It wasn’t that Ashley didn’t like Preston’s place—it just didn’t feel like home. She’d been kept out of her own house by the police, had it taped off as a crime scene, a dozen officers combing through it. Although what they’d hoped to find, she had no idea. It wasn’t as if Mark Rohan had killed anyone there. He didn’t get a chance to.

But once they gave her the all clear to return, she found she didn’t want to. The place was tainted now, touched by something unclean, and none of it felt safe. Even though she knew the murderer was safely locked away, she couldn’t stop thinking about that night she woke up knowing someone had been there, and then being attacked in her bathroom, chloroformed into submission, her abilities removed from her.

That sinking feeling of dread when Preston walked in, put himself in danger. When Mark had gone for him with the knife.

Mark apparently had a key cut, the police informed her. He’d found her spare key beneath the gnome and had a copy made. And then he’d violated her home, her security, the safety of the man she loved. Made her never want to return to her house again.

She’d been looking at apartments on the west side of town, places she could afford on her nurse’s salary. She didn’t tell Preston yet, wasn’t really sure how to broach that subject, but it turned out she didn’t need to, as he was well ahead of her.

He dropped a brochure on the table in front of her and smiled.

She glanced at it, saw the words scribed atop, and frowned up at him. “What’s this?”

“What does it look like?”

Swallowing against her fluttering heart, she stared at the front of the brochure again and took in more of the information. “It looks like a graduate program in forensic science.”

He crouched next to her, his tailored pants pulling at the knees, and put a hand on her thigh. “It’s a suggestion,” he said. “An idea. Because I saw how much you loved working through the Rohan case—”

“Not all of it.” She brushed her fingers against his cheek and felt the echoes of her fear drift around her heart. “I didn’t enjoy seeing him pull the knife on you.”

His smile was soft and empathetic, and he took her hand from his cheek, holding it in both of his. “You were amazing through the whole thing,” he said, “and I’m just suggesting, you know…if you wanted to pursue it…”

She loved being a nurse, but it had been a stepping stone to a teenage ambition she no longer held. She’d once wanted to be an epidemiologist, but she’d never taken the extra steps, didn’t care quite enough. But she cared about this, and her stomach clenched at the possibility. Except—

Sighing, she said, “I actually think I’d love to look into this,” stroking her thumb across the edge of his hand. “But the apartments I can afford, they’re too far away. The commute to get to school, fitting it around work…it would be too much.”

He opened his mouth, and she cut him off with a stern, “I’m not quitting my job. I’ve never relied on anyone else to support me.”

Smiling, he said softly, “I wasn’t going to say that.” He tilted his head a little, and added, “You could just move in here.”

Even though the words excited her, the thought of going to bed with him every night, waking up to him, sharing his space—she couldn’t help but scrunch up her nose, gazing around at the cold, clean lines of his penthouse. “I don’t think this place is really for me,” she admitted, mildly apologetic with her tone, thinking of the lovely warmth of her organized chaos at her house. Her old house.

“So we’ll buy a new place,” he said, all casual shrug and deliberately steady voice. There was a wobble in his tone somewhere, just about hidden. But she caught it, and the breath hitched in her throat. “A house, somewhere between the hospital and the school.”

She released a sound like a snort. “Yeah, right, buying a house with someone you’re not even married to. It’s a wonder you got so successful with those kinds of reckless decisions.”

“Yeah,” he said after a pause, squeezing her hand. He was shaking slightly, she realized with a jolt, and the tips of his ears were flushed. “About that…”

Then he released her hand and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small red box and looking up at her with shining eyes.

The entire world shifted beneath Ashley’s feet.

It was a ring. He opened the box and presented her with a ring. Simple, understated, with a single diamond cut into white gold. An engagement ring, sitting snug in a box, held by a man looking up at her with wide, nervous eyes.

“I know we haven’t been together long,” he said, while she tried to hang on for dear life as the room spun around her. “But I knew I wanted this the very first moment I saw you. You—” He paused, swallowed thickly. “You’re everything for me, Ashley. You’re it.” He flashed her a smile, something wholly genuine and soft, and her heart melted into a puddle at his feet. She wanted to throw herself forward into his arms, but more than that, she wanted to hear those all-important words—the one question she never thought she’d hear in her life again.

