Page 108 of Facing the Enemy

“But we’ll be together,” I said.

He waved a finger at me. “One more reason I love you.”

Joy tugged at the corners of my mouth, and I rested my chin on the palm of my hand. “I want to hear those three words every day for the rest of my life.” I didn’t care if I sounded like a hopeless romantic or a child who just received an early Christmas present. “How long do we keep this quiet?”

“Most people already know.”

“Who?”

“Jack for one guessed it, and Carson asked me if I was in love with you.” Gage chuckled. “Carson went on to tell me I didn’t look at you like you were my coworker. I denied both of them until I couldn’t any longer.”

Our texts sounded at the same time. Jack.

Luke said the person responsible had us blinded.

60

Was it possible to be numb with love while the world exploded in chaos? I thought so because my emotions were spinning like a top. I turned over in bed and saw the Saturday morning’s hour hovered over ten thirty. For the first time in days, my body didn’t ache from exhaustion, or my heart pierced from grief.

Last night, Gage had held me like I might break and kissed me good night at the door like I’d dreamed about for months.

Now, as I replayed every tender word and sweet memory from last night, I had this woman-in-love optimism going. What would it be like to have his child, a little boy or girl who was a blend of us? I covered my mouth with a chuckle. Heaven forbid, our child would have to line up their closet according to color, use, and the last time they wore it. I crawled out of bed and ground beans for coffee. Today would be a great day. In a few moments, I poured a bubble-topped cup of rich black coffee and walked back to take a shower.

Gage planned to bring lunch around 1p.m., and we’d work on how to move forward in the Addingtons’ baby abduction and the subsequent murders. Until then I needed to focus on the case with the attention the victims deserved.

While I let the hot water pour over me, I thought about the Addingtons, Wades, Phan sisters, Carson, Mercurys, Jack, Luke,Florakis, the two men locked up on murder charges, and where I fit. What did Jack and Luke have in common with any of them? And why did Luke say the guilty person had us blinded?

A suspicion planted a seed in my brain, and the longer I dwelled on it, the more it grew.

Gage arrived on time with two bags from Chick-fil-A. The waffle fries and chicken sandwich with extra of their famous sauce filled my empty tummy. Gage’s kisses took over the appetizer and dessert. If we weren’t careful, our bodies would take us down a heated path.

Gage tossed the wrappings from lunch into one of the paper bags. “Good thing the camera and bugs are disabled, or we’d be in trouble.”

I groaned. “Our secret would be out, and we’d hit the gossip meter.”

“’Tis true. Sweet lady, we need to get some work done.”

I laughed. “Should we sit on opposite sides of the room?”

He nodded. “We might have to.”

I pulled open a drawer containing a legal pad and pen, then grabbed my iPad. He thanked me with a kiss and took a chair in the living room. I grabbed my Dr Pepper and curled up in a chair across from him.

“Want to check on Jack tomorrow afternoon?” I said.

“Yes. According to the nurses’ station, he’s making steady improvements. I’m hoping by Monday, Duong and Bui will have second thoughts about where they’re headed.”

“Let’s hope Zonner feels the same way. I’ve been thinking, and I don’t know if it’s God, but Anna Wright keeps popping up in my mind. We’ve talked to two of her trusted employees, and nothing’s really surfaced. But what are the odds of two instances of baby abductions in two years? Am I fishing for answers and suspecting those who support a Christian woman who loves on those birth mothers like they are her own?”

“Neither one of us are coincidence-believing kind of people.”

“I’ve read and reread the notes, but would you mind going over Jack’s and your meeting with Anna Wright?”

61

GAGE

I stared at Risa dressed in jeans and a bright-blue sweater. She had a smudge of yellow Chick-fil-A sauce on her cheek, but I wouldn’t tell her, and her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail. No makeup ... just fresh beauty. I wanted to wake up every day of my life with this woman beside me.