Page 27 of Nightfire

“She’s falling asleep,” Chloe whispered. “Can I carry her up? I wouldn’t want to wake her.”

“No,” Ellen’s eyes widened in horror. “Don’t wake her. Do you feel like carrying her up? It’s just a few floors up in the elevator.”

At any other moment in her life, Chloe would have recoiled at the thought of being responsible for a child in her arms. Walking, holding a baby. She had trouble keeping herself upright at times. She sometimes tripped unexpectedly. She was not in complete control of her body and carrying a tiny baby was not a good idea.

But she’d claw the eyes out of anyone who took this child from her arms. She’d suddenly been infused with a massive dose of physical confidence. She was absolutely convinced that she wouldn’t trip with Gracie in her arms. She felt strong, connected to the earth with massive roots that dug deep, invincible, unbreakable.

And then there was Mike, who stuck right by her side.

She couldn’t possibly fall, not with Mike beside her.

She felt the warm weight of Gracie in her arms, anchoring her to the earth, and smiled at Harry, her new brother, Ellen, her new sister-in-law and at Mike, her new…whatever.

“Let’s go, then,” she said.

SEVEN

Sam and Nicole’s place was as warm and welcoming as ever. It was Mike’s favorite place in the world, closely followed by Harry and Ellen’s apartment. And it held his two favorite people in the world—Merry and Gracie.

Gracie was in Chloe’s arms, as if she’d been born to be there. Mike would never forget how dazzled Chloe had looked when Ellen placed Gracie in her arms. She didn’t even notice Harry and Ellen’s reactions when Gracie immediately stilled then became content and drowsy.

Harry told him that Gracie had been crying for days, barely letting them sleep. One second with Chloe and she was content.

Man, did Mike ever sympathize. Chloe had this…this magic aura of warmth and gentleness and calm. He’d be feeling calm, too, if he wasn’t so goddamned aroused.

He’d been on a hair trigger kissing her. Only an absolute lifetime of serious and copious fucking had given him the self-control he needed not to come in his pants, something that would have been seriously uncool, something he hadn’t done since high school.

But man, it had been close. He’d felt Chloe’s orgasm in her mouth, against her belly, throughout her entire body. And when she told him it was her first—whoa. Mind blowing.

Sam and Nicole walked into the living room to greet them, Sam carrying Merry. She squealed when she saw him, turned to her father and ordered imperiously, “Down, Daddy.”

Sam was hard-wired to obey Merry, something Nicole worked on constantly. She said she was having another child simply so Sam could spread his spoiling between two children instead of one.

Sam placed Merry gently on the ground and Merry ran toward Mike like a homing missile, because she knew Mike was even more weak-kneed when it came to her and Gracie.

“Unca Mike!” she squealed and launched herself from two feet away, an old game. Mike caught her and whirled with her while she laughed. “Unca Mike, look!”

She caught his face between her two small hands to turn his head to her, just in case she didn’t have his full attention. Merry had the Princess gene in full.

“Yeah, pumpkin?” he asked.

She pointed at her feet. “Look, Unca Mike. New shoes!” She shot a small foot out so he could admire them. “They’re red,” she said in a hushed, worshipful tone, face solemn. “And shiny.”

Nicole rolled her eyes. “She’s been pestering me for those shoes since she saw them a couple of weeks ago.” She shot an ironic glance at her husband. “I don’t know who campaigned harder for those shoes—Merry or Sam.”

Sam looked abashed for a moment. Everyone knew he was genetically programmed to give Merry everything she asked for. He’d try to get her the moon if she wanted it.

“They’re beautiful shoes, Merry,” Mike said solemnly, biting his lips. Bright shiny new shoes—red shoes—were indeed something to be taken seriously. No smiling.

She nodded her agreement, black ponytail bobbing.

“I want to introduce you to someone, Merry. You have a new aunt.”

Merry’s eyes widened, mostly because, for her, aunt meant presents and dancing when her Aunt Ellen sang. ‘Aunt’ was a pretty neat concept in Merry’s world. One more aunt meant more loot and fun.

Mike turned to Chloe, Merry resting on one arm, Chloe holding Gracie in her arms. The moment, the picture, the idea—it was all so perfect, him introducing Merry to her new aunt.

“Merry, honey, this is your new Aunt Chloe. Say how do you do.”