A chime floated on the air, signaling that a door had opened, followed by Zane’s “Tess? Where are you?”
She tried to keep her voice steady. “In the office.”
His voice moved up the stairs. “Is everything okay? I was kindof expecting you to be in the garage.” Which was where each of them had been every time either one returned from a trip since their wedding six months ago.
“I wanted to mix it up a little.” Her attempt at casual confidence had failed dramatically. But it didn’t matter. He was here.
ZANE FROZEIN THE DOORWAY.When he’d left ten days earlier, this was their home office.
No one would mistake this space for an office anymore.
The diplomas and awards had been replaced with neutral prints of baby animals—lions, tigers, and rhinoceroses.
Tessa stood beside a rocking chair, holding a fluffy elephant.
Was this really happening? “Princess?”
“Welcome home. You’re going to be a daddy.”
Epilogue
WELCOME TO GOSSAMER FALLS
The small sign, freshly painted and lettered in an elegant script, was tucked into the mountain laurels on the side of the twisty road that Tessa and Zane had been traveling for thirty minutes.
“That’s the smallest welcome sign I’ve ever seen.” Tessa had turned in the passenger seat so she was facing Zane as he maneuvered through the curves. “How did anyone ever find this place before GPS?”
“From what I gathered, not many peopledidfind their way to Gossamer Falls, and the people who live here would prefer to keep it that way.” Zane tapped the phone. “This says we’ll be at the police station in two minutes.”
Tessa flipped down the visor mirror. “Well,” she said as she applied some lip gloss and settled back in her seat, “it’s lovely here. And isolated. I can see why the president thinks it would be a good option for their anniversary trip.”
“I’d prefer he stay at Camp David.” So did the rest of the Secret Service.
“Camp David is safe, but it isn’t romantic.”
“True, but Camp David isn’t hours away from civilization either. And FLOTUS isn’t exactly the ‘roughing it’ type.”
“Asheville’s not that far. The First Lady likes Asheville.”
“Princess, this is the part of North Carolina where a person could hide out for months. Years even. There could be any number of criminals hiding in these forests.”
Tessa patted his arm. “I don’t think we have to worry about a criminal element in Gossamer Falls. If they’re hiding, they’re not going to show their face when we flood this mountain with Secret Service agents.”
Zane snagged her hand and laced his fingers through hers. “Even if there’s no danger, I don’t see FLOTUS being happy with anything less than five-star accommodations, dining, and spa services.”
“According to the information they sent, The Haven has all of that.” Tessa pulled the fifty-page, high-gloss, full-color booklet from her bag.
“I’ll believe it when I see it. And taste it.” Zane still couldn’t believe they were in Gossamer Falls, NC, on official Secret Service business. He could only imagine the field day the press would have if they knew that government resources were being used so he and Tessa could spend a weekend at The Haven. No one had ever heard of the place, yet it claimed to be a resort that catered to the highest echelons of society.
But before they visited The Haven, they needed to check in with the police chief—who was expecting them—and explore the town, hopefully without anyone being the wiser about their real purpose. Zane pulled to a stop in a visitor space in front of the building with a sign proclaiming it to be the Gossamer Falls Police Station. “This can’t be right.”
“It’s adorable.” Tessa grinned at him.
Zane bit back a growl. “Police stations aren’t supposed to be adorable.”
“And yet...” Tessa waved a hand toward the small mountain bungalow. “I could see this being featured inSouthern Livingas the newest trend in stylish law enforcement options.”
He jogged around the SUV and opened Tessa’s door, then took her hand and held it until she was on her feet. But instead of stepping away, he rested his other hand on the slight bump where their son grew inside her. “How’s our boy?”
