“Hello?”

“Piper?”

“Yes, who’s this?”

“You’re a tough woman to track down.”

“Who is this?” I put my pen down and got up from my desk, wandering over to the window and looking out onto the rolling hills.

“Chase.”

I gasped. “Chase?”

“Yeah.”

My heart started to beat wildly in my chest. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“H-have…” My voice caught in my throat. I hoped to God he wasn’t going to say ‘yes’ to my next question. “Have you been in prison this whole time?”

Silence.

“Chase?”

“You’re a tough woman to track down. Been doing some traveling?”

“Yes, where are you?”

“Home.”

“And where is home?” The man could be such an ass.

“I’m okay, Piper.”

Tears pricked the corner of my eyes, and I sniffed, wiping the back of my wrist beneath my nose. “Okay.”

“If you’re ever back up in Canada, you look me up. We can grab a beer…laugh about all of this. Maybe even be friends.” Yeah, because you laugh! I fought the urge to laugh now.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “Okay. Chase?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

More silence.

“Chase?”

“You’re welcome. Listen, Piper, it’s good to know you’re safe and happy, but I have to go. We’ll talk when you’re home.”

I sniffed again and wiped my eyes. “Okay.”

“Goodbye.”

I don’t say goodbye anymore; it’s too final. “See you later, Chase.”

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” I ask, noticing that the seat next to a menacingly attractive man is vacant. He’s busy puttering away on his laptop. It appears he is editing and polishing up an interesting photo of a grizzly bear and her cubs. The photo is stunning, and so is he.

His eyes flash up at me, and he smiles, moving his laptop bag off the chair I’m interested in. “No, not at all.”

I flop down with an oof and throw the bags around my neck and shoulders to my feet; my back is killing me. “Thanks.”

His lips twist. “Not a problem.”

I grin at him and pick up my ratty old copy of Accepting Loss: A step by step guide to dealing with the loss of loved ones. He snorts through his nose but doesn’t look back at me. He keeps his eyes fixed on his computer, his fingers furiously flying across the keys and touchpad.

I’m pretending to read my book, all the while actually studying the man beside me, his lusciously dark hair, deep and soulful gray eyes, and that sexy as hell scruff that runs the length of his jaw. God, how I ached to have that scruff on my body, I bet it felt all kinds of wicked. And then I notice the sleeping toddler in the seat next to him. Curled up like a perfect little chubby-cheeked cherub with her thumb in her mouth, long blonde curls covering most of her forehead. He’s draped his coat over her, and she’s using what appears to be his sweater as a pillow. A furry animal of some sort, maybe a bunny, peeks out from underneath her arm. All I can see is a pink nose and one glossy black eye, but I’m almost certain it’s a bunny.

I let my eyes flit back to my book for just a second, and suddenly a hand lands on my belly and begins to rub it rhythmically.

I give him an incredulous look. “Excuse me, sir, but what do you think you are doing?”

He rolls his eyes. “Are you going to make me role-play our meet-cute every year for the rest of my life? Oh, he’s kicking!” Derrick’s eyes, glittering and happy, flash to mine. “That was a hard one. Does it hurt?”

My hand falls on top of his as we feel our son try to get himself comfortable. My eyes flutter shut, and I sigh. “No, not really. He’s still got some space yet. Another month or two and he’ll be up in my ribs, just like Holly was.”

He chuckles. “And there she stayed.”

I stretch and smile but don’t bother to open my eyes. “Yes, and there she stayed. Stubborn little monkey. How’d you get her to fall asleep, finally?”

His fingers link with mine, and he brings the back of my hand to his lips. “I told her she’ll be too tired for the beach tomorrow unless she gets some sleep now. Then she asked if she’ll get to see Connor and Thea. I told her not unless she has a nap.”

Another sigh. “This was a very good idea. Hawaii for two whole weeks, with Chase and his family.”

“Yeah,” he yawns. “And you all pregnant and gorgeous in a bikini. I’m excited.”

I snort and shake my head. “I can’t believe this time next year there will be four of us. It seemed so hard at first when she was newborn. And now it’s easy…” I pop one eye open, and he’s giving me a couple of raised brows. “Okay, okay, it’s not easy, it’s easier.”

The brows appear to climb even higher. “This coming from the woman who was threatening to leave our child in the gift shop just an hour ago, when she threw the mother of all tantrums?”

I rolled my eyes. “Touché. Fine, not easier.”

I can tell he’s struggling not to smile. He doesn’t say anything.

“I’m just nervous about having two kids. We need this time away, just the three of us.”

Stowing his laptop into its case, he wraps an arm around my shoulder. I let my head fall to his and close my eyes again. “It’ll be tough at first. But we’re in this together. Just another adventure, right? Though instead of being robbed blind of money and cameras, they’re just going to rob us of sleep, sex and our sanity for the foreseeable future. Oh, and maybe my hair.” With a worried frown, he runs his free hand through his silky locks.

Oh, how I hope he goes salt and pepper.

“But you know, they’ll probably just make you go gray.” I snort, and he plants a kiss to my forehead. “You, me, them…this is us, and I couldn’t be happier about what’s in store.”

A lone tear trickles down my cheek, and I let my free hand fall to the somersaulting infant in my belly. “This is us, isn’t it? Happy, healthy…”

“And head-over-heels in love.”

I swallow and look up at him, unshed tears blurring my vision. He has them, too. “And head-over-heels in love.”