Redemption (Book 3) The Fixer Series (20 page)

I'd hoped that what I was about to do wouldn't backfire and that he would trust me
, fully.  It was kind of a crap shoot, because with Stefan involved, Dylan could go off the deep-end.  He didn't like working with the guy, but he tolerated him for the sake of his expertise in the F.B.I.  My mission wasn't any different. 

Convincing Dylan that we had others places to go besides our bed on our anniversary, was less than easy.  And in order to get around it, I had started lying and telling him that I wasn't feeling well.   After hours of negotiation, I finally got him to agree to let me take him out for our special day.  He h
ad no idea what he was in for, and truth be told, neither did I.

I had no idea what to expect, other than it would be an emotional day and I hoped I wasn't fucking up our anniversary. 

I had Lucy pack us a nice picnic lunch of fried chicken, macaroni salad, bananas and chocolate fudge-striped cookies.  I'm sure Dylan was going to shit himself when I pulled it out of the basket, but I didn't care.  That's what I was craving these days and I had to have it.  Besides, where we were going, I imagined that the only two people that would be eating would be me and the little peanut growing inside of me. 

I'd just finished folding the blanket when Dylan came out and wrapped his arms around me.  "Happy anniversary
, again, Princess," he said, giving me a kiss on the back of the head.

"Happy anniversary, stud.
  Are you about ready to go?  I don't want the weather to turn shitty on us during our picnic."

"You know we don't have to go, right?  We have a home,
so we can stay here and have a picnic in the living room."

"Please," I begged.  "I really want to do this for us.  Besides, I have a big surprise for you."

"I have a big surprise for you, too, Brooke.  Right here, in my pants."

"Dylan!  Gross!   Why do you have to say stuff like that all the time?"

"Because I'm a guy, and I only think about one thing. Sex...with my beautiful wife."

"Okay, that's really sweet, but we have to go."

"Ouch, Brooke!  That hurt," he said, grabbing the blanket and basket off the counter.

"I'm sorry, but stop talking like that.  Are you
gonna say stuff like that when the baby's born?"

"When it's just us in the room?  Yeah, probably."

"Great," I said, rolling my eyes and walking toward the elevator doors.

"Feeling a little moody or hormonal today, are we?"

"Fuck you!  It has nothing to do with that.  You're getting on my nerves and pissing me off!"

"Such language.  You're not going to talk like that around our baby
, are you?  Oops, you already did. The baby can hear everything you say, Brooke."

"You're an asshole sometimes, you know that?"

"Yes, Princess.  You have told me that, many times."

"Well
, then it must be true." I turned, giving him a loud kiss on the lips. 

It was a perfect day for a picnic in the park, as August was always beautiful in Colorado.  It was starting to cool down just a bit, as it did every year around this time when the kids started going back to school.   

The park was quiet and a picnic area with tables was open, so we ditched the blanket.  Dylan opened the basket, pulled out the chicken and then started laughing, and continued to laugh as he pulled the cookies out. 

"Who packed this, Brooke?"

"Lucy.  Why?"

"Because for starters, you know I don't eat fried food.  Second, macaroni salad?  Gross!  Third, cookies?  That sounds like a pregnancy thing to me.  I think the only thing I can eat here is a banana."

"Well, she asked and I told her what sounded good.  Besides, I think you can eat fried chicken, just this once.  Pretty please...for me?" I asked, batting my eyelashes at him.

"Just this once, but only because my babies want it."

I giggled, and then I suddenly became very nervous.  I saw Stefan's car pull into the parking lot.  He wasn't alone, but was with a woman.  I continued talking to Dylan, so he didn't suspect anything, but my heart was pounding in my chest and I prayed so hard that he didn't hate me for what I was about to show him. 

As they approached, the woman spoke in a soft voice, "Dylan?"  He turned and looked, his face white as a ghost as he just sat and stared.  She was beautiful, like him.  Her long
, dark hair flowed over her shoulders as her blue eyes sparkled with tears. 

"Danielle?" he said, standing.  He grabbed her and held her tight as tears flowed down both of their cheeks.  "My God, is it really you?" 

"Yes, little brother, it is." 

"But I thought...I saw it with my own eyes.  How?"

"It's a long story.  I've missed you so much.  You don't know how many times I wanted to tell you I was alive."

"Does M
om know?"

"Yes.  Your wife
, Brooke, set up the meeting."

"But..
," He turned, and looked at me questioningly.

"Stefan helped, Dylan.  He recognized her from the picture on your desk, when he was helping me locate Thomas."

