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“I know that now. But what if you’d lost consciousness or something. If it had been you or her?”
He takes my jaw in his palm. “Understand this, and believe it. It was meandher. Always. Once you were safe outside, that was my focus. My only goal. If I hadn’t been able to get us both out in time, we’d have died there, together. It’s that simple. Not my first choice, but that would have been how it ended.”
“But it didn’t end that way.”
“No. Thank God.”
I lay my palm on his cheek. “Thankyou.”
His lip quirks. “You’re welcome. Anytime.”
I lift my shoulders from the mattress to kiss him. “If I’m to stay here, I really should get to know my way around. How about that guided tour you promised me?”
“Youarestaying, then?”
I nod, slowly. “I’m scared. I admit that. Not of you, though, and not of…this place. Or the people who live here. When you showed up at first I was scared. Scared for Morgan, scared of what I might be bringing her into if I did what I wanted to do, deep down. If I let you into our lives. She was always my first priority. It was always about keeping her safe, not making me happy.”
“I get that,” he murmurs.
“I know you do. I had to do what was best for her. I’m stepping into a world I don’t understand and probably won’t like all the time, but I’m even more afraid of the life I’ll have without you in it. I love you, Jack Morgan. For myself, and for my daughter, too. Our daughter. We want to stay, with you. Both of us, wherever that means.”
He kisses me, his tongue tangling with mine. I comb my fingers through his hair, open my mouth to welcome him, then it hits me. I shove him away.
“Shit!”
“What the…?”
“I made a monumental cockup,” I blurt.
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you want to get married? Because I do.”
He gives me a crooked smile. “Okay. I might have dressed it all up a bit more. Hearts and flowers, that sort of thing, but yes. Good plan.”
I shake my head. “No. Bad plan. We’ll have to change her name.”
“Whose name?” His brow furrows, then realisation dawns. “Ah, right.” He rolls onto his back, taking our baby with him and positioning her on his chest. “You can’t be Morgan Morgan, can you? You’d be teased at school, and we can’t have that.” He turns to face me. “Any ideas?”
I start to shake my head, then it occurs to me. The obvious choice. “Faith. We’ll change her name to Faith. And, we could ask her to be godmother. Do you think she’d agree?”
“I think she’d love it.” He warms to the theme. “And what about Esther as her middle name?”
I consider it for a moment. “I thought about that when she was born. You don’t think it’s too old-fashioned?”
“No. I think it sounds absolutely right.”
I kneel up and take my baby. “Hello, Faith Esther Morgan.”
She offers me a toothless grin.
“Oh yes, I think that has a definite ring to it. Shall we put you back in your cot? Better still, should we ask Magda to look after you for a little while?”
“Excellent idea.” Jack reaches for his phone. “Hold that thought…”
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Tony, Jenna, Jack and Ruth as much as I enjoyed writing their stories. Look out for the next book in The Caraksay Brotherhood series.
Savage Warrioris Rome and Maja’s story, due for release later this year.
