Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 127949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Her eyes dart to me, then the men, then at the paper, and finally at Kezia.
“She’s not sixteen.” Margaret snarls at the two men, then fixes her eyes on me. “She’s not sixteen, Merrick.”
“What do you mean? How do you know?”
“Because, she’s my daughter.”
It’s pushing mid-night as I sit, looking out at the moon, stroking Kezia’s hair as she sleeps with her head on my lap.
I don’t have the heart to move her and possibly wake her because she’s had one hell of a day. I have too, and Margaret and Summer…
Life is stranger than fiction, for sure.
After I called for back-up and we took Thadius and his side-kick Marco into custody, we got down to figure out what the fuck was really going on.
We pieced things together the best we could.
With info from Margaret and Kezia, it looks like Margaret was right. Kezia is her daughter. Summer’s fraternal twin.
The allergies were one clue, but Kezia’s unique brown/blue eyes apparently were her biological father’s genetic anomaly as well.
Those things could have been coincidental, but then Margaret laid out the facts surrounding the home for unwed mothers where she gave birth, and the name of the doctor, which matched the information on Summer’s birth certificate.
When the doctor falsified Kezia’s birth certificate, he didn’t think to change the fact that Kezia was a fraternal twin. The birth year was changed in another forgery attempt by her family in order to try to frame me, but in the end there was more proof to show they were the criminals and when the district attorney gets finished with them, they won’t be moving around and playing their games for a very long time.
The list of crimes committed since the birth of Summer and Kezia went on and on and the people Kezia was sold to by the doctor do this for a living, so after some investigating, there wasn’t much doubt.
What I do know for certain, is my babygirl is here to stay. I’ll do everything in my power to help her adjust to the changes and new information about how her life began and, in the end, I know it was all meant to be.
Some cosmic plan set in motion long ago to bring us all here to the same place and settle each of our souls in its own way.
The last thing we talked about before she fell asleep was the dark-haired girl back at the festival. It’s her ‘sister’ of sorts. She made me promise I would do what I could to get her away as well, and I can’t say no to my baby, so I’ll get to figuring that out as soon as I can.
Tomorrow, Kezia will be wearing an engagement ring. She asked me how I knew they had taken her, so I had to admit the little gold ankle bracelet and charm I gave her was also a GPS tracker.
She twisted up her face for a second, pretending to be mad pointing a finger at my nose. It didn’t last. I told her I would keep her safe, and that is what I’ll do.
My little sprite. She will finally have her home.
And so will I.
Chapter Fourteen
Kezia
“Istill feel like I’m dreaming.” I look up at the gazebo covered with lilacs and peonies, the sweet scent of the flowers still hanging in the air hours after we were married inside the white structure in the center of the town park. It’s only been less than two weeks since the day we met, and now we are husband and wife.
“Then let’s never wake up.” Merrick pulls me next to him. I haven’t been out of his sight since the day at the diner and I wonder how he’s ever going to go back to work and leave me.
He’s talked about hiring me a bodyguard, but with the way he and his friends and family have rallied around me, I don’t think that’s going to be necessary.
I reach up and put my hand on his hard jaw, the enormous ruby and diamond ring making my fingers look more doll-like than ever before. The sun is casting a pink and orange glow on the clouds as we walk back into the gazebo.
I think back just a few hours ago, Summer and Genevieve stood by me, each holding onto a pink leash so Rosy and Eleanor could be my maids-of-honor as well. Merrick went back to the fair the day after everything happened along with five other deputies and plucked Genevieve out of the mess.
He offered her a place to stay, a new life, and although she was conflicted, she came with us and her life is evolving as well. She’s staying at the house and will watch the dogs while we’re on our honeymoon.
“I just wanted to see you in here one more time. I’d marry you a million times if I could. Today was the happiest day of my life. You’re mine in every way, Kezia, little one.” He kisses my forehead and even that simple gesture sends a shiver over my skin and a pulse into my girl parts.