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“Four years,” Ace said. “Why?”
Dmytro chuckled. “Do the math.”
Ace frowned. “What math—” He shot a glance toward Jasmine.
She nodded, a smile spreading across her face.
“He’s mine?” Ace stared down at the little boy’s face. “He has brown hair like mine, not black like yours, and he has brown eyes.”
“Like yours,” Jasmine concluded.
Ace felt like he’d been punched in the gut. In a good way.
Holding Eli on one arm, he gathered Jasmine close in the other. “I woke up not long ago alone, single and with no prospects of finding the woman who got away.” He kissed the top of Jasmine’s hair. “Now, not only have I found the woman I’ve loved all this time, but I also have a family.” He grinned. “Life doesn’t get much better than that.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Jasmine said, more tears spilling down her face.
“Mama, are those happy tears?” Eli yawned.
“Yes, baby,” she said. “They’re the happiest tears.”
“Then my daddy must be happy, too.” Eli stared up at Ace’s face.
Ace nodded, his heart so full it might bust out of his chest. “You and your mama are everything I could have dreamed of. Yes, sir, these are happy tears.”
Epilogue
“I can’t get over how you managed to replace the copper scroll in the Jordanian museum without anyone catching you at it.” Hank Patterson shook his head.
The rest of his security team covering the filming in Jordan had gone back to their hotel rooms, leaving Hank, Sadie, Ace, Fearghas and Jasmine at the table in the restaurant in Amman.
“I don’t know how you convinced the Jordanian government to allow you to finish filming at the museum,” Ace said.
“My beautiful wife did most of the convincing.” Hank lifted Sadie’s hand and kissed the backs of her knuckles.
“An apology and a promise to pay for a more robust security system goes a long way,” Sadie admitted. “I’m glad the scroll was returned. No worse for the journey it went on.” She gave Jasmine a sweet smile.
Jasmine sat beside Ace with Eli stretched across their laps. “I’d do it all again, just to get my son back,” she said softly so as not to wake him. “And I couldn’t have done any of it without help from your team, Hank.”
Hank laughed. “Or one in particular?”
Jasmine’s cheeks turned a pretty pink.
“We were blessed with the help of two other people,” Ace said. “Fearghas and Dmytro were amazing. Have you considered hiring protectors other than from the US?”
Hank grinned. “As a matter of fact, yes,” he said. “Meet the newest member of the Brotherhood Protectors, Fearghas.”
Ace glanced across the table at Fearghas. “Seriously?”
Fearghas chuckled. “Hank’s a very persuasive man. I only agreed when he said we could open an office in Europe.”
Ace turned to Hank. “What do I have to do to be attached to the European office of the Brotherhood Protectors?”
Hank cocked an eyebrow. “You have to agree to be in charge of the Brotherhood Protectors International.”
Ace’s brow lowered. “In charge?”
“I’ll rely on you to staff it with other men...” Hank’s glance went to Jasmine, “and women.”