"What?  You all knew?"

"No, b
aby.  I didn't know until that day, when Stefan asked me about the girl in the photo.  I explained that she was your sister that had died tragically.  The longer he looked at the picture, the more he was convinced that he knew who she was.  So, he set up a meeting between her and I, and the rest is history.  I wanted to tell you so many times, especially the day you came home from your mother's house, but I couldn't risk it.  I had to wait, and since our anniversary was coming up, I wanted to give you something extra special.  I really hope you don't hate me."

"Shocked?  Surprised?  But hate?  No,
Princess, I don't hate you.  I love you!  You've given me a piece of my heart back and for that, I can't thank you enough."

"Dylan, I know we have a lot to talk about
," Danielle said.  "But right now, I'd like to sit and have lunch with you, Brooke and the new baby," she smiled.  "Do you think that would be, okay?"

"Yes, yes, please do.  Brooke has gone through the trouble of having our housekeeper, Lucy, pack us this delicious lunch.  What would you like first?  Perhaps
, some macaroni salad?"

"Gross.  No
, thank you," she said, scrunching her face.

I laughed,
"Boy, Dylan wasn't lying when he said you two were a lot alike.  Picky, picky, picky!"

Stefan chuckled,
I'd almost forgotten that he was still there.  Dylan stood and walked over, thanking him, reassuring him that we would get Danielle home safely.  When Dylan sat back down, I ran up to Stefan's car.  "Thank you for everything," I said, giving him a hug.  "I know things were rough between us, but you're a good man, and you deserve to go home and be with your family." 

"That's where I'm headed.  I haven't seen my wife and kids in almost a year.  I don't know if I'll even recognize them
, anymore."

"Take care of yourself and try fin
ding a job a little closer to home, will ya?  That way you don't have to be away from them so much.  They need you, Stefan. Don't miss out on watching them grow up." 

"I'll think about it
. By the way, the case against your father and the others, is officially closed," he said, turning on the car and closing the door.  I felt a tinge of sadness as I watched him pull away, knowing that I'd never see Stefan Arici again.  Another chapter in my life had closed. 

We'd had a lovely day in the park, sitting, chatting and getting to know Danielle.  She was a lovely woman, and I was reminded of Dylan every time I looked at her.  And although, she and Dylan had been apart for so many years, they picked up right where they left off.  It was good to see him relaxed and smiling
, once again.  

I crawled into bed, exhausted.  I laid there
, thinking of all the things that were going good in my life, since I'd been able to rid the things that weighed me down.  I loved Dylan more than an anything in the world, and I felt blessed that he'd chosen me to be his wife and the mother of his children.  Something I had longed for, for so many years. 

A tear escaped my eye as I realized that my dream had become a reality.  Dylan joined me in bed, and was talking
about the excitement of the day and how much he'd missed his sister.  I listened intently, placing my hands on my lower belly, and then it happened.  The baby kicked.  I was so excited, but I didn't say anything, just in case I had imagined it.  But Dylan kept talking, and then again, the baby kicked. 

I quickly grabbed his hand, as he continued talking and placed it where mine had been.  Little feet kicked at him, rendering him speechless for a short moment. 

"Was that?"

"Uh huh," I said,
nodding my head.

"That is so cool," he said, going down and kissing my belly.  The baby kicked his lips and he laughed.  "I love you
, little one," he said and kissed the baby again. 

My heart melted just a little more, because there was nothing sexier than hearing a man tell his unborn child how much he loved them. 

The End   

Epilogue

We had settled on a home, located south of the city that sat nestled inside the foothills, where it provided us plenty of privacy.  The first week we had moved in, I had gone to the local home improvement store and purchased a large, wooden play gym for my daughter.  I knew she wouldn't be able to play on it for years to come, but that didn't stop me from purchasing a baby swing that she could use once the weather warmed up.   Brooke thought I was crazy and out of my mind.

She was right.  I was crazy in love with the little family she and I'd created.  We had only been in the new house
for about a month, when I received the phone call that she was in labor.  I rushed home quickly, and raced to the hospital.  I guess I thought our baby would come quicker than she actually did. 

My beautiful Brooke was huge, her belly swollen and every opportunity I got, I told her how much I loved her, and our little girl.  Then the big day at the hospital happened, where she s
queezed my hand so tight, I thought she'd break it.  The obscenities she spewed at me was enough to make a sailor blush.  I had a newfound respect for my wife -and -women after seeing what they had to go through to bring a life into this world.