Chapter 5

DAKOTA

AT NOON, Venetia arrived, unannounced, in my office. Like her brother, she was tall and golden and exuded an air of quiet confidence. The lines of her sage-green suit accentuated a slim figure, a flat tummy, and no traces of her recent pregnancy except for the baby carrier on her arm. She set the carrier gently on my desk. A pleasant tingling raced across my skin at the sight of the tiny pink face peering through the folds of a soft white blanket.

“Wow, it’s crazy out there. One of the security guards sneaked us in through the loading dock.” She smoothed a few loose strands of hair away from her face. “We were supposed to have lunch with Beckett today, but he said he’s busy. After all the fuss to get here, I hate to leave again. I thought maybe you might be free.”

“Um, sure.” I usually worked through lunch, but invitations from Venetia were few and far between. She’d been making an extra effort to ease the strain in our relationship since the birth of Jane. A sense of camaraderie rushed through me. Our children would grow up together. They’d be family. I didn’t want our differences to affect the children’s relationship. I stood and walked to the window. Although the crowd had lessened, there were still a few media vans parked outside. “Maybe we should order in.”

“I ordered Italian from the place down the street. They should be here any minute,” Venetia said. I watched with fascination as she extracted tiny Jane from the carrier and unwrapped her blankets. The baby snuffled at the interruption to her cozy nap.

“Can I hold her?” Before now, I’d shied away from infants, but my fingers curled in anticipation, wanting to hold her.

“Sure.” Venetia’s features brightened, and she gave me a wide smile.

“I don’t really know much about babies,” I confessed as she settled Jane into the crook of my arm. “I don’t have any close family with kids.” The heavy, warm weight of her filled a void I hadn’t known existed.

“Me neither,” Venetia said. “I was scared out of my mind when we brought her home, but they’re not nearly as complicated as you would think. Are you, baby girl?” She stroked Jane’s cheek with a fingertip. Jane, in turn, gave her mother a wide, toothless smile. Venetia’s gaze softened. “I never knew I’d love something so much.”

For a long minute, we stared in admiration at Jane’s chubby, flailing arms and legs, the sweet bow of her upper lip, and the dimples already evident in her cheeks. The hypnotic scent of baby powder and lotion filled my senses. A cloud of dark ringlets formed a halo around her head and slipped like silk through my fingers.

“She’s beautiful,” I whispered. A bubble of hope and longing swelled inside me, unlike anything I’d ever felt before. “I can’t wait to have one of my own.”

Venetia cocked her head and raised an eyebrow in an expression so reminiscent of Sam, I laughed out loud. “Dakota, are you pregnant?”

“What?” I bit my lip, trying to hold back the truth, but I’d never been a very good liar.

“You are! Oh my gosh!” Venetia clapped her hands together then turned in a circle, shaking her hips in a victory dance. “Yes! Sam’s going to be a dad. This is epic.”

“Shhhh…not so loud. It’s not official.” I glanced at the closed office door. “We haven’t told anyone yet.”

“Do you need an obstetrician?” She withdrew her phone and began to scroll furiously through the contacts. “I can get you into mine if you want.”

“That would be great.” Seeing her excitement buoyed my own enthusiasm. A huge grin stretched my lips until my cheeks ached.

“I bet Sam is thrilled. He always wanted kids. He’ll be a great dad, too.” Genuine happiness flushed her face. “This is awesome. We’ve to go shopping and plan a baby shower. You’re going to need a nursery. Have you thought about how you want to decorate?” She pursed her lips. “Pick out a theme and a color palette. I’ll call Helena and ask her to get on it.”

“Venetia, slow down.” Bubbles of laughter popped in my chest. “I just found out this morning. I’ve got to acclimate.” Venetia’s features drooped in disappointment. “And you can’t tell anyone. Not yet. Sam and I haven’t even had time to discuss it.”

Jane cooed and gurgled, delighted by our giddiness. 

Venetia plopped into the chair across from my desk, her composure rattled, reminding me that despite her polished appearance, she was still very young. “Fine. But you’d better hurry up, because I hate secrets.” One corner of her mouth lifted. “I’m still going to draw up a few designs for the baby’s room. And I have to tell Beckett.”

Before I could reply, Layla buzzed through to us on the intercom. “Mr. Beckett and Mr. Rockwell are waiting to see you and Ms. Seaforth.”

“Okay. Send them in.” I glanced at Venetia to see if she had any clue as to the reason for this impromptu meeting, but she shook her head and shrugged.

Beckett entered the office, tall and smart in a charcoal suit and white silk shirt, followed by Rockwell and two unfamiliar men dressed in baseball caps and casual jeans. As a former college basketball player, Beckett towered above most men, including Rockwell, but the two strangers matched him in size and build. They stood respectfully to the side, legs braced and hands clasped in front of them, as Rockwell and Beckett approached my desk.

“Venetia, Dakota, I’d like you to meet James and Chandler. They’re going to be your bodyguards,” Beckett said, his tone casual.

“What? No way.” The words rocketed from my mouth before I could stop them. I looked to Rockwell for confirmation.

“Not an option, Mrs. Seaforth,” Rockwell said.

“We think it’s the best course of action for the time being,” Beckett replied.

I never knew how to read him. He’d mastered the talent of remaining ambivalent and calm through the most outrageous situations. However, unmistakable, possessive, male satisfaction darkened his eyes as his gaze roved over Venetia. When his focus fell to Jane in my arms, an astounding transformation overcame his features. His square jaw relaxed and his eyes warmed to the color of melted chocolate. Jane squealed in delight, flailing chubby limbs, until he took her from me and cradled her in the crook of his arm.

“That’s ridiculous. I don’t need a bodyguard.” I scowled at the men. I relished the freedom and normalcy of my life. Maxwell Seaforth wasn’t going to steal that from me. I glanced at Venetia, waiting for her to chime in, but she remained silent. “I need to call Sam. Does he know about this?”

“It was Sam’s idea,” Rockwell said.

Since our separation this morning, I’d been playing phone tag with Sam. He’d called twice while I was in meetings. My texts had gone unanswered, but that wasn’t unusual for a busy morning. Still, my lack of involvement in the decision bruised my ego. I didn’t like being told what to do by anyone, including my well-meaning, albeit overbearing, control freak husband.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Venetia said. “The press can be relentless. You’ve never really been through something like this before. I have. You don’t know how obtrusive they can be. Especially now that you’re pregnant.” The instant the words left her mouth, her eyes grew round. She pressed a hand to her lips.

“I already know. Sam told me. Congratulations.” Beckett wrapped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed.

Heat rushed into my cheeks. “So much for keeping it on the down low,” I muttered and frowned at Venetia, who bit her lower lip and did nothing to hide her lack of remorse. 

“Why are you looking at me? It’s not my fault. He said he already knew,” she said.

“It’s not confirmed yet. I’d appreciate it if you all kept this quiet,” I said in my best authoritative tone, but I beamed at them. This was really happening. I was going to be a mom.

“It’s in the vault,” Beckett said. “Anyway, these two guys are going to shadow you for a while.”

“Surely this will all blow over in another day or so,” I said. After the morning incident, I’d been too preoccupied with work to dwell on Maxwell’s problems.

“I’m afraid it’s not going away anytime soon,” Beckett said. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now involved, and my friends tell me charges are imminent. I believe things are going to get a lot worse.” He handed Jane back to Venetia, his motions gentle and sure. They made a picture-perfect family. “In fact, they’ve requested for Sam to come in and answer a few questions as soon as he returns tomorrow.”