That his ex didn’t want to listen to him when he had a bad day or was suffering.

  Yet Hugh didn’t hesitate to walk out and chase her over some puke in a toilet that she did weekly.

  “I’m sorry you are being dragged into this,” she said. She was still sniffling, but her tears were drying up.

  “You didn’t drag me into anything. I came to you first. Maybe I should thank your asshole ex for doing what he did so that I could get you in my life.”

  She started to laugh. “I could say the same thing. I should have thanked Keri for not giving you what you needed. Or making you feel as if you couldn’t give it to her, but the truth is, you’ve given me everything and more without me asking once. It’s as if you just know. Don’t ever doubt yourself. Please don’t.”

  “I won’t anymore if you don’t,” he said. “We both had some pretty shitty exes, but we are getting through.”

  “Yours isn’t trying to get you arrested though,” she said sarcastically.

  “And neither is yours,” he said. “Whispers don’t always mean the truth. They are trying to get ahead of the game. Maybe they are nervous Shawn isn’t going to get what he deserves. For all those reasons you said. There are always victims out there.”

  “You know that more than anyone,” she said, thinking of Kevin and every other victim and their families he’d come across.

  “That’s right,” he said. “I do. And maybe I spent a lot of my career letting myself be numb to them. Or telling myself it was better if I was. I just couldn’t after Kevin. I want to say it was the last straw that broke me. Literally.”

  “I don’t believe that,” she said. “You didn’t break. You were human. You are human. Had you been allowed to be yourself, it would have never happened. You’re a stronger person for it now.”

  She knew that one hundred percent. The fact that he’d confessed what he had about his life so willingly. His failed marriage in the beginning, then what caused him to transfer here. He even eventually told her about ending up in the hospital.

  She didn’t have to push nearly as hard as she thought and that told her that he wasn’t broken at all.

  He wasn’t scarred from putting himself out there and being rejected.

  She wasn’t going to be either.

  She blew her nose and straightened her shoulders.

  “What just went through your mind?” he asked. “I can see a change come over you.”

  “I want to nail his ass to the wall. A wall filled with cacti and he’s naked.”

  He started to laugh. “That’s what I want to do too. What made you say that?”

  “I’m not going to be a victim,” she said. “This is crazy. I’m allowing it to happen to me for no reason at this point. I’m going to fight back just like I’ve been doing my whole life. Sometimes I walked away and went about my business and hoped it passed. This time, I’m not. I can’t.”

  “That’s my girl,” he said.

  She washed her face one more time. “We should go back in there before they think we are conspiring in the bathroom. Funny when you think about it.”

  “Maybe we can laugh about this in the future. Like you falling off the donkey.”

  She shook her head. “I’d like that but don’t see it happening any time soon.”

  They left the bathroom and went back to the conference room.

  Thomas handed her a bottle of water and some peppermint candies. “Rose’s go to. She said it settled her stomach and got the taste out of her mouth. I’ve learned to keep them everywhere she might show up.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “I’ve got them in my purse too.”

  She took a drink of the water while Hugh opened a piece of candy and gave it to her.

  Grant’s laptop dinged. “Here is an email. It’s a closer picture of the necklace. Looks like two bears,” Grant said, frowning. “Like a child’s necklace, not even an adult one.”

  “Panda bears?” Dahlia asked, gripping Hugh’s hand. “A parent and child. A parent holding a child?”

  “Yeah,” Grant said. “Now that I look at it more. Let me show you.”

  “No,” she said. “I want this on record I can describe it and then I’m going to tell you why. You want your proof he was in my house, I’m giving it to you.”

  “Keep going,” Thomas said, typing everything up though there was a recorder going too. “It’s silver, probably sixteen inches because it’d be a choker. On the back the big bear has a capital letter T scratched into it and the baby has a lowercase i.”

  “Shit,” Grant said. “Is it yours?”

  “No,” she said. “It’s Ivy’s. She cried the most over that necklace. My father gave it to her. T for Tim. I for Ivy. She scratched that in it. Shawn has never met any of my family. Can you get DNA off of it? If it’s Ivy’s, there is your proof he took it. I have all sorts of pictures of her wearing it here in Mystic since I moved. It’d have no reason to be in Chicago. Could that be your proof he broke into my apartment? If I created this file and planted it on his computer to send to me and he claims he didn’t know about it, why would he come looking for it? Why trash my place?”

  “Exactly,” Grant said. “And maybe this is enough to get him to confess.”

  She took a few deep breaths, answered some more questions and then asked, “I don’t suppose there is a chance of getting that necklace back?” She thought of her sister and realized the changes in the past few years. The new necklace Ivy had with a tiger and then said, “Never mind. She doesn’t need it now.”

  Thirty minutes later they were outside of Thomas’s office. Grant had left to go back to his office with the recording of the interview and notes.

  “You did well,” he said.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “Nothing. We wait. I’m hoping that last little bit was what was needed. You verified that was Ivy’s necklace after you gave a description of it without Grant showing it to you. If they want Ivy’s DNA, they will ask. Do you think she’ll have a problem giving it?”

