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KEELY

“Are you ready?” Mason asks, his smile lighting up my heart, my soul, my world.

But I can’t smile in return. “I’m too nervous. What if I mess it up?”

“You won’t. It’s just a meeting. We don’t have to take it further if you don’t want to.”

I look out the window of our SUV at the sun-dappled office building in Maryland, where our search has brought us. It’s been a year of incredible highs and a few heartbreaking lows.

When another email arrived shortly after my return to New York, this time with a photo of me tied up in the chair, and a ransom demand for one million dollars, Mason put his foot down.

He called in favors, and investigations were launched. The search took three months, but the blackmailer was found.

Richard Donner, a fellow UCLA freshman, confessed to sneaking in a camera and taking the pictures of me, before raping me. He was tried and convicted. Despite his confession, he wasn’t able to shed light on whether there were any other violators.

Professor Harding was also brought in for questioning, and arrested for several counts of sexual harassment.

Although I’ve found a little closure now, the deep dredging up of my past hasn’t been pleasant.

But Mason has stood by me throughout. And with a line drawn under the events of six years ago, I’m ready to move on to the next step: finding out if the child I gave birth to is happy.

Mason and I talked about it, but ultimately I’ve decided it will be better, if there ever comes a time that we meet face to face, to leave my child in the dark about his conception. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to have a connection with him, but for now I’m leaving the door open to possibilities.

My hand glides over the small swell of my belly, and the smile that’s been missing bursts from my soul.

Our little girl is scheduled for arrival at Christmas, and my heart can scarcely contain the love I feel for the new life growing inside of me.

I look up, and the love of my life is staring at me with utter adoration.

He picks up my left hand and kisses my knuckle just above where my diamond and platinum wedding rings rest.

“Happy thoughts, Mrs. Sinclair?” He quirks his brow at me.

“Happy thoughts. Always.”

* * *

Mason

“Come on. Let’s go do this thing.”

I round the car and open the door for my new wife. She smiles and slips her hand into mine as we head for the Child Protective Services office. Her skin glows in the mid-morning sunshine and I want to stare, and keep staring, at her for the rest of my life.

She’s beautiful.

And mine.

When further revelations of her past surfaced and threatened to send me back down a dark and tortuous road, her strength held me together.

And when thoughts of becoming a parent again terrified me, she talked me down.

Neither of us are bright-side people, but with Keely by my side, I greet each new day with a positive perspective. Especially if the day starts with one of us initiating a session of the mind-melting sex that drew us together in the first place.

“Careful there, Rusty, you’re leering with intent.”

I laugh, not minding the name so much now since it’s a reminder of how we met and what we’ve been through.

“Ah, sorry, Officer. Please go ahead and arrest me now. I intend to be a repeat offender.”