Page 109 of Wretched Lies

Reid leans against the examination bed so our faces are almost touching. “Is everything OK?”

“All is as it should be at this stage. Baby’s limbs are growing, and he or she is developing facial features,” she says, tilting the doppler.

We both tip our heads to one side at the same time, trying to make sense of the image.

“You might just have to take my word for it at the moment,” Katie says, laughing. “But yes, everything’s fine. You can relax your grip on Quinn’s hand now.”

Continuing to use my false identity had been an easy decision. I created Quinn Jamieson as the woman I wanted to be. Strong and determined. And it was Quinn who Reid fell in love with. She’s the version of me I’m learning to love too.

Reid relaxes his white-knuckle grip, and I flex my fingers to let the circulation flow back.

“Sorry,” he says to Katie, “but keeping tight hold of her is a habit I’ve no intention of breaking.” Leaning in closer to me, he whispers in my ear, “Everything I could ever want is right here.”

“We’re all done for now,” Katie says, standing to give us some space.

“Actually,” I say before she has a chance to wipe the gel from my abdomen. “Do you think…” I point with my eyes to the door.

She blushes. “I did notice your little fan club,” she admits. “They’re pretty hard to miss, so if you want to invite them in, we can put on a quick show.”

I’m expecting Maddie and Lily to befirst through the door, but it’s Hunter and Mace who crowd around Katie, much to her delight. Maddie and Lily are close behind, as giddy as their husbands, and Ash is last to make an appearance. He takes up a spot nearest to me and Reid, the gentlest smile on his face as Katie begins to explain what we can see on screen.

“Are you OK?” he whispers to me.

“It’s like I’ve just stepped out of a nightmare and into a dream.”

Ash puts his hand on Reid’s shoulder. “It’s been a while since I considered our lives as anything close to a dream. It’s good having someone else’s perspective occasionally so we can appreciate how fortunate we truly are.”

“Can you tell if it’s a girl or a boy yet?” Hunter’s asking Katie.

“Not from this scan, no. Maybe in a few weeks.”

“I think it’s a boy,” he says.

Maddie steps closer to the screen. “No, it’s a girl.”

“Would you like to place a bet?” he challenges his wife.

“What’s the prize?”

Hunter smirks as he whispers something in her ear. Maddie blushes. “And if I win?” she asks. He whispers again and she slaps his chest. “You can’t say things like that when there’s a baby in the room.”

Her husband shrugs. “The baby didn’t hear.”

“I did,” says Lily. “And it seems like Hunter wins either way.”

Mace snorts a laugh. “In that case, maybe we should make a bet too.”

“OK, that’s enough,” Reid interjects. “Everyone out.”

Ash leans in to kiss the top of my head. “It was nearly a beautiful moment, but you can always trust at least one of my brothers to fuck it up.”

I can’t quite believe these are the same men I was so scared of when they raided Ilya’s compound. “It was a beautiful moment,” I correct Ash. “Thank you.”

He’s ushering the others out the door when he pauses. “If you want to thank me, then you know who to name as godfather.”

Reid closes the door on the argument that Ash has just sparked, and beams a smile at me. “Welcome to the family.”

Epilogue