  “Not at all,” she said.

  “Because family sticks together,” he said.

  “That’s right,” she said. She grabbed his hand and put it on her belly. “Like you were by my side today not even caring about your job.”

  “You’re the most important thing in my life. I want you to know that.”

  “I know it now. I think I always did. I’m so glad Keri didn’t realize what a great catch you were,” she said, laughing.

  “I want to say I’m glad Shawn was an asshole and you dropped him, but you would have anyway,” he said.

  She squinted one eye at him. “I would have at some point, I’m sure. But why do you say that?”

  “Because he can’t make you feel what I do.”

  She felt her face flush. “Hugh. Don’t say that outside where someone could hear you.”

  He started to laugh and then leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I wasn’t talking about sex, but now that you mention it...”

  She grabbed his face in her hands and gave him a big smacking kiss on the lips. Out in public too, just like she did in Mona’s restaurant.

  Guess a lot could change in a short period of time.

  EPILOGUE

  Five Weeks Later

  “Are you ready for this?” Dahlia asked Hugh when they were sitting in the waiting room.

  “I am,” he said, his hand landing on her belly. At just over eighteen weeks pregnant, she was hoping the baby cooperated so they could find out the sex.

  The last thing she wanted to do was fill her bladder like this again and not be able to pee. Talk about uncomfortable.

  “What is your guess?” she asked.

  “I don’t care,” he said. “I just want you both healthy.”

  “And we are,” she said. Most of the nausea was gone. At least the daily part of it. If she felt queasy, water and mints helped.

  Her father even sent her some herbal teas. It was more than he did for her when she was sick as a child on planes so she knew he was trying in his way.

  Though she knew her father was disappointed that she’d gotten pregnant, he also loved her and he’d have to get over it.

  Just like Jasmine didn’t let it bother her, she wasn’t going to let her father’s opinions bring her down either.

  Though her mother did say her father was coming around, he’d never say those words to her.

  “What do you think the gender is?” he asked.

  “My gut is telling me it’s a boy,” she said. “Then Jasmine’s son and ours can be best friends.”

  They’d found out a few weeks ago Jasmine was having a boy. One of each and her sister was thrilled and said she was done. Wesley said he was still going to try for one more. Good luck with that when you aren’t the one carrying the kid. But her sister just laughed.

  “We know your gut has been right more often than not,” he said.

  When Shawn was told that Ivy was submitting DNA to be tested on the necklace, he’d sung like a bird in hopes of getting a reduced sentence for cooperating. He even admitted he was feeling cocky that he didn’t get caught and that was why he kept some of their jewelry as a reminder he could get away with it. She hadn’t thought it’d be that simple, but maybe it was once he knew he was caught in more than one lie.

  How or why he did it meant nothing to her. She wasn’t going to let it bring her down.

  She could honestly say it was in her past, and maybe Hugh was right—they could laugh about it. Or at least it could be a great story for their child someday.

  “Dahlia Greene?”

  “That’s me,” she said, standing. “Geez, I think I might pee walking in there. This won’t take long will it?”

  “No. I’m Cassie and will be your tech. We’ll get right to it.”

  She followed the tech into the room. “Do I have to undress? I think a lot of movement is going to have me leak some out. This is so embarrassing.”

  “And completely normal,” Cassie said. “You won’t though. It’s just a feeling. Why don’t you lie down on your back and just lift your shirt? You can tuck this towel under your shirt to protect it.”

  She got on the bed. Hugh wanted to help her, but she wasn’t that big. She hadn’t even gained ten pounds at this point. Not through lack of trying it seemed because all she wanted to do was eat.

  When the gel was squirted on her stomach, she didn’t flinch, as it was warm. “That makes me want to pee more,” she said, letting out a nervous laugh.

  “Let’s get a few pictures first and then if you need to take a break to let out some urine you can.”

  Hugh laughed at her. “It’s not funny,” she said. “I’m afraid once I start going I won’t be able to stop. You might need to get all the pictures now.”

  “We can do that too,” Cassie said.

  She turned her head and watched as pictures of their child came on the screen. Cassie was taking measurements and then stopped.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Your child is spread eagle. I’m going to do that right now before there is a movement, then I’ll go back to measuring. But I can already tell the gender.”

  Hugh laughed even harder. “Yeah, I can too.”

  The tech moved the wand some more on her belly and was taking pictures. “Say hello to your son,” Cassie said.

  She felt her eyes start to fill; Hugh’s were a little glossy too.

  Cassie hurried up with the pictures and she all but ran to the bathroom while some were being printed to take home.

  It felt like she was peeing for five minutes straight when she finally thought it was safe to stand up and return to the room.

  Hugh was sitting there looking at the pictures. “I snapped a picture of a few of these to send my mother and when you’re ready to tell your family.”

  “When we get to the car we can do it together,” she said. “I can include your mom in my group text if you want.”

  She’d been texting Freya more and more lately. She never thought she’d be someone to get close to another family but found how easy it was.

  “You can,” he said. “I’ve got something else to do in the car once we get there.”

  “Oh?” she said.

