“Thank you—for everything. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you then.”

After she left, Nick stared at the door for a long moment pondering how this news would go over with Sam. Sure, she’d be thrilled for Shelby the way she was for her sister Angela, who’d recently had baby Ella. Sam doted on her new niece and her other nieces and nephews. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t heartbroken on the inside.

Despite their frequent efforts over the last few months, they’d had no luck conceiving again. Sam’s thirty-fifth birthday in October had been overshadowed by the realization that time was getting away from her. He’d broached the subject of seeking out fertility treatment, but she’d been through that once before when she was married to Peter and wasn’t at all interested in doing it again. Her feeling was that it had happened naturally for them once before. Maybe it would again.

Nick would give up everything he owned and every ounce of success he’d experienced in his career if he could just give her that one thing she wanted more than anything else. Since Scotty had come to live with them, the topic had seemed less raw and fraught with peril. Scotty more than filled the void for her—for both of them. However, though she rarely spoke of it, he knew Sam still wanted the experience of being pregnant and giving birth.

He would have to find a way to tell her Shelby’s news and hope it didn’t gut her too badly to hear that yet another woman close to them was going to have the experience Sam had thus far been denied. She’d be thrilled for Shelby. Nick was certain of that, but inside she would ache for what might never happen for her. He was equally certain of that.

Chapter Ten

Shelby left Sam and Nick’s home, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Nick had been nothing but supportive and happy for her. Knowing what Sam had been through with her history of miscarriages, Shelby had dreaded telling them about her baby. Thinking about how and when to tell them had taken some of the excitement out of it for her.

Now she felt like she had permission to wallow in the joy that had filled her from the moment she first heard the incredible news from the fertility doctor she’d been working with for more than a year now. With Nick taking care of telling Sam, Shelby had one more person she needed to tell, and she was equally anxious about how her news would go over with Avery Hill.

The sexy FBI agent was a big part of her exciting new life as the personal assistant to the vice president and his amazing and accomplished wife. She’d met Avery through Sam and had been immediately attracted to him. Thinking about the day he’d come to interview her fertility doctor as part of a homicide investigation and found her in the waiting room could still make Shelby cringe all this time later.

The way she’d gone after him and asked him out for coffee was mortifying. She’d blamed it then on the hormones and the emotional wallop of pursuing her goal of having a baby for the out-of-character pursuit of a man who seemed well out of her league. Or so she’d thought until she got to know him better and found that he suited her in many of the most important ways.

He’d known from that day forward that she was trying to have a baby. They’d talked infrequently about her side “project” while they continued to spend more and more time together, so she honestly had no idea what to expect from him when she finally shared her news.

She drove to the Adams Morgan neighborhood where he lived and spent fifteen minutes trying to find a parking space. Everyone was home today with it being a holiday, and parking spots were in short supply. Luckily, her tiny pink Mini Cooper fit into the one spot she was able to find. The three-block walk to Avery’s place gave her time to collect herself and prepare for whatever might happen during this long overdue conversation.

Since she’d texted him to ask if it was okay to stop by, she wasn’t surprised when the door swung open as she came up the stone steps to his townhouse.

“Come in.” He swooped her into the heated warmth of his gorgeous home. Everything about this guy reeked of style and class, two things Shelby appreciated tremendously. “What’re you doing out in this freezing cold weather?”

“Coming to see you,” she said, smiling at him even as her nerves went wild when she thought about what she’d come to tell him. At some point over the last few months, she’d become rather attached to the sexy devil and would hate to lose him. Shelby followed him into the cozy den where he spent most of his time at home. She went straight to the fireplace to warm her hands over the flame. “I love this room.”

“So do I. The rest of the house is sort of wasted space. As you know, I use this, the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. That’s about it.”

“Still, it was a good investment that you’ll never regret.” She’d helped him shop for a place to live when he’d been made the director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigation Unit. This had been their favorite of all the places they’d looked at.

“Come sit,” he said, extending his hand to her.

Shelby crossed the room to join him on the soft leather sofa that she’d also helped him to pick out. His e-reader sat on the coffee table, open to the biography on J. Edgar Hoover that he’d been reading lately.

He put his arm around her and brought her in for a lingering kiss. “Hi there,” he said.

“Hey there.” She never got tired of looking at that face with the amazing cheekbones, the sensual lips, the golden eyes. Don’t even get her started on that South Carolina accent.

“This is a nice surprise.”

“I’m glad you think so.” She’d wanted some time to herself so she’d gone home after their midnight celebration last night, and they hadn’t made plans for today. “You’re enjoying your day off?”

“For the moment. I’m waiting for a call from our favorite lieutenant to consult on a case, but as usual, she’s dragging her feet where I’m concerned.”

“You’ll hear from her if she’s supposed to call you.”

“I’m sure I’m dead last on her to-do list, but she’s got a hot one that’s getting hotter by the minute.”

“What happened?”

“The mother of Gonzo’s child was murdered.”

“Oh my God. They don’t think he had anything to do with it, do they?”

“No, but the media is reporting that he’s the primary suspect and quoting MPD sources.”

“Come on,” Shelby said. “They can’t honestly think he’d do that.”

“They don’t, but a ‘well-placed MPD source’ apparently does.”

“Wow. That’s crazy. Sam must be furious.”

“I can only imagine, but something tells me you didn’t come here to talk about Sam.”

“No, not really.”

“Is something wrong, Shelby?”

“Not at all. Something is actually really right, and I’m so excited to tell you about it.”

“What is it?”

“You know that ‘project’ I’ve been working on since we met?”

“The baby project?”

“That’s the one. It seems that it’s been successful.”

“You’re pregnant?”

“I’m pregnant.”

“That’s great news. Congratulations. I know how much you’ve wanted that.”

“What does this mean for us, Avery?”

“I don’t know. What do you think it means?”

“I fear that it means you’ll be running for the hills, since you didn’t sign on for a package deal.”

“Didn’t I?”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t I know from the beginning that this was a possibility?”

“Well, yeah, I guess so, but that doesn’t mean I expect you to be part of it. Unless you want to be, that is.”

“Is there any chance this baby is mine, Shelby?”

“I...I suppose there’s a chance.”

“Then I’d say I’m part of it.”

“And if it isn’t yours?”

“I’m still part of it if you want me to be.”

“I don’t want you to feel obligated.”