And Then Forever Read Online Free PDF Page A

did every day since. All she could do, as Gracie and Whit often reminded her, was her best.
    Darcy sat on the edge of the bed. When her gaze landed on her daughter’s sleeping face, everything within Darcy softened. She might be tough as nails at work, but here, in this tiny bedroom with the child who had changed her life, Darcy became a sappy puddle. And loved every second of it.
    She brushed a dark brown curl off Emmaline’s forehead. Emma stirred, but didn’t wake. Her arm curled tighter around her stuffed bear, her small fingers clutching the bear’s paw in her sleep. Darcy smiled. Emma had done that from the moment Darcy put that bear in her crib.
    Darcy started to rise, then stopped when Emma’s eyes fluttered open. “Mommy,” she said in a soft, sleepy voice.
    “Hey, kiddo. I love your picture.”
    “I put a dog in it, Mommy, ’cause I love dogs.” Emma’s eyes fluttered shut, then open again.
    “I know you do, monkey.” Darcy grinned. She leaned down and brushed a kiss against Emma’s temple. “Now get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.”
    “Okay, Mommy.” Emma nestled into her pillow, and a moment later was asleep. Darcy arranged the blanket around her daughter’s shoulders, then tiptoed out of the room and down the hall to her own bedroom.
    Sleep didn’t come as easily for Darcy. She was physically exhausted, but her mind kept on churning, circling around and around Kincaid’s appearance.
    Why was he here? And how long was he staying? She hoped only the weekend, because the longer he lingered on Fortune’s Island, the greater the chance that he would find out about Emma. All these years, Darcy had kept their daughter a secret from Kincaid, a devil’s bargain she had made seven years ago when she was broke and pregnant and alone.
    Kincaid came from money and money won out in the end. If he found out about Emma and decided he wanted custody, the money would talk louder than anything Darcy could say. The best thing to do was to stay far, far away from Kincaid and hope he left soon.
    But as she finally drifted off to sleep after three in the morning, her dreams reached into the past, to the days when she’d thought Kincaid could never break her heart. To the days when she’d been foolish and stupid. And if there was one thing Darcy refused to ever be again, it was foolish.

“W hat is this thing made out of? Petrified wood?” Kincaid hefted the box onto his shoulder and let out a grunt. The box had appeared deceptively light, with its pastel lettering and happy smiling people pasted across the oversized cardboard container. It had arrived on the ferry this morning, along with another trio of boxes from the same mainland store—and his sister, who looked tired but happy. Having her here finally gave Kincaid a measure of peace. He’d worried about her, had been worrying about her for a long, long time.
    He couldn’t imagine how his spitfire of a sister, with her dark hair and quick wit, would ever end up a shadow of herself. The change had been gradual, with Abby sinking more and more into the corner as the years of her marriage wore on. But now, she had a glow about her, a happy anticipation shining in her eyes, and he thought she’d never looked more beautiful. Making the decision to come here, even though it would most likely cost Kincaid his job, was the best decision he’d ever made.
    “I don’t know what it’s made out of. Whatever the strongest and best wood was,” Abby said. “I didn’t want something cheap and shoddy.”
    “Well, if weight is any indication, this thing is expensive and indestructible.” Kincaid nudged the door open with his hip, deposited the box against the wall, then stepped back. “Okay, where are we setting it up?”
    Abby put a hand on her stomach, a reflexive action she’d done more and more as her pregnancy advanced. Her palm rested on the curve with a protective, loving touch.
    He knew that feeling. His gaze traveled past the fading bruises