Mae sighed. “That’s why three agencies have pulled out of their contracted time at The Trident for next month? Why fifteen people have canceled their gym memberships and we got a termination notice from Clark at the Shop and Save for their monthly security monitoring?”
Yeah. Even her friends being there all day couldn’t stop her from checking in on her work messages and emails. And she’d seen the cancellations rolling in.
“You were meant to be resting today, Mae. Not checking emails and the schedule.”
“Sorry I like my job.” She shrugged. “And I won’t have one if these clients keep canceling on us.”
Stone pressed a kiss to her temple. “It’ll blow over.”
“I don’t think someone accusing you of murdering your teammates and then saying you used your connections to cover it up is something that’s going to justblow over.”
Stone sighed, his hand moving up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Mae rolled, her body tucking in along his side as herhand landed on his chest. She could feel the raised, healing skin from where he was shot under the fabric of his shirt. Stone didn’t comment as she ran her fingers over it with the lightest touch she could manage.
Her eyes went to the TV. “You turned on Dr. Quinn?”
“Yep. I think I’ve fallen asleep every time we’ve watched that last episode. Had to go back and see if the little kid ended up having his sight come back.”
“Why does this show feel like a warm hug?”
“Because you’re her birthday twin.”
Mae laughed. “I can’t believe you remember me saying that.”
“Please! As if I could forget that rant you went on. ‘February fifteenth is the best day of the year, not only because I was born that day, but because in eighteen thirty-three, doctor Michaela Quinn, my namesake, was born.’ As if you were named after a fictional woman whose television show came out when you were already, what, seven? Eight?”
Mae laughed. “Let a little girl dream, would ya?”
“I love that you love her, and that you love your birthday. No one of any consequence was born on my birthday.”
Her smile dropped. “I was thinking about it… the baby would have shared birthday months with you. Depending on the timing, you could have been birthday twins, too.”
Stone’s hand squeezed her hip. “I would have loved that.”
“It would have been special.”
Mae moved closer, her head resting on Stone’s shoulder. “Thank you. For pushing me to open up to the girls. I don’t know if I ever would have been strong enough to do it on my own.”
“You would have. You’re the strongest woman I know, Mae.”
“I’m not. I’d give anything to have our baby back. Just one more moment, cuddled in bed. The night I told you about thebaby… us talking about the future… It was the perfect moment. And I just want to go back.”
“I read something the other day, about babies and their moms,” he admitted. “There was a study done that showed fetal cells remain in a mother’s body for decades after the pregnancy ends… potentially for the rest of her life.”
His hand slid down over her belly. The hard swell they’d both felt that night was no longer there. Her body was healing from the physical trauma, but her ever observant boyfriend saw the edges cracking in Mae’s carefully crafted facade. He knew she wasn’t fine. She was drowning. And somehow, she always knew he’d find a way to get a life raft to her.
Mae’s hand slid over top of his, pressing down.
“The child we created together will always be a part of you. We may not have anything to remember them by out here, but their cells will forever be a part of your body.”
“That’s…” Her voice caught as she swallowed roughly. “That’s really beautiful to know. Thank you for telling me.”
“You can go back to sleep, Mae. I’ll be right here when you wake up. I’ll always be right here.”
Nineteen
Stone stared at the sidewalk in front of Dolly’s. That was where it happened. Where he was shot. Where he lost his memory, and almost lost his life. It just looked like a regular slice of concrete to him. Nothing life changing about it.
And yet it was.
