But the thought of being so close to Alex, yet still too far, was a weight pressing against his chest.

“I need a vehicle. Anything,” he said.

Behind him, Irish and Stitch exchanged a glance. Irish nudged Stitch, and they quietly stepped away.

“We’ll be right back,” Irish said, but Ace barely heard him, too focused on the problem at hand.

The woman at the counter tapped on her keyboard. “I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t make any promises.”

Ace gritted his teeth and pulled out his phone, dialing Derek. The hospital line rang twice before Derek picked up.

“I’m assuming since you are calling that you made it to Richmond.”

“We did. How’s Alex?”

“She’s hanging in there. The doctor just came by to check on her, and she was dilated to a six. The doctor thinks she is going to have the baby soon.”

“Shit!” Ace cursed, knowing he still had an hour and forty-five-minute drive. Well, that was if he could find a damn vehicle.

“Hang a minute, I have someone here who wants to say hi.”

“Ace?” Alex’s voice echoed through the phone. Her voice sounded tired but laced with frustration.

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