Worth Dying For (24 page)

T
ESSA LAY
in the hammock on the porch of their vacation house on St. Thomas, her hands resting protectively over her protruding belly. She and Dante were expecting their second child in two months. The ultrasound had confirmed that this squirming little bundle of joy was a boy. They’d already chosen a name. George Wesley Moran, named for his grandfather G.W. They would call him Wes. Leslie Anne had insisted. And being the big sister gave her certain privileges.

Looking out toward the ocean, Tessa watched Leslie Anne and Dante swim to shore, both of them laughing. Tessa sighed with contentment. Her life was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Even if she would never remember being Amy Smith, she had the very best of Amy’s life. She had Dante. The man she loved. The man who loved her. Loved her as both Amy Smith and as Tessa Westbrook.

He loved her so much that he’d given up his job at Dundee and gone to work for her father at Westbrook, Inc. And to G.W.’s surprise, he was turning out to have quite a head for business.

“Decaf iced tea?” G.W. held out a tall, frosty glass to Tessa.

“Thanks, Daddy.” She accepted the glass and took a sip.

“Look at those two, would you?” G.W. watched Leslie Anne and Dante horsing around on the beach. “They’re so close and love each other so much, you’d never realize he hadn’t raised her from an infant.”

Tessa reached up and grasped her father’s hand. “A lot like you and me, Daddy.”

G.W. smiled, a wistful look in his eyes. “You’re the child of my heart, even if you’re not my biological daughter.” As Dante and Leslie Anne came running toward the beach house, G.W. squeezed Tessa’s hand. “Thank God, Dante turned out to be Leslie Anne’s real father. I know he’s the kind of man who would have loved her regardless, but for her sake—and yours—I’m so very thankful.”

“We all are,” Tessa said, remembering the day the DNA tests had confirmed that not only was she Amy Smith, but that Leslie Anne was Dante Moran’s daughter. She’d never forget the pure joy on Leslie Anne’s face when they’d told her.

As soon as she came up on the porch, Leslie Anne gave her grandfather a peck on the cheek. “Where’s my iced tea?”

“Coming right up,” Aunt Sharon said as she brought a tray of iced tea glasses out on the porch.

Dante squatted beside Tessa and laid his hand over her stomach. “How’s my boy doing? Still using mommy as a punching bag?” As if on cue, their son began squirming. Dante rose up and over Tessa, then leaned down and kissed her belly.

“Would you two like to be alone?” Leslie Anne asked jokingly. “I can take the old folks into town to do some shopping.”

Sharon set the tray on the wicker table, then swatted Leslie Anne’s behind. “Old folks indeed. I’ll have you know
that I have a date tonight with a darling young man not a day over thirty. And he’s bringing his mama along for G.W.”

Everyone laughed. Aunt Sharon would never change and they loved her just the way she was.

“Does he have a younger brother?” Leslie Anne asked.

“If he does, he has to pass inspection,” Dante said. “You know the rules. No boy dates my daughter without my approval.”

Leslie Anne groaned. “Daddy, you’ve scared off every boy in Fairport. Can’t you leave the boys here on the island alone?”

“Not on your life,” Dante told her.

Tessa reached up and dragged Dante into the hammock with her. “You three go shopping. And don’t rush back. Stay all afternoon. Dante and I can amuse ourselves.”

“I believe that’s our cue to leave.” Sharon motioned to the others, then turned around and went back inside the beach house. As soon as Leslie Anne and G.W. followed her, Dante cuddled close to Tessa. She turned so that they lay face-to-face, then she kissed him.

“I love you, Mr. Moran,” she said.

“And I love you, Mrs. Moran.” He patted her belly. “And I love this baby and our daughter and G.W. and Aunt Sharon. Heck, I love the whole damn world.”

As they lay there in the hammock, a tropical breeze caressing them, they held each other. Not one day went by that they didn’t thank God for their good fortune. They were blessed. Truly blessed. They’d been handed not one, but two miracles. A love that had been lost to them had been reborn, stronger than ever. And a child had found her true father.

Life is good, Tessa thought. Oh, yes, life is good.