He exploded inside her. Panting, he withdrew and turned her to face him. “Harper, I’m sorry.” He was careless.
She looked crestfallen.
“I’m stepping on my tongue. I…wanted you…so badly,” he panted, “I came inside you. I wasn’t protected.”
She took his face between her hands. “If we created a life, what would you want to do?” she whispered.
“Keep loving you and love our baby.” He hugged her.
A shiver ran through her as the water turned cooler. “Come, let’s get you warm.” He stepped out and pulled a towel off a warmer rack, then wrapped her up.
* * *
Curledup in bed after dinner and more lovemaking, Harper rested against Kip’s chest. “Sweetheart, we need to talk about something,” he said.
“What? What’s wrong?” Her heart pounded.
“I don’t know if it’s wrong, only it may change things. Your father called…”
She stiffened. “Oh, God, what does he want now?”
“A lawyer reached out to him, looking for you. Your father called the restaurant. Moises called the emergency number we had Chantal give him, and the call went to Elin. She called Brock Carpenter.” Kip was stalling.
“Sweetheart, the lawyer was representing Adelaide. She filed a new will before she was killed. In the case of her and Gabriel’s deaths, she named you guardian of Babette and Desirée.”
Harper took shaky breaths as she pressed up and knelt beside Kip. “Why?” Her hands pulled at her pajamas.
“My guess, she trusted you. She thought you’d love her girls,” Kip offered an explanation and hugged her.
Color continued to drain from her face. “But what will happen to us?” She began to shake.
“What about us? I love you. If they are part of your life, they are part of mine. I think, under the circumstances, it might be better for you stay here with me. I have plenty of room, that is, if you want to keep them.”
She grabbed a pillow and bopped him with it. “Merde, couillion.”
Kip laughed hard; his girl knew Cajun too.
She cocked her head. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure. I’ll have Elin find me pink binders, files, and paper to organize by. In the meantime, tell me what we need. Tomorrow, we go to the hospital and pick up the girls. I can work from home.”
* * *
Sunday,September 9th
Hurricane Greta T+11 days
The covers were pulledup to her ears, and she was curled around her pillow. Kip slid out of bed and tiptoed around the room to grab a pair of swim trunks. He proceeded downstairs, put up a pot of coffee, checked on the shift change for his security team, and used one of the downstairs powder rooms to change into his swimwear.
The huge lap pool had been vacuumed and cleaned. The chemicals were balanced rather than dump and refill. He wasn’t going to add to the flooding. He dropped a towel on a chair and stretched.
Two Eagle’s Talon personnel stepped onto the deck. Zayne Wentworth said, “Morning. Care for a swim, buddy?”
“Knock yourself out. I’m going for two miles,” Kip said.
“I’ll try to keep up,” the man, ten years younger, said.
“Whose idea is this? Hunt? Jule?” Kip asked.
