Undeniably Yours Read Online Free PDF Page A

old wounds rather than new ones. Not long ago he’d been forced to retire as a firefighter because of the heart condition that nearly killed him while on duty. Being a PI was his second choice, and I couldn’t help feeling that if he had the chance, he’d be back in that firehouse in a hot second.
    I wanted to argue that recovering from his wounds was more important than feeling needed; but in his case, I wasn’t one hundred percent sure he’d agree. And even though he didn’t look it, he was recovering quickly. He was moving much faster today than yesterday and didn’t look to be in near as much pain.
    Letting out a defeated sigh, I said, “All right. You can watch her.”
    Sean said, “I knew you’d come around.”
    Aiden said, “Good, then we’re all—”
    He was cut off by the sound of two sharp knocks on the front door. Before any of us could move, it flung open.
    Em was speaking even before entering. “Lucy, I saw Aiden’s car and—” She abruptly broke off as she spotted Aiden standing there, a baby snuggled in his arms.
    Her jaw dropped, then she spun around and went back out the door, slamming it behind her.
    Ava’s body jerked at the loud noise, but she didn’t wake up. Thoreau started barking, and Sean shushed him.
    Aiden shot me a look. “I told you she was going to freak—” Once again, he was interrupted by the door flying open.
    Em rushed inside, her red hair flying out behind her, and stared at him. Then at me. Then at Sean. Thoreau leaped to the ground and ran over to her, his short tail wiggling happily.
    Finally, she said to me, “I thought I might be hallucinating, but Aiden’s really standing there holding a little girl that looks exactly like him, isn’t he?”
    “Yep,” I confirmed solemnly. “But you can pinch him if you want. Hard.”
    He shot me an annoyed look.
    In a flash, her distress switched to anger. Color a few shades darker than her hair rapidly infused her cheeks. Oh-so-slowly, her bright blue gaze—made even bluer by a sheen of tears—slid back to Aiden and narrowed dangerously. Her hands fisted tightly. Through clenched teeth she said, “I’ve been worried out of my mind. You’ve been missing for days on end. Not returning my texts or calls. Now this…?” She gestured wildly toward Ava. “Aiden Holliday, you have some explaining to do.”

3
    “Y ou’re not calling about the coffee date yesterday are you?” Jeremy Cross asked me a half an hour later. “Because I don’t kiss and tell.”
    Jeremy was as mysterious as a person could be. In fact, Jeremy wasn’t even his real name.
    It was Jeremiah Norcross.
    But he didn’t know I knew that.
    I sat on my porch swing, looking out over the ocean. It was a bright clear day, and the water looked like a wavy sheet of glass. Several barges floated on the horizon, dark blobs. A seagull swooped low and disappeared over the edge of the cliff. If Ava was going to be around much, we were going to have to make sure she didn’t wander near the edge. It was a sheer fifty foot drop to the water, which might be fun for cliff diving, except for having to dodge rocky outcroppings below. There were only a few places safe to jump—and then only at high tide.
    Inside the house, I heard Sean trying to get Ava to eat some scrambled eggs. So far, she was refusing his airplane attempts. He switched to tug boat noises.
    Aiden and Em had left for the time being. I wasn’t sure exactly what had been said between them. For privacy, they’d gone for a walk. But, as soon as they returned, Em was smiling and announced that she had some shopping to do. Then she would split the time caring for little Ava with Sean (he’d watch her only while Em was studying or at school) until this whole matter was settled.
    Before Aiden left to shower and stop by his office, he’d confessed he begged Em for forgiveness, which had been the smartest thing he could have done. He’d been instantly forgiven. If he had any lingering concerns about