Free Drawn To You (Taking Chances #3) by Liwen Ho Page A

mind,” Lucas chuckled softly. “You don’t mind, do you?”
    Shaking her head emphatically, she cupped his face and kissed him again. When she pulled back, she whispered against his lips, “Not at all.”
    Neither did Lucas. Because for the first time in a long time, he was letting his heart do the leading, and he was more than happy to follow.

SEVEN
    Sam snuggled the newborn close to her chest and breathed in deeply. The pure baby scent filled her senses, and she couldn’t help but sigh. This evening, with all of its surprises, couldn’t be turning out any better. The giddy feelings swirling inside her body made her smile again. That kiss had been amazing, so amazing that she almost forgot the searing pain in her ankle.
    “You seem happy.” Her sister eyed her suspiciously.
    “Of course I’m happy. I’m a proud auntie to another little girl, and a sneaky one at that.” Stroking the baby’s soft cheek, she cooed, “All this time I thought I was getting another nephew and you show up. We’re going to have so much fun together. I’m the fun aunt, you know.”
    “You hate hospitals and you have a twisted ankle. I thought you’d be complaining about how much pain you’re in, but you’re smiling. What kind of meds did they give you downstairs?”
    “How is it possible that you’re lying in a hospital bed and you still sound like a doctor?” Shifting in her seat, she reached forward to adjust the ice pack laying across her left ankle, which was propped up on the edge of Melanie’s bed. “They didn’t give me anything. The nurse said to keep it elevated and iced, which I’m doing. I’m just distracted by this cutie pie.”
    Melanie’s expression softened. “She is cute, isn’t she? I think she might look the most Asian out of the three of them. Her hair’s the darkest.”
    Sam lifted the pink knit cap on her niece’s head to reveal a tuft of dark brown hair. “True. But her complexion is pretty fair. If you’re trying to give Ma a Chinese-looking grandkid, I think you’ll need to try again.”
    Melanie sighed. “I told her with almost a billion and a half Chinese people in the world, we’re not going to die out anytime soon. But you know, Ma. Once she gets an idea in her mind—”
    “It’s stuck there like super glue,” Sam finished. “She’s determined to marry me off this year. She called every day this week to read me the classifieds in the Chinese paper. The best one so far has been: Serious engineer seeks special lady friend. All blood types welcome.”
    “At least she didn’t place an ad for you.”
    Sam’s face heated. “Don’t you dare give her any ideas!”
    “With her help, you might be the one to save our people,” Melanie joked. “Too bad you prefer non-Asian men.”
    “I may be reconsidering my stance.”
    “You are? What changed your mind?”
    Before Sam could speak, there was a gentle knock on the door. It opened slowly and a blond head popped in. “Mel? Ben said I could come in.”
    “Sure, Ash, come meet your new niece.”
    Melanie’s sister-in-law walked in with a bright smile. “Hi, Sam, long time no see.” She gave Sam a quick hug before turning her attention to the baby in her arms. “I can’t believe it’s a girl. Oh, she’s beautiful.”
    “She smells amazing, too.” Sam lifted her up to Ashlynn. “Wanna hold her?”
    Ashlynn took the baby and sat down on the bed. She did a double-take when she spotted Sam’s bruised foot. “Ouch! What happened to your ankle?”
    “Just had a little incident trying to save my favorite mascara. It hurts like hel—heck, but I’ll survive. I won’t be able to wear heels for a while though.”
    “Flats aren’t so bad. Unless you have tall friends, then it gets to be a pain in the neck, literally,” Ashlynn grinned. “Speaking of, I met your friend in the waiting room. He seems nice.”
    “Friend?” Melanie asked. “What friend?”
    “The tall, Asian one Ben’s grilling.”
    Sam rolled her eyes at the