“I can’t imagine living a single day without you,” he continued, “and I hope…god, I hope you feel the same.” He blew out a nervous breath, making them both laugh a little, and then he removed the ring, took her hand, fell to his knee, and waited. “Ashley Woodsen,” he said, “will you marry me?”

For half an instant, her life flashed before her eyes. Her ex-husband, the first time she’d heard that question, the time she thought she’d found her forever. The thoughts threatened to spill through and steal away the elation she felt in this moment, but she didn’t let it. She slammed down the wall in her brain and cut it off, cut him off, buried him in the darkest corner of her mind and opened her heart wide for the man kneeling in front of her.

“Yes,” she whispered, and the pure joy that spread across his face had her sobbing out a watery laugh and launching forward into his arms, crashing them both to the floor in a breathlessly giddy mess before he’d even managed to get the ring on her finger.

“I’m doing the right thing, right?”

The pristine whiteness of this bathroom was like pressure on her eyeballs, and she was sure this dress had shrunk at some point between the final fitting and today. Her throat itched, and her eye makeup felt weird, and god, she needed some air.

Maggie caught her hands scrabbling wildly at her throat and stilled her. “You’re fine,” she said. “It’s gonna be fine. Stop freaking out.”

“But am I doing the right thing?”

“Not this again,” Cami groaned, coming out of a stall and heading for a sink. “What number freak-out is this now?”

“Nine, since last night.”

“Oh my god, I need to sit down,” Ashley said, stumbling back blindly. She met a stool and slumped onto it, scooping her dress up from around her feet and holding it in bunches at her knees.

Cami and Maggie both rolled their eyes at her.

“Do you remember last night,” Cami said, shaking the water off her hands, “after about the seventh shot of tequila—”

“Oh god, don’t remind me,” Ashley groaned, stomach lurching.

“You told us how you felt like the luckiest woman alive. How much you loved him, and wanted to grow old with him, have lots of his babies and wash his socks for the rest of your life.”

Ashley squinted over at her. “I was drunk. You can’t hold that against me. And I would never wash his socks. That’s what a washing machine is for.”

Cami coughed out a laugh. “In vino veritas,” she said. Ashley kind of wanted to slap her.

“But what if this is a mistake?”

“Look.” Cami sighed and sat beside her, then took her hands and made her look her in the eye. “If you really don’t think you’re doing the right thing, then let me know now, and we’ll end it. No one is cheering you and Preston on more than me, but you have to be sure. And if you’re not sure…”

Breathing steadily, staring at Cami’s face, Ashley said nothing. It was on the tip of her tongue to say it—yes, please, go out and tell them I can’t—but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, an image of Preston came to her mind, and not the one out there right now, standing at the end of the aisle, in his wedding tux, waiting for her.

She thought of him, and she saw him in his casual sweats, sitting on her couch, bowl of popcorn in his lap, and those fine little wrinkles at the side of his eyes when he laughed. She saw his smile, and she felt the warmth he gave her, and she remembered what it was like to wake up and look at him, take in the perfection of him and know that she had him all to herself, forever. She remembered that look in his eyes when his love for her shone from them, how it lit her up from the inside, made her heart swell fit to burst.

She wasn’t afraid of marrying Preston. She was allowing the echoes of her past failure to seize control of her heart.

But this wasn’t like her first marriage. This one was forever. She knew it, deep down to the very bone, and it was time she let the past fade away. Once and for all.

“No,” she said, and then, stronger: “No. I want to do this.”

“Hallelujah,” Maggie muttered, while Cami beamed and pulled Ashley into a hug.

“You’re such a beautiful bride,” Cami whispered to her, making them both breathe out emotional giggles as they parted.

“Oh, shut up,” Ashley said, sniffing and composing herself, looking over at Maggie. “Okay, Mags, it’s time to face your own music.”

Maggie gulped, face running a little pale, and turned to the sink. To the little white test stick lying face down beside it.

“Come on,” Cami urged. “I’m dying here.”

“Are you ready?” Ashley asked one last time, and Maggie nodded.

Drawing in a fortifying lungful of air, Ashley turned the test over and stared at it.

Everything went still and silent, as if even the bathroom itself was holding its breath.

Maggie blinked over at them, her eyes glistening with moisture, and said in the smallest, most awestruck voice Ashley had ever heard from her, “I’m pregnant.”

