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He gurgled in pleasure when he saw her.
“Hampton, sweet baby. It’s you. It’s Momma.” Her voice caught on the words, and her tears splashed on his blanket. “I’m here. It’s okay. I love you. Love you so much.”
She held him to her breast, kissing the top of his sweet-smelling head, and the rest of the world disappeared.
She felt Quint’s hand on her back.
“Come,” he said. “We have to go, now.”
“It’s him,” Amara whispered, not knowing why she did so. “Do you see your son? It’s him. He’s okay. He’s — I’ve got to check him out. Let’s get to the car.”
“Yes,” Quint said. “Let’s do that.”
Amara hardly heard Quint and Gabriela talking behind her as she rushed to the car, Hampton cooing and wriggling in her arms, his fingers tangling and tugging on her hair as he had always done.
“You are not staying in Uruguay?” Gabriela asked in urgent tones.
“No. We’re going straight to the airport,” Quint answered. “Do you need a ride? I can send a driver for you.”
“I will stay with my cousin. It is best you go as soon as possible. Things could become difficult should the situation be reconsidered.”
“I understand. About the police. If —”
“There will be no need for your involvement. Suicide is a delicate matter. We will try to manage this. You understand.?
??
Amara was opening the car door when she realized she heard more than Quint’s and Gabriela’s voices. She heard a keening, the unmistakable cries of a woman in pain.
Isabela.
Amara had no way to help her. And she damned Frederik once more for what he’d done.
Before getting inside, she caught Gabriela’s eye. She waved once and nodded a thanks. Gabriela nodded back and then turned toward her grieving cousin.
And Amara and Quint sped off into the warm night, Hampton cradled safely in his mother’s arms, relaxed at last.
AMARA DIDN’T FEEL SAFE UNTIL they were in the air, which was moments after their arrival at the airport. She didn’t know how much Quint paid to get them out so fast, with only a single official who hardly glanced at their passports and only asked if she were Hampton’s mother. Whatever Quint paid, it was worth every penny.
As soon as the crew told them it was okay to remove their seatbelts, Amara turned to Quint with a smile.
“It’s time to meet your son,” she said gently.
Quint’s handsome face glowed when she handed Hampton over to him. Quint lay the baby on his lap and uncovered him as if he were the most precious present he’d ever received. And, she supposed Hampton was exactly that, for both of them.
Quint blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the tears that were sparkling in his pale blue eyes, eyes identical to his beautiful son.
Quint delicately touched Hampton’s head, the cherubic cheeks and chin. Hampton watched his father intently, as if he understood how momentous this was. He waved his tiny hands in the air and blew bubbles, making Quint chuckle in delight.
Quint took one of the little hands between two of his fingers. “My God, he’s so tiny. And look, there’s five tiny fingers. Perfect. And five over here. Gotta check the toes. Yep, five and five.”
He glanced at Amara with an out-of-character shy smile. “I’ve been waiting to do that forever, even though it’s too late for it to matter.”
“It’s not too late,” Amara said.
He looked back down at Hampton, tickled his tummy and leaned down to blow gently into his face to make him smile. “The pictures didn’t do him justice. He honestly is the most beautiful baby ever, in the history of humankind.”
“I know. I tried to tell you.”
