Undeniably Yours (3 page)

I’d had a complicated upbringing. My father was a world-renowned matchmaker, the King of Love, thanks to his secret psychic ability to read auras. It was a gift that reportedly came from Cupid himself and had been passed down through the Valentine bloodlines. When I was fourteen a lightning strike zapped my ability right out of me and zapped in the gift of finding lost objects…and also other abilities I was still learning about.

Cupid, reportedly, had also given my family a curse. We couldn’t see our own auras, and therefore, our matches were left to chance. So far, not a single Valentine marriage had survived the curse. My parents remained married but in name only. They’d led separate lives for most of my life…and in fact, during that time, my father went and had himself a love child no one knew about until six months ago. Cutter. The general public didn’t know about his parentage—at least not yet, but I was sure it would come out eventually.

Recently, my parents had started dating again. I didn’t expect it to last much longer, though I had to admit, it was cute seeing them together.

Despite my crazy life with my nutty family, my
psychicness
, and my independent streak, my mother had always been there for me. Through thick and thin, breakups, denouncing my trust fund, and even dead bodies.

I could only imagine the pain of what it would be like if she abruptly disappeared, and I could only hope that other than the obvious upheaval of being dropped off with Aiden, Ava was oblivious to all the grim questions surrounding the disappearance of her mother.

She seemed to be as she giggled while trying to catch the fluttering curtain.

Suddenly, the bedroom door whipped open, and Sean’s body filled the opening, peering out with his eyes narrowed. Bare-chested and sleep rumpled, he wore only a pair of drawstring pajama pants and a perplexed expression. Dark stubble covered both his superhero jaw and his cheeks as his milky gray gaze darted from me to Ava to Aiden.

He blinked then refocused on the little girl, who watched him with the curiosity of someone viewing a carnival sideshow freak.

I couldn’t exactly blame her. Bruising discolored his face, his head was wrapped in white gauze to cover dozens of stitches, thanks to an unfortunate run-in with a baseball bat. He looked like a cross between a ghoul and a mummy. My gaze went to an old scar on his upper left chest. Beneath it was an implanted defibrillator that kept his heart from stopping any time it pleased.

The man was a mess.

A gorgeous mess.

My
gorgeous mess.

In the grand scheme of things, we hadn’t been dating that long—only since November. But there had been an instant, undeniable connection. Love at first sight—as sappy as that sounded. It was only with him that I could see visions of the future. When our palms touched it was electric. Literally. Little zaps that revealed what was in store for us. Some good. Some bad. He couldn’t see the visions, but he could
feel
them, the emotion. It was unusual. Magic.

His searching gaze finally settled on me. “Where’d she come from? Dovie didn’t get her as a housewarming gift, did she?”

I smiled above the rim of my mug. Even though Sean had also recently moved in, unlike Ebbie, he already knew how things worked around here just fine. “Don’t go giving her ideas,” I said. “That’s Ava, Aiden’s daughter.”

Sean’s dark eyebrows snapped downward in confusion. “His what?”

I poured him a mug of coffee and slid it across the breakfast bar. “Daughter.”

My Maine coon, Grendel, came striding out of the bedroom. The big orange and white furball was inordinately graceful for a cat with only three legs. Lazily blinking golden eyes he headed toward his food bowl. He was perpetually hungry.

“
Meow
!
Meow
!” Ava cried, lurching to her feet. She ran full-tilt toward the cat.

The fur rose on Grendel’s back. He hissed and practically did a flip to dart back into the bedroom. Ebbie was probably laughing her ass off at him from her spot under the bed.

“
Meow
!” Ava chased after him so quickly that her feet tangled up with each other. With a surprised cry, she pitched forward.

Before I could even squeak out a warning, Sean reached out, caught the girl, and hefted her easily into his arms.

I let out a relieved breath. Aiden, who’d leapt off the couch in those scary seconds, slowly lowered back down. Again, he mournfully eyed his empty glass.

Sean looked between us. “I think my concussion is messing with my hearing.” He carried Ava to the breakfast bar. “Because I thought I heard you say this little one was Aiden’s daughter.”

“Your hearing is fine,” I said. “Granted it’s the only thing that is right now. Ava belongs to Aiden.”

The corner of his mouth lifted in a smug grin. “Ms. Valentine, I thought I proved to you last night that there are other things that work just fine on me.”

I drew my lower lip into my mouth to keep from smiling too broadly. “There was that… Slipped my mind.”

“Maybe you need a reminder,” he said with a hint of promise in his voice.

Warmth swept over me. “Maybe so.”

“Hello?” Aiden interrupted. “I’m sitting right here. And don’t talk that way in front of my daughter.”

Sean’s gaze lingered on me for a moment more before Ava captured his full attention. She pointed to his head. “Boo-boo?”

“Yes, pretty girl,” he cooed. “Boo-boo.”

She made kissy noises, and the smile he gave her stole my heart straight from my chest.

He lowered his head and she pressed a noisy over-exaggerated kiss to his forehead. She said something I couldn’t make out, and he answered, “Yes, all better. Thank you.”

Apparently, Sean was fluent in baby talk. Who knew?

“Down?” she asked.

Ah! That I understood. He set her on the floor, grabbed his mug and mine, and carried them to the living area. Setting them both on the coffee table, he sat in an oversized armchair and kept staring at Ava. Thoreau quickly hopped up next to him. I had no doubt who truly held the key to the little dog’s heart. Our shared love for Sean was probably why we got along so well, Thoreau and me.

Fortunately for the cat, Ava gave up her pursuit of Grendel and clambered onto Aiden’s lap as he gave Sean a quick run-down on how she’d ended up on his doorstep.

I crutched my way back to my chair and sat, grateful to sit down. My foot ached, but I’d rather eat Grendel’s kitty kibble than complain about it. It seemed so trivial when compared to all Sean had gone through. Instead, I put my booted foot on the coffee table, sipped my coffee, and listened as Aiden told Sean of our plans.

“Did you search Kira’s house yet?” Sean asked.

Aiden adjusted Ava on his lap. “Not yet. It’s on the to-