  “You’re all set here,” Cassie said.

  “Thanks,” she said. They walked out together and got in his SUV. He’d picked her up at work for this appointment and would bring her back. She was only going to send the text with a pic to her family for now. She’d tell everyone else at work when she got there.

  When they got in his SUV, she started to text right away. She was just too happy to keep it in. She was even giggling while she did it, which wasn’t like her.

  She got finished typing and turned her head and saw Hugh’s hand out with a box in it. She’d seen it out of the corner of her eye but didn’t think much of it while she was forming her text.

  “I was wondering when you were going to turn your head. Can’t wait to tell our son this. The news of him was more important.”

  Her eyes drifted down to the ring box. The Blossoms ring box. “What is that?”

  “You know what it is,” he said. “I know it’s early for many. We’ve been dating a little over five months.”

  “And I’m a little under five months pregnant,” she said, laughing. Dahlia didn’t know why she was laughing so much.

  She sure the heck was nervous over the engagement that was going to happen when she thought for sure it wouldn’t be this soon.

  She was also more excited than anything else.

  “That’s right,” he said. “Might as well put the cheese on the taco.”

  She burst out laughing. That had been his joke with her lately. More like she would say it instead of a cherry on a sundae.

  “Open it up,” she said. “Let me see it.”

  “Phew,” he said. “You’re not going to tell me no. I can see it on your face. I worried for a minute.”

  “I worried too if it was going to happen how I’d feel. What I feel is I want that ring on my finger, so ask me.”

  He was laughing just as much as her. It was like they were two giddy kids rather than the two serious adults the first time they met.

  When the top came up, she saw the ring that Rose had to have designed. Of course it was a dahlia flower and it was stunning.

  There were rose gold petals, one small diamond placed on each petal and then a large two-carat diamond in the center. This was all on a thick white gold band.

  “Dahlia. I know you love me as much as I love you. Our commitment has been there from the beginning and I think it’s time to just make it final. Will you be my wife since you’re already going to be the mother of my child?”

  “Yes,” she said, sniffling. “These stupid hormones.”

  “They aren’t stupid. They just tell me how much you love me.”

  He took the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger.

  “I don’t know how this was kept a secret. There is no way Ivy knew.”

  “I went right to Rose,” he said. “She promised me she would make sure no one found out.”

  “I see the bills,” she said. “I would have noticed the order for a diamond this size. It’s not like it happens a lot.”

  “You’ll have to take that up with your bosses,” he said.

  “I’ve got nothing to take up with anyone,” she said. “Not even you for surprising me like this.”

  “Seems to me surprising the other is our thing. First when I knocked on your door,” he said.

  “Next when I said I was pregnant,” she said.

  “Now with the ring,” he said.

  “Oh, I’ll think of something for my turn next,” she said. “I kind of like the surprises in life now. Who wants dull and boring?!”

  The End!

  Read A Surprise For Sage next!

  Knox Bradford made the mistake of believing everything his mother told him as a child. At eighteen, he realized that maybe his father wasn’t the bad guy he’d been led to think. At the time he needed someone the most, it was his father who stepped up and lent a hand. Fences start to get mended but his father suddenly dies, leaving a massive hole in Knox’s chest, making him wonder if he’ll be able to forgive himself or trust his judgment again.

  Sage Mancini is always at the wrong place at the wrong time. Usually on the negative side of those situations, but for the first time in her life, she might come out on top. The last thing she expects when she runs from her past is to find the childhood boy who had a crush on her in eighth grade. He’s no longer the short nerdy nice kid, but a man who turns her on like never before. But does she have the confidence to make a move and get him to believe that the past means nothing, even if she’s struggling to believe it herself?

  ALSO BY NATALIE ANN

  The Road Series-See where it all started!!

  Lucas and Brooke’s Story- Road to Recovery

  Jack and Cori’s Story – Road to Redemption

  Mac and Beth’s Story- Road to Reality

  Ryan and Kaitlin’s Story- Road to Reason

  The All Series

  William and Isabel’s Story — All for Love

  Ben and Presley’s Story – All or Nothing

  Phil and Sophia’s Story – All of Me

  Alec and Brynn’s Story – All the Way

  Sean and Carly’s Story — All I Want

  Drew and Jordyn’s Story— All My Love

  Finn and Olivia’s Story—All About You

  Landon Barber and Kristen Reid- All Of Us

  The Lake Placid Series

  Nick Buchanan and Mallory Denning – Second Chance

  Max Hamilton and Quinn Baker – Give Me A Chance

  Caleb Ryder and Celeste McGuire – Our Chance

  Cole McGuire and Rene Buchanan – Take A Chance

  Zach Monroe and Amber Deacon- Deserve A Chance

  Trevor Miles and Riley Hamilton – Last Chance

  Matt Winters and Dena Hall- Another Chance

  Logan Taylor and Kennedy Miles- It’s My Chance

  Justin Cambridge and Taryn Miles – One More Chance

  The Fierce Five Series

  Gavin Fierce and Jolene O’Malley- How Gavin Stole Christmas