Page 60 of Lyon

“I can’t wait to hold her in my arms,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “She’s beautiful.”

I stared at the screen again, my heart swelling and twisting all at once. “You don’t think it’s a little spooky how she just…staredat us? Like she could actually hear what we were saying?”

Lyon chuckled.

“Oh, she can hear you. She hears everything. Lots of parents read to their babies in the womb. When they’re born, they recognize those voices instantly,” The doctor said.

I looked at him, fascinated. “Really?”

He nodded. “She already knows how much you love her. She feels everything you do—when you’re happy, when you’re scared. Your heartbeat, your emotions… they’re all part of her world.”

The doctor smiled. “Your umbilical cord connects you both—not just physically, but emotionally. Her life depends on yours in every way. A lot of parents don’t realize that at first, but when they do, it changes everything.”

Niki squeezed my hand, eyes shimmering with wonder. “That makes perfect sense. No wonder babies know their parents the second they’re born.” She turned to me, determination flashing in her gaze. “We’re stopping at the bookstore on the way home.”

I blinked. “The bookstore?”

She grinned. “I’m getting children’s books. I can’t wait to start reading to her.”

Lyon chuckled, shaking his head. “Our daughter’s going to know every story by heart before she’s even born.”

I just smiled, rubbing my stomach. “Good.”

I felt at peace. I hadn’t felt this way since I was five, and my mother almost died when a serial killer kidnapped her, and she was severely injured. They told me she was away on a job, but I knew she was in the hospital. I overheard my uncles talking about it when they thought I was sleeping. That was my mom’s last job as an FBI Special Agent.

I felt Gracie stretching, and I smiled. I took Lyon’s hand and put it right where she was turning. His fingers curled on my tummy like he was hugging her. I had a feeling we would both want to read her stories.

28

Lyon

Oliver’s homewas finally finished, next door to ours. The scent of freshly turned earth filled the air as we worked, digging holes for the fruit trees he was planting. His phone kept ringing, an incessant buzz that broke the quiet rhythm of our labor.

“Are you going to answer that?” I asked, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

Oliver barely glanced at the screen. “No. If it’s Sean, he’ll want me to leave early. We’ve got a big job—there was an earthquake in Turkey. General Montel called us in to help with search and rescue. Digging for bodies… hopefully, they’re alive.” His voice was steady, but I could hear the weight behind his words. “We leave in the morning. I just wanted to get this automatic watering system set up before I go.”

The air felt heavier. “That’s horrible. I saw it on the news. I try not to pay attention to world events anymore.”

“Tag, Cyclone, and Raven are coming with me. We leave at three a.m.—” His phone rang again, and he sighed. “Let me answer him. Maybe something changed.”

While he stepped away, I planted the two trees we had prepared and started digging another hole. I never said it outloud, but I missed the rescues. The adrenaline, the purpose. The mission. But then I thought of my baby, of reading to her at night, letting her know my voice before she even entered this world. I wanted to be ready for her—her protector, her safe place.

Oliver returned, his expression grim. “Change of plans. We’re leaving tonight. It’s worse than we thought. A school collapsed, and they can hear children crying beneath the rubble.”

A chill ran through me. “Those poor kids.”

A soft voice interrupted us. “Do you want to go with them?”

Niki stood in the yard, her gaze locking onto mine. She already knew the answer before I said anything.

I exhaled, rubbing the back of my neck. “I want to stay with you and the baby.”

She stepped closer, placing a gentle hand on my chest. “I know you do. But you’re a protector. It’s who you are. I think you should go.” Her voice wavered, but she held firm. “Just be careful. Aftershocks can be just as dangerous.”

“I’ll record a story or two for Gracie before I go,” I whispered, brushing a kiss against her lips. “I love you. I don’t think I could sleep knowing those kids are trapped under that building.”

She smiled, but her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “That’s why I love you.”

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