Page 77 of Ransom for His Secret Son

The drive was silent, the weight of everything that had happened pressing down on them. But for the first time in days, Brody felt something close to relief.

When he took the turn to his ranch and the house came into view, Brody slowed the cruiser and then stopped. He wanted to take it in for a moment. Not the blood and gore from the crime scene but this.

Home.

And the morning sunlight was certainly showcasing it. It was doing the same to Remi, she realized. The sun was practically dancing off her amazing face.

Without a word, he reached for her, unhooking her seat belt. His fingers curved around the back of her neck as he pulled her into his arms. Their mouths met in a kiss that was hard and fast, a collision of pent-up emotion, adrenaline and something deeper. Something that had been building for far too long.

But then it slowed.

The urgency gave way to something even stronger, something that wasn’t just about desperation or relief. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss, his hand sliding down to cup her waist, anchoring her to him. The heat between them smoldered, stretching into something that felt like both comfort and need.

And something even more than that.

Remi melted against him, her hands fisting in his shirt, as if holding on to him, to this moment, to everything unspoken between them. The taste of her, warm and familiar, sent another jolt through him, and he had to remind himself that he didn’t have her in his bed, and he had to throttle back on this heat burning between them.

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, tangled up in each other, but when they finally broke apart, their breaths were uneven, their foreheads touching.

“I needed that,” he managed to say.

Remi’s lips curved, and she kissed him again, softer this time, a slow brush of warmth. “I needed that, too.”

Brody took in a deep breath, the lingering heat from the kiss settling something deep inside him. He wasn’t caught up in the anger anymore, though some of it still simmered under the surface. That would take time to fade. Maybe it never truly would. But right now, he didn’t want the anger.

He wanted to see his sons.

And he wanted Remi right there with him.

Without another word, he started the drive up to the house. The long gravel driveway felt different this time, not just a place he was returning to but a place where his life had changed forever. His sons were inside, waiting. Safe.

He had already released most of his deputies to work the crime scene at the inn, but Holt had stayed behind. As Brody pulled the cruiser to a stop, Holt was already at the front door, opening it for him.

“Everything quiet?” Brody asked, scanning the perimeter, instincts still on high alert.

Holt nodded. “Yeah. No trouble. Your mom’s inside with the boys. She hasn’t let them out of her sight.”

Brody wasn’t surprised. Sandra had always been the steady presence in his life, and now she was that for his sons, too.

“Good,” Brody murmured.

Brody stepped inside, and they quickly made their way to the nursery. The moment he opened the door, he saw his mother standing by the crib. His sons were both awake and squirming in their blankets.

Sandra turned at the sound of their footsteps, her face lined with exhaustion but flooded with relief. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, holding on tight. Then she pulled Remi into the same embrace.

“Is it really over?” Sandra asked, her voice hushed, as if she was afraid to believe it.

Brody nodded. “Yeah. It’s over.”

He wasn’t naive. There’d still be the aftermath to deal with, reports to file, trials to prep for. But the immediate threat, the nightmare that had kept him from breathing easy, was done. His sons were safe.

Sandra blew out a deep shuddering breath of relief. She touched his cheek, then Remi’s, before stepping back. There was something knowing in her gaze.

“Well,” she said, clearing her throat, “I think I’ll go make some coffee and let you two have some family time.”

She didn’t linger. She didn’t ask questions. She just patted his arm and slipped out, leaving them alone with the boys.

Brody swallowed hard as he turned to the crib. His sons. Both of them. Safe. The emotions hit him like a fist to the gut, stealing his breath.