Deadly Arrival (Hardy Brothers Security Book 16) by Lily Harper Hart

of tears and hysterical energy. Something was different today. “I have something else to tell you, and I’m afraid to do it. I’m more afraid not to do it, though.”
    “Then I guess you should tell me.”
    “Someone pulled the fire alarm at the circuit courthouse today,” Finn said, opting to go to the heart of the matter instead of dallying. “Mandy was grabbed in the hallway. It was your father. She’s fine, but she had a nice talk with your dad.”
    Emma’s already pale face drained of color. “Did he hurt her?”
    “He pulled her hair and tossed her into a wall.”
    “Is she okay?” Emma asked, leaning forward. “Please tell me she’s okay.”
    “She’s fine,” Finn said, squeezing Emma’s hand. “Mandy’s biggest worry right now is the fight she’s going to have with James regarding her stupidity when trying to leave the building and the way she mouthed off to your father.”
    “He better not yell at her,” Emma grumbled. “I’ll force my water to break on his foot if he does.”
    Finn chuckled. He couldn’t help himself. There was something … stronger … about Emma’s demeanor. He had no idea where that strength was coming from, but he was thankful and pleased with her new resolve. “You seem different, sweetie.”
    “I know,” Emma said, rubbing her free hand over her stomach. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting. It’s not right and it’s not fair to you.”
    Finn arched an eyebrow. “Fair? I don’t care about you being fair right now. I care about you being okay.”
    “I know I’ve been a basket case the past few days, and I’m ashamed at the way I’ve been acting,” Emma said. “Jake and I had a talk today.”
    Finn remained quiet, although he was intrigued that Jake managed to get through to Emma when he couldn’t. He was also a little jealous, but he would never own up to those feelings.
    “Jake suggested that I was hiding because I had something to lose now when I didn’t have anything to lose before,” Emma explained. “Death would have been welcome at a certain point when my father was terrorizing me. Now I have everything to lose and it caused me to shut down.”
    “You’re not going to lose the baby or me,” Finn cautioned.
    “I’m not,” Emma agreed. “I never knew what it was like to love someone with my whole heart. That’s how I feel about you. That’s how I feel about the baby, too, even though I haven’t met him yet.
    “Jake said I was living my life like I’d already lost it and that I might want to consider living my life with the determination to survive instead,” she continued. “I was kind of irritated with him when he first said it, but now I think he was right.”
    “I think I’m going to give Jake a big kiss next time I see him,” Finn said, causing Emma to giggle. Finn’s heart soared at the sound. She hadn’t laughed in days. “I kind of want to give you a big kiss, too.”
    Emma leaned into him, pressing her lips firmly against his. Finn cupped the back of her head and lengthened the kiss, basking in Emma’s warmth and the way she melted into him. When they separated, Emma’s smile was rueful.
    “I wish we could celebrate my return to sanity another way, but the doctor says it could be any day now and I do not want to start the story of our son’s birth with ‘well, Daddy and I were having sex and my water broke.’”
    Finn barked out a laugh, delighted. “Sweetie, you’ve already given me the best gift in the world today just by being you,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about anything else. I’m a little surprised you’re not more worked up about your father approaching Mandy at the courthouse. I’m not going to lie. I was worried that was going to cripple you.”
    “I know Mandy is okay,” Emma countered. “I know James is going to kill my father if he gets his hands on him. For some reason that makes me feel … stronger. I also know you’re always going to be right here with us.”