Free Under the Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis Page B

him. “She’s… ours.”
    “Yes.”
    “I mean, did you get a good look at her? We did that. We made her,” she marveled.
    “We did good.” He pulled her in close.
    She swallowed hard, clearly fighting tears. “We did really good. God, it brings me back, you know?” She dropped her forehead to his chest. “Back to that time when it was all so messed up.”
    “I know.” He felt the same. Tara had spent the last five months of her pregnancy in Seattle. When she’d gone into labor, she hadn’t wanted him there. He’d gone to the hospital anyway, though as far as he knew she’d never known he was there. He’d sat in the waiting room by himself staring at the walls, agonizing over the hell she was going through for all those hours, terrified for her.
    Afterward, he’d spent more long hours just staring at their daughter through the nursery glass until they’d eventually carried her away to deliver her to her new parents.
    To her new life.
    “When I had her,” Tara said, voice muffled against him, “it was so much harder than I thought it’d be. The pain. The worry. I kept telling myself that it would be over soon, and then when it finally was, they asked if I wanted to hold her for a minute. I had told myself no, no way could I do it and give her up, but I did. I took her.” She paused, lost in the memory. “It was only for a second, but she was awake. She opened her eyes and looked right at me and I knew,” she whispered. “I knew she was going to be beautiful.” She pressed her lips together. “And for a minute, I didn’t think I could give her up.”
    “Tara.” Ford pressed his forehead to hers and fought with the what-ifs.
    “I’d made my decision, and I was okay with it,” she said, nodding as if to help convince herself. “It was just that when she looked at me… God, those eyes. She still has your eyes, Ford. And her eyes—your eyes—they’ve haunted me for seventeen years.”
    “You’re shaking,” he murmured.
    “No, that’s you.”
    Well, hell. It was.
    “You were so good with her today,” she said and sniffed. “You knew just what to say, and I… I froze.”
    “You did fine. It was a shock.” Ford slid his fingers in her hair and tugged lightly until she lifted her face to his.
    Her eyes shimmered, and she gave him a small smile that reached across the years and all the emotions, and grabbed him by the throat. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, he cupped her face and lowered his mouth to hers, just as Mia came back into the room.
    After an interminable beat of silence, she said, “I don’t know whether to cheer or be grossed out.”
    “Did you find the computer?” Tara asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
    “Yes.” Mia turned to Ford. “You’re up in the voting so far, but not by much. Maybe you should help a few ladies across the street today if you get the chance.” She grabbed her plate of pie and paused, head cocked as she studied the both of them. “Were you two really just about to kiss again?”
    Tara winced. “Only a little bit.”
    “But you’re not together,” Mia clarified.
    Tara winced again. “No.”
    Mia studied them both. “I don’t have any siblings, do I?”

Don’t miss Jill Shalvis’s bestselling Lucky Harbor series.
      

     
    “Heartwarming and sexy…an abundance of chemistry, smoldering romance, and hilarious sisterly antics.”
    — Publishers Weekly on Simply Irresistible
     
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    “A Perfect Ten! Tara and Ford have some seriously hot chemistry going on and they make the most of it in THE SWEETEST THING. Trust me; you’ll need an ice-cold drink nearby.”
    —RomanceReviewsToday.com
     
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    “This touching, character-rich, laughter-laced, knockout sizzler is the latest in Shalvis’s award-winning series.”
    — Library Journal , starred review
     
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    “Count on Jill Shalvis for a witty, steamy, unputdownable love story.”
    —Robyn Carr, New York Times