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She trusted Dave. Dave was intelligent and wise, loving and compassionate. What was she afraid of?

Dave wouldn’t walk away from a problem. It just wasn’t his way. He was so gentle, even for a cop. He was compassionate. He loved his baby boy. Maybe it would be too much for him, fantasizing what their child might be in for growing up. And that was her fear, that he’d be treated poorly because of his condition.

“Stop it,” she said. She had to take the chance.

She crossed the village limits, driving into Cypress Cove. Were there any special needs children in their neighborhood? Would the community accept their child? By the time she pulled into the garage, she determined that this would be the perfect place to raise their son.

The elementary school was right across the street. Annie’s mother-in-law was in a serious relationship with the principal. His father was the sheriff! His grandfather and uncle were the longtime village veterinarians. Surely that was predestined; she could make sure their child got everything he needed.

She sat in the car for a moment, the importance of the information she had received expanding exponentially in her brain until she couldn’t stand it anymore and she broke down crying. Pity for Dave flooded her. Attracted to each other like magnets, they evidently had conceived their son at the first coupling.

There was the three of them from the beginning. Dave never had a chance; he didn’t have a say in the decision, and her guilt enveloped her. She had trapped him even though he’d reassured her repeatedly that it wasn’t the case.

“Stop it,” she said again, getting out of the car.

In the cottage, she washed her face and put on fresh makeup for his homecoming. They loved the weekends, Fridays especially. Now she was going to ostensibly destroy it by giving him news he would not want. She didn’t have a plan for the reveal. It was better to just come right out and say it.There’s a good chance our baby will be born with Down syndrome.

He arrived home on time, excited to hear about how her doctor appointment had gone. After kissing her, he went to get a soda.

“Do you want to change?”

“Sure. Come back with me,” he said, heading for their bedroom. “What a day.”

Thankfully, he launched into exciting news about the new prosecutor in Saint John’s Parish and what it would mean for the department and forgot about the appointment. She watched him put his weapon in its designated place and grab clean underwear. His routine was to shower after work and she wouldn’t interrupt that, sitting on the bed listening to him talk as he stripped and got into the shower stall.

Suddenly, she wanted to shower with him.

“Can I get in with you?”

His grin stretched ear to ear. “Yes, I’d love it. Your butt has been on my mind all day.”

She undressed, howling out a laugh, knowing he was watching her every move.

“My butt is getting bigger by the minute.”

He held out his hand for her and she stepped into the stall.

“I’ll try not to make this a sex act.”

“Please, make it a sex act,” she replied seriously.

“Your skin is so soft. It’s like silk,” Dave whispered, kissing her neck. His hand traveled down over her belly and baby boy Chastain performed a somersault for his father, his parents laughing.

They lathered each other, rinsed off, and then got into the hidden places to get down to business, ending up staying in bed long after the sun set. They lay in each other’s arms, Katrina on her side, mindlessly playing with the hair on his chest while he talked about gossip a deputy shared. Finally, he remembered when the baby moved against him.

“What’d the doctor have to say?”

“I have some news.”

“What kind of news? Are you having twins?”

He chuckled, sitting up in bed, reaching out for her belly again.

“No, I’m not having twins. Can you imagine?” She pulled away from him a bit; even the rhythm of her breathing had changed, like she was holding her breath.

Suddenly, he knew that there was something he needed to hear, but not wanting to hear it.

“The baby is healthy; he’s got a great heart. But there is a problem.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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