CHAPTER FOURTEEN
TARA WAS ABOUT to lose Jeff.
But she wouldn’t trade the moment for anything. Why would she? He was finally going to see his son again.
The impersonal glare of the police station walls was broken only by scuff marks and glass cases full of pictures and trophies. The public portion of the building was nothing more than a wide corridor that ended at a glass window,behind which sat a woman wearing a uniform and badge.
Jeff had checked in and been told to sit. Tara had been parked next to him on the cold, hard bench for close to thirty minutes, holding his hand. If his bouncing knee was any indication, he was as antsy as she was.
She was going to suggest they get some fresh air when his cell phone rang.
“Is it over?” Jeff asked the caller without preamble.He released her hand and launched himself to his feet, striding toward the exit. His voice was too low to make out the words as he slammed through the double doors and disappeared into the night.
She hesitated. Should she follow or give him space? Filling her lungs on a long breath, she forced herself to stay put.
Either way, he knew she was here for him when he was ready.
The station waseerily quiet, any noise contained behind thick, windowless doors on either side of the check-in window. There was no magistrate or jail in the building, so presumably those who were arrested ended up elsewhere. How did the desk officer not go out of her mind with this cold, clinical view? Tara shivered.
The ring of her cell phone shattered the silence. Fumbling through her oversized purse, shefound her cell and answered before it stopped ringing.
“Hey, it’s Mick.”
“Hi.” Tara’s heart started racing. “Is she in labor?”
“Actually, she already had the baby.” The scratchy connection couldn’t mask the excitement his voice.
“Ohmigod,what? Are they both okay?”
“Yes, Jenna’s resting. I would have called sooner, but it came on fast. Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. You were busy.” Tara stoodand started pacing, a smile slowly overtaking her face. “But give me deets!”
Mick chuckled. “Her name is Mia Elena. She’s six pounds, eight ounces, and twenty inches long. Beautiful like her mom.”
Tara’s phone buzzed. Mick had texted her a photo of a scrunchy-faced blue-eyed baby wrapped in striped blankets and a cotton cap. “Aw, she’s adorable.” Something plucked at Tara’s heart. She wasso freaking happy for her friends. “It’s the year of girls. First Valerie and Scott, then Rose and Shaylee.” And Dan and Alyssa already had two girls. “Poor Robbie’s still the only boy in the bunch.”
“He’ll probably love it,” Mick said. “At least once things calm down around here.”
“We’ll make sure of it.” Tara checked her watch. It was just after ten p.m. “So, I’m in Wilmington, which meansI can be there in about ninety minutes once I get a rental car.”
Jeff was about to get his son back. He wouldn’t want or need her around much longer anyway. And Greg Luciano was in jail. She was safe again. The timing couldn’t be more perfect.
Mick released an audible sigh. “That would be great. My mom and Adele are coming tomorrow, but Robbie’s on the tail end of a bad cold. I convinced aguy from work to stay with him for a while, but the kid’s not handling us abandoning him well. Too much upheaval when he already feels like shit. He’ll be a lot happier with you there, especially since Jenna and Mia won’t be able to get near him if he’s still sick when they come home.”
Tara warmed at the praise, even as her chest pinched in sympathy for the little boy. “No problem.”
“I’llcall my buddy and let him know you’ll be here in the next few hours.”
“Okay.” Tara’s mind was already racing ahead to her next steps. She’d probably have to go to the airport to find a rental car this late. “Tell Jenna I love her.”
“Will do. And Tara?”
“Yeah?” She turned toward the door where Jeff had just reentered the building, his face flushed, jaw tight. Her smile dropped. Had somethinggone wrong?
“Thank you,” Mick said, breaking into her spiraling thoughts. “Knowing Robbie’s in good hands makes this whole thing a lot less stressful for us.”
“Of course! That’s my goal.” She tracked Jeff’s measured approach. “I’ll text you when I arrive.”
