Tymber Dalton - It's a Sweet Life

Their mom’s wedding and engagement rings.

He suspected Ben would agree that it was perfect. And it would be a tangible reminder, even when both of them had to be away from her, It’s a Sweet Life 249

of their love.

He had to stifle a giggle as he hurried into the back entrance and to his office. I’m going to be a dad! He wanted to scream it to everyone and knew it had to stay secret.

Libbie had to stay secret.

He stopped by the receptionist’s desk. “Sorry I’m so late, had to take care of some stuff that cropped up. Anyone waiting on me?”

Technically, the first appointment wasn’t for another thirty minutes, but it didn’t hurt to check.

“Not yet. You all right, Allan? You look…different.”

He grinned. “I’m great. It’s a great day.”

She made an odd face. “It’s Monday.”

“I know. Isn’t it great?” He walked back to his office, resisting the urge to whistle all the way there. Even the uncomfortable, unfamiliar weight of Ben’s gun pressing against the front of his hip, combined with the bulletproof vest under his suit coat, couldn’t dampen his spirits.

Florio sat parked in a lot across the street from the government building’s employee lot. He’d considered sending a man in there to wait at Allan Donohue’s car and jump him, but realized there was too much security, as well as regular patrol sweeps by bailiffs, to pull it off.

Instead, he sent one of his men to Donohue’s house to watch there. He had two other guys stationed on either side of the parking lot he now sat in, so regardless which way Donohue turned when he left the garage, at least one guy should be able to tail him until everyone else could catch up.

Finally, close to six thirty, he saw Donohue’s car pull out of the garage and head north. He alerted his guys via the two-way phones he’d equipped them with, and soon the three of them were trying to 250 Tymber Dalton

follow Donohue through Miami traffic.

One of his guys was soon left behind, caught at a light behind another vehicle. As Donohue whipped through traffic, he realized if they hadn’t been made, they soon would be. He called ahead to the guy in front of him, who was three cars behind Donohue. “Circle the block and come up behind me,” he ordered. I’ll pull closer. I don’t want him making you.”

“Got it.” His man took the next right turn.

Florio waited until his other guy, the one caught by the light, caught up with him. “We’re going to leapfrog this fucker, got it? I’m going to circle around and come up from behind. Do. Not. Lose him.

Got it?”

“Got it.”

Florio felt his balls crawling up inside him as he turned off, losing sight of Donohue and his two guys. He was making another turn to catch up again when one of them called him. “He just took the Turnpike, heading south.”

“Stay with him. Take turns staying behind him. Don’t tip him off.” Traffic was heavy, but would quickly begin to thin out with the end of rush hour, increasing the chances of Donohue spotting them.

He made his way to the Turnpike and soon caught up with his men. He hung back several cars. “When he turns off, you two keep going and I’ll pick him up.”

That happened five miles later. Florio felt the sweat soaking his shirt despite the AC over the stress of not losing him until he knew his guys were behind him once again in traffic.

“I think he’s going to his house,” one of them said. “We’re close.”

Florio struggled with what to do. “Hang back. Let’s hope you’re right.”

Five minutes later, he nearly cried with relief when the guy staged in Donohue’s neighborhood, parked in the driveway of a foreclosed house nearly a block down, reported Donohue had just pulled in.

“Thank Christ. Something’s going right.”

It’s a Sweet Life

251

Allan had decided to go by his house before stopping by the hotel for Ben’s things. And it was so late that he’d grab his own stuff and check out tomorrow, after Libbie and Ben were safely out of Miami.

He didn’t think anyone had followed him, although once or twice not long after leaving work it had seemed like maybe there was. Each time, however, the car had turned.

I’m just paranoid.

He quickly went to his bedroom and found what he was looking for. He hadn’t opened the velvet jeweler’s box in years. He looked at them, smiling as he thought how beautiful the rings would look on Libbie’s finger.

He closed the case, pocketed it, and hurried back to his car.

“Look sharp, he’s coming,” Florio ordered. He’d told his guy who’d been waiting at the house to take the lead. With it growing dark, it’d be harder for Donohue to spot them. After thirty circuitous minutes, Donohue stopped at a hotel and pulled into their parking garage. Just as Florio was getting ready to send someone in to see what they could find out, Donohue reappeared with two suitcases, which he tossed into the backseat of his car and took off again.

“Now what?” one of his guys asked nearly an hour later after they’d followed him to another hotel, where he’d parked and gone inside.

“Now, we fucking wait, that’s what. Boss wants them both, but especially the cop.”

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Dalton

Libbie still couldn’t believe how much life had changed for her in the past few hours. She honestly had never considered the possibility that her nausea was from being pregnant. Fibro was the gold standard of mystery symptoms, and sometimes they even changed from week to week. But while waiting for Allan to return, they’d gone ahead and used the third test kit.

Positive.

Ben had room service brought up for lunch for them, and was getting ready to order it again for dinner when they heard a knock on the door. Ben silently walked up to the door and looked through the viewfinder before opening it.

Allan rushed in, dumping the two suitcases on the floor before grabbing Libbie and pulling her into his arms.

“There’s my girl.”

“You okay?”

He grinned. “I’m going to be a dad. I’m better than okay.” He looked at Ben. “I had to struggle to keep the shit-eating grin off my face all day.”

“No one followed you?”

“No way. And I got this.” He pulled a black velvet case out of his jacket and showed it to Ben. “Mom’s.”

Ben frowned. “Is that from your house? You went by your house?”

Allan’s smile faltered. “Yeah. What’s the big deal? You went by my house this morning.”

“Dude.” He shook his head. “That was risky. Twice in one day we go there, that’s fucking risky!”

“No one followed me. Now, can we do this right, or are you going to bust my balls all night?”

“What’s going on?” Libbie finally asked, confused by their behavior.

Ben joined Allan. Allan opened the case and withdrew a ring. Ben held her left hand steady while Allan slipped it on her finger. “This It’s a Sweet Life 253

was our mom’s engagement ring,” Allan said. “If it creeps you out, then we’ll get you something else, but—”

“I love it.” It was a simple setting holding a small stone, but to her it could just as easily have been the Hope Diamond.

Ben kissed her hand. “You still want to marry us?”

She nodded. “Yes. Absolutely.”

They got their dinner ordered, and it was all Libbie could do not to rip Allan’s clothes off him during the wait. Once the food arrived and they ate, Libbie didn’t waste any time.

And Allan, unlike Ben, didn’t need a reminder that condoms were unnecessary.

For the first night in months, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

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