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Clare blinked and looked up.
Instead of Selena, Ember stood in front of her—all blond curls and a big smile, carrying Cassie in a baby seat. She set the baby down in front of Clare and took the seat beside her.
Clare leaned down and ran a finger over the sleepy baby’s hand. “Appointment for you, or for her?”
“Despite the amount of time she and I have spent here the past few months, neither.”
Clare glanced over.
“One of Gage’s guys called Trey. Trey called me.” She looked at Cassie, pure innocence on her face. Given she’d been a CIA agent, Clare didn’t believe one ounce of it.
“So everyone thinks I need you to come over and babysit me?”
“More like they all care and thought you might need someone.” Ember shot her a look.
Clare returned it. “That’s worse than babysitting.”
Ember rolled her eyes. “Don’t make me interrogate you. I know some scary stuff.”
“And you’d use it on me.”
“Now I have new-mom creativity. You ever change a diaper that explodedeverywhere? Talk about enhanced interrogation techniques. One whiff of that and I’d start talking just to get out of there.”
Clare had been all spooled up to tell her that no, she’d never dealt with a diaper explosion. But by the end of Ember’s speech that had burned out. Clare sat back in the chair. “We got shot at. One of the bank robbery suspects is in critical condition.”
“Sure, sure. Anyway,Gage Deluca.” Ember’s eyes were amused, even though she played it cool. “And your history.”
“I told him. He didn’t get mad.”
Ember stayed quiet for a second. “There’s more to it than that. Keep talking.”
Clare told her how he’d been expecting her to talk about the shooting, and his entire reaction all the way to him kissing her on the forehead.
“Okay so, I love him.”
Clare glanced over.
“I love Trey, don’t get me wrong. But this guy?” Ember fanned her face with one hand.
“All right. You’re laying it on a little thick.”
“You already know you guys work.”
“Getting pregnant at seventeen doesn’t mean it worked.” Clare paused. “Some people even think that’s like theworstthing someone can do when they’re not married.” She’d seen atrocities, and some of the most terrible things a person could do to another. Getting pregnant outside of marriage didn’t measure up to that.
“What I mean is that you cared about each other.”
Clare couldn’t argue with that.
“So God is doing something.” Before Clare could say anything, Ember continued, “That’s why you’re here and he’s here right now. Why it’s hard, because you’re both having to face things you buried for a long time.”
“I don’t have to face it. I lived it.” A nurse wandered by, so Clare waited until she was out of earshot. “Gage is the one who broke things off with me. I went through all of it, by myself.”
Ember blinked, her eyes wet.
“I don’t need your pity.”
“It’s not pity,” Ember said. “It’s what God does, when He takes your hard heart and exchanges it for one that’s soft.”
