Page 188 of Broken
Prescott kissed her. “That sales clerk was right. You are a good mom.”
“Work now, play later.” She patted his thigh. “I’m requesting a background check on Leslie. The sister I knew is gone, and I want to know what’sreallygoing on with her.”
“I need one too. Are you going through the Bureau?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s not related to the case, so it won’t get approved. I’ll request it through ALPHA and have the report sent to both of us.”
Ethan started crying. He sat up and looked around, then started wailing. Prescott went to him, lifted him out of his sleeping bag, and held him.
“I’m right here.” Prescott kissed the top of his head.
Jacqueline loved how much Prescott cared for a child he’d just met, and taken on the role of father-figure without hesitation.
“I want my mommy,” Ethan said between gasping sobs.
“Did you have a bad dream?” Prescott asked.
“Go away!” Ethan yelled. “You’re not my mommy.” When he started flailing and hitting Prescott, Prescott set him down on the sleeping bag. Ethan jumped up and ran toward Jacqueline.
She pushed out of the chair and scooped him into her arms. “I got you,” she said.
A moment later, he calmed down.
After rocking him in her arms, she murmured, “How ‘bout we have some of my special water we like so much?”
“Okay,” he replied.
She carried him into the kitchen and filled two plastic toddler cups with some water.
When he drank that down, she offered him a little smile. “Feel better?”
“Uh-huh.” Innocent, brown eyes stared into hers. “Will you be my mommy?”
She stilled, then her attention jumped to Prescott. She couldn’t answer that question, so she searched his face for help.
In a few easy strides, Prescott joined them. “Would you like that, Ethan?”
“Uh-huh.” He laid his head on her chest, and she rubbed his back, kissed the top of his head.
She’d fallen in love with both of them, and her heart was twice as full. But if things didn’t work out, she wouldn’t be the only one left with a broken heart.
This precious, innocent child would be broken hearted too.
* * *
Prescott
Monday morning,while they were eating breakfast at the kitchen table, Jacqueline said, “I’m working here, today.”
“That’s not happening,” Prescott replied.
“I can’t leave Loki all day.”
“We’ve got doggie daycare at Armstrong.”
“Seriously?”