The screams of delight and the crash of three euphoric women smacking together in a mishmash of hugs and tears could’ve probably been heard all the way down from where Preston was waiting.

He carried her over the threshold, because he was a sappy traditionalist like that, and she laughed at him for it, even harder when he managed to smack her head on the edge of the door frame.

Then he set her down, and for the first time as a married woman, she looked around at their new home.

It had been a mutual decision to spend the wedding night in their new house, start their married life off in the best possible place—the home they would share for the years to come. At least until they had a family big enough to outgrow it.

Not that she was thinking about kids yet. Much.

Okay, so maybe Maggie’s news today had her broody, but that didn’t mean—

“What are you thinking about?”

He was in the process of stripping off his tuxedo jacket and kicking away his shoes, relaxing himself in their home, just the way she liked him.

“Nothing,” she lied. Now was not the time to bring up babies, not when they’d only been married a few short hours. “Just how much I love this house.”

“Me too,” he said, smiling over at her. He came closer and took her in his arms. “Not as much as I love you, though.” Then he dipped his head low, breathing against her lips, “Mrs. Alcott.”

The name gave her a thrill, made her head spin a little. She was married to Preston. He was her husband. It amused her to think how she’d started this whole journey intent on catching a killer, and instead she’d managed to catch herself a fine husband—the finest, by far.

She didn’t think she could ever love anyone as much as she loved this man.

Well, except her future children, of course—

“You’re doing it again,” he said, pulling back from the kiss, looking entirely unimpressed.

“What?”

“Getting lost in thought.”

She winced. “I’m sorry. I just…” When she hesitated, he raised his eyebrows to urge her on, and she sighed. “Promise you won’t think I’m crazy?”

He pretended to think about it, as if he thought her crazy all along. “Well…”

“Shut up,” she said, tutting, pinching his side. He laughed, squirming away from her fingers, and nodded.

“I promise. Go on.”

Gathering up her courage, she said through a grimace-y sort of smile, “I kind of keep thinking about having a baby…?”

He blinked. “Oh.” It was obvious that was the last thing he expected her to say, and all humor had vanished from his face, leaving behind a worrying blankness.

“It’s just because of something I heard today,” she hastened to add, not wanting to reveal Maggie’s secret, but needing some kind of explanation for the hole she’d just dug herself. “It’s made me a little broody, but I’ll probably forget about it by tomorrow, don’t worry about—”

His finger against her lips brought her to a grinding halt, and his face was now lit up with amusement and beautiful affection.

“First, I know about Maggie,” he said. “She already told Declan, and he told me, and we had a toast to it—”

“Oh.”

“And second,” he continued, eyes glittering, mouth lifting into a filthy smirk, “if you want to get me into bed that badly…”

“Oh for god’s sake,” she huffed, yanking his hand away from her mouth, feeling her cheeks flood with heat. “You’re insufferable.”

“Yeah, but you’re stuck with me now, so…”

“Preston.”

“I couldn’t think of anything more perfect,” he said, pulling her in close, his playfulness now replaced with sincerity, “than having a family with you.”

Warmth spread through her chest, wrapping around her heart like an electric blanket. “Really?”

“Really.”

His face was soft, his eyes alight with love, and in that moment, with her husband’s arms around her, standing in the middle of the home they would share for years to come, she felt like the most treasured woman in the world.

---

---

“Hey, Cami,” Ashley said, leaning over the counter of the nurses’ station. “It’s slow right now. Why don’t you go ahead and take your lunch break?”

Cami glanced at her watch and was surprised to find that it was already after noon. She was over halfway through her ten-hour shift and well past due for a break. The Emergency Room of Sacred Heart Hospital, where Cami Hendricks worked as a nurse, had been unusually busy for a Tuesday morning, and the time had gotten away from her.

“Sure,” Cami said with a smile, knowing that Ashley wouldn’t be able to take her own break until after Cami had returned from hers. “I won’t need the full half-hour. I’m just going to grab a snack and a protein bar.”

“No need to rush!” Ashley called from behind her as Cami made her way towards the staff locker rooms. “And you’ll need more than a protein bar to make it ‘til five. Take your time.”

Cami nodded absentmindedly before turning the corner. In the locker room, she grabbed her purse and immediately checked her phone. As a single mother of a three-year-old, Cami was always worried about her daughter. If it wasn’t against hospital policy, she’d keep her cell with her at all times in case of an emergency.

But for now, her mother knew the direct number for the ER nurses’ station, where Cami spent most of her time. If something went wrong at home, or there was any issue with her daughter Madison, Cami had no doubt that her mother would be able to easily contact her. Still, like any mother, she worried.

She smiled as she looked at the picture on her phone’s lock screen, a beautiful photo of Madison greeting her. The girl’s strawberry blonde hair was quite a bit lighter than Cami’s own fiery red, but the vibrant green eyes of her daughter matched her own, as did the mischievous smile of the three-year-old staring back at her. Every time Cami picked up her phone and looked at the picture, her heart lurched a little, swelling with pride and love. Before Madison, Cami hadn’t known that it was possible to love someone this much.

After smiling down at the picture for a moment, Cami swiped to unlock her phone. She couldn’t help but groan a little in frustration. Instead of any calls or texts from her mother—who often sent her picture messages of Madison throughout the day, even if Cami could only see them on her breaks—there were two missed calls and a text from her ex-husband, Ken.

Call me! was all the text read. Cami rolled her eyes, really not wanting to deal with whatever the irresponsible bastard had to say during her short break. It was Ken’s turn to take Madison this Friday, and he was probably trying to get out of it. He only had her every other weekend, but he still ended up canceling half the time. As much as she didn’t want to talk to him now, Cami knew that if she waited until after her shift, she’d definitely be too tired to deal with his crap.

Instead of calling him back immediately, Cami made her way towards the cafeteria. Once she was armed with strong coffee and a protein bar, she found a secluded area outside to make the call. Steeling herself, and aided by a much-needed caffeine and sugar boost, she dialed the number of her ex.

“Hey, Cam,” Ken said instead of hello.

His voice was a little too chipper, and Cami immediately knew something was up. She also hated the intimate way he still referred to her, despite the hostile divorce. It was like the last two years had never happened.

“What’s so important, Ken?” Cami asked, not bothering to keep the exasperation out of her voice. “You need to make this quick. I’m on my break.”

“Do you have a moment to talk? If not, I can call back later. There are a few things I need to talk to you about.”

“I won’t have time after my shift,” Cami replied flatly. “I’ll be tired and I’ll have Madison. Just tell me whatever it is that you need to talk to me about so badly.”

“Okay, yeah,” Ken replied, but then said nothing else.

“Just spit it out, Ken,” Cami demanded, growing even more frustrated. Her break was dwindling, and she didn’t have time to waste on yet another bout of her ex’s shit.

“I just wanted to let you know—before you saw it on Facebook or something—that I asked Natalie to marry me last weekend. And she said yes.”

“Oh,” was all Cami could think of to say.

Ken had begun dating Natalie almost immediately after their split. In fact, Cami had a sneaking suspicion that he’d begun seeing the blonde even before Cami had finally left him.

Natalie was everything Cami was not. She was tall and thin, where Cami was short and voluptuous. While Cami had always been proud of her curves, Ken had often made comments about her needing to lose weight—especially after the birth of Madison. That was only one of many reasons why she’d eventually decided to divorce him. There had also been the drinking, the partying, and—if her suspicions were true—the cheating.

Still, Cami couldn’t help the small pang of jealousy creeping up her spine. It’s not like she wanted Ken back or anything. She was definitely happy to be rid of him. But he had so easily found someone new to warm his bed, while Cami hadn’t even been on a date in over a year. She loved Madison, and being a mother was her number-one priority. Yet she still yearned for someone to share her life with.

“So yeah,” Ken began after an awkward moment of silence. “I just thought you should know, since she’ll be a part of the family officially now. She’ll be Madison’s stepmom.”

That statement made Cami cringe. She didn’t want to imagine that woman having anything to do with Madison, much less being considered a parental figure.

“Well,” Cami replied curtly. “Congratulations. I wish you every happiness. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get back to my break.”

“Actually,” Ken replied. “There’s something else I want to talk to you about.”

“What?” Cami couldn’t keep the added level of annoyance out of her voice, but she really didn’t care.

“Natalie has put in a notice at her job,” Ken replied. “She wants to be a housewife.”

She just wants to live off your money, Cami thought, but she didn’t say this aloud. If he wanted to marry a gold-digger, so be it. He was smart enough to make sure she wouldn’t get anything in the divorce—same as he had done to Cami. Four years of marriage, and Cami had walked away with a menial monthly child support payment and no spousal support. That’s what happens when your husband comes from a family full of lawyers and has unlimited funds, all while you can barely afford the cheapest lawyer in the phone book.

“Good for her,” is all Cami said in reply.

“So we were thinking,” Ken continued, “since you work so much, and Natalie is going to be a homemaker, Madison could spend more time with us. In fact, I was thinking that it would make more sense if we took over primary custody.”

It took a moment for his words to sink in. Ken had never really seemed to be all that interested in more custody than he already had. In fact, it was often difficult to get him to keep Madison on the weekends he was already scheduled to have her. And now, he was expecting to take over primary custody.

Cami couldn’t help but laugh: it had to be a joke.

“It’s not funny,” Ken replied. “I’m serious.”

“Ken, there is no way you could handle any more custody than you already have. And there is absolutely no way I am giving up primary custody of Madison.”

“You don’t get to decide that on your own,” Ken replied. His friendly tone was gone, and he was beginning to sound angry.

“No, Ken, the lawyers decided that during the divorce. And you agreed upon it.”

“Yeah, well that was then. This is now. Natalie will be a stay-at-home mom. That’s what Madison needs. It’s more than you can provide for her.”

“You have no idea what Madison needs!” Cami was nearly shouting now and she saw a few heads turn towards her in the courtyard. She swallowed and continued in a calmer, quieter tone. “Ken, where is this even coming from? I can’t even get you to keep your scheduled time with Madison. Why are you asking for more now?”

“Things are different now. Natalie and I are getting married. We’re going to be a family.”

“That’s awesome,” Cami replied sarcastically. “Start your own family.”

“We can’t,” he said quietly. “Natalie can’t have kids.”

Cami knew that she probably should have felt bad at hearing such a revelation, but instead she was incensed.

“So what?” she asked, voice rising again. “You think you can just take my daughter away from me to play house with? That’s not going to happen.”

“Yes, it will,” Ken voice was forceful and confident. It made Cami cringe. “I was hoping we could work this out like adults, but obviously you’re being too immature.”

“I’m being immature?” Cami gasped. “You’re the one that thinks he can just decide to take my daughter away from me.”

“Think about this rationally,” Ken said. “Natalie and I can give her things you can’t. You work ten-hour shifts at the hospital. You barely ever see her as it is.”

“That’s not true,” Cami snapped. “I only work those long shifts so I have three days off a week to spend with Madison. You have no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t have the slightest clue what Madison needs.”

“I know she needs security. I can provide that for her. Natalie and I can. We can provide for her.”

“I’m providing for her just fine, no thanks to you!”

“Like I said, Cam, I was hoping to do this like civilized adults, but it is obvious that it’s not going to happen, so I’ll have my lawyer contact your lawyer. We’ll have a sit-down sometime next week. If it has to go before a judge, so be it. I will be getting custody of my daughter.”

Cami felt nauseated. Angry tears were sliding down her face, and she extended her hand to hold the phone away from her, so that Ken wouldn’t be able to hear her distress. She knew that if Ken insisted on taking this to court, he would most likely win. He had money. He had fancy lawyers. Cami didn’t even have a lawyer of her own. She could look up the lawyer she’d used during the divorce, but that idiot hadn’t been much help then and she couldn’t risk losing now.

Absentmindedly, Cami realized that Ken was still talking. She gently pushed the phone back against her ear.

“…that would be easiest. Just give me the name of your lawyer. I can have Gil get in touch with him directly, since you obviously can’t handle this yourself.” Cami cringed, both at the thought as well as the mention of Gil Dubois, Ken’s lawyer and an old friend of the family. He had been the one to make sure that Cami walked away from the divorce with absolutely nothing.

“I don’t have that information on me,” Cami replied, making sure her voice sounded even and calm, though she felt anything but. “I’ll have to get back to you with that.”

“That’s fine. I’ll get it from you when I pick up Madison this weekend.”

With that, Ken hung up. Cami appreciated that he hadn’t tried to say goodbye or feign any sort of niceties. He’d made his intentions clear. He wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

Cami stared down at her phone until the lock screen reappeared, along with the green-eyed, freckled face of Madison. No matter what, she couldn’t lose her daughter. She didn’t know how yet, but she would find a way to fight.

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