Page 84 of Abducted

She packed as many clothes as she could fit, then grabbed her personal items from the bathroom. She half-dragged the bag to the living room. Cal switched the TV off.

“All set?” He stood and took the bag from her hand. “Jesus, what did you pack—bricks?”

She giggled. “No. Just a few things to get me by for a while.” Slowly, she stepped closer to him. Her fingers twined with his T-shirt. “Are you sure you want me to move in?”

He laughed. His eyes twinkled at her mischievously. He circled his hands around her waist and pulled her against him. “Now you decided to ask?”

Her mouth hung open. “I–”

He tweaked her nose. “I’m teasing.” His eyes turned serious, but his grin remained. “I’m glad you knew that’s what I wanted. Your dad took everything really well.”

She rested her head against his chest. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I feel bad that he’ll be here all alone.”

Cal stiffened. “You want to stay?”

She lifted her chin to look at him. “No.”

He brushed her hair over her shoulder. “We’ll visit often, okay? We’re not far away at all.”

“I know. I’d like to see my mom today, too.”

“Absolutely.”

She pinched his abs. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Wait a minute.” His arm circled her waist, and he pulled her back in place. His fingers threaded into her hair as he pressed his lips to her mouth. She tightened her grip on his waist.

His tongue parted her teeth, and her toes curled. The world tilted. He lifted her in his arms, and her ankles locked at the small of his back.

Lana laughed. “Cal, we can’t do this here.”

He nuzzled her neck. “Let’s get home, then.”

She grinned down at him. Her teeth nipped her bottom lip. “That has a nice ring to it.” He lowered her to her feet. He lifted her bag, and she clung to his free hand. Together, they left her suite and got into his truck. The excitement of their future rippled through her.

She was going home.

EPILOGUE

Her breath caughtin her throat. Her hand clamped over her mouth. Oh God.

Tears stung her eyes. She took a deep, steadying breath and stared at the tiny screen on the pregnancy test.

Two pink lines.

She was pregnant.

She sat down on the closed toilet seat lid and tried to slow the rapid beating of her heart. It had been more than six months since the whole fiasco had been over with. It wasn’t until yesterday that she realized her period hadn’t come. She’d checked her calendar, and sure enough, it was two weeks late.

She was pregnant…with Cal’s baby. Happiness flooded through her. She bit her lip. A dark fire took over her. What if Cal wasn’t happy? Before, he’d said that one day he wanted a wife and kids. That didn’t mean today. She loved living here with Cal; it felt more like home to her than her father’s ostentatious mansion ever had. She loved waking up to the warmth of his body.

Everything had fallen into place. With the persistence of Nate, Andrea Reid’s case had been reopened, and Tanner was now being charged. Shawn had turned out to have an even darker past, which explained his suicide that fateful night. Grace, too, had confessed her plan to murder Lana. She was looking at a long prison sentence. After taking some time out to cope, Lana had gone back to work, and now Cal’s MMA training gym was under construction. In a few months, it would be open, and already he had a growing list of athletes waiting to join. Nate and Ethan had been a big help in recruiting members, and several were FBI agents.

After she finished work last night, she’d stopped at the drugstore to pick up a pregnancy test. She hadn’t wanted to worry Cal, so she didn’t mention it. Now it was Saturday morning and he lay in bed asleep. She had to tell him. It couldn’t wait.

She clutched the test in her hand and exited the bathroom. Maggie, their new pitbull rescue dog, lifted her head from her bed near the window. Her chocolate eyes scanned Lana with sleepy disinterest before dropping back down.

She tiptoed over the cool floor and climbed into bed. Cal’s arm draped over his eyes, his chest bare like the rest of him beneath the blankets. She tucked the test under her pillow and cuddled next to him. He stirred, and his arms stretched above his head before he closed her into his warmth.

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