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Still blushing, Candace turned to leave the room, but Shaw caught her and kissed her on the crown. “I love you, sweet girl.”

“Love you too, Daddy.” She disappeared down the hallway and closed the door quietly.

“What the hell did you say to her?” Cherilyn asked, staring at Shaw.

“Just gave her enough rope and let her hang herself. My mom always says that’s best.”

“Well, it worked. That’s the nicest she’s been since she’s been here.”

Shaw nodded. “Yeah. I hope it took.” Then he stepped up and pressed his hands on top of Cherilyn’s hips. “I heard what you said.”

“What I said? When?”

“When you said that what we were doing was a natural expression of our love.” The look on her face told him she hadn’t even realized what she’d said. “Do you love me, Cheri?”

“Um, it’s just an expression, and I don’t?”

“Because I think I love you. Matter of fact, I know I do, even if it’s just on an introductory level.” His lips found hers as he leaned into her.

She pulled back with a grin. “Introductory level? Like you’re going to get a trial period and if you like it, maybe you’ll pay for the subscription?” Cherilyn asked with a giggle.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I’m going to pay for the subscription, but I want my whole trial offer first.”

“Is that right?” She was laughing outright, and so was he. Life was good.

At least for the moment.

* * *

It was almosttime for him to leave for his shift when his phone rang. “I hope you have good news.”

“The DNA results are coming by courier in about an hour.”

“Can’t they just send them in an email?”

“They could, but Cruz and Dax want a certified copy from the lab. It’ll hold up better in court. Can you come down here?”

“Try to stop me,” he told Aaron.

“Good. We’ll be here waiting.”

It would take him almost that long to get there, so he just told all of the girls goodbye and took off. He didn’t tell Cherilyn what was happening. She didn’t need to know until they knew more. To his surprise and delight, there was an unmarked car with a deputy in it near the end of his driveway, and he felt some measure of relief just knowing that someone was watching the house while he was gone.

As he drove, he thought about the night before. God, it had been so perfect. For the first time since he and Morgan had divorced, he felt as though he’d found someone he could bond with, someone who’d treat him decently. She was someone he could trust and depend on. As badly as she’d been treated, he was pretty sure that anything he did for her would be appreciated, and he intended to do a lot. If they worked out and really wound up together, he’d treat her like the princess she was, the princess she deserved to be. The girls too.

Then he thought about Candace. Maybe she’d straighten up after their talk. He’d missed her so much over the time they’d been apart, and all he really wanted was to be her dad again. He knew it would take time, but that was fine. She’d gone when she was twelve. Those three years weren’t a lifetime, but for an adolescent, they might as well be. Her body had done a lot of maturing in those years, and so had her brain. Then he snickered?maybe her brain hadn’t done as much maturing as he’d thought. At any rate, no matter how she acted, he really was glad she was there.

The parking area was almost full at the sheriff’s office in Williamsburg, but he managed to find a spot and headed toward the building. About half of the people in the parking lot were folks he knew, many of them deputies. The side door to the building was unlocked for the day, and he stepped inside to find Aaron and Cruz standing off to the left near the front desk, an envelope in Cruz’s hands. When Aaron spotted him, he motioned to Cruz, and the two men moved in Shaw’s direction. “Got it?” he asked before they reached him.

“Yep. About to do the unveiling. Dear god, I hope there’s something to unveil,” Cruz said, finishing the sentence in a whisper.

“If there’s not, we’re screwed,” Aaron said with an exasperated sigh.

Shaw sighed too. “Tell me about it.”

“Got it?” a voice asked as they made their way into the conference room, and he looked up to see Dax already at the table, piles of files on either side of him.

“Yeah. Here we go.” Cruz plopped down in a chair and slid his finger under the envelope’s flap. The resealable adhesive let out a gripping sound, and he reached into the envelope and pulled out several sheets of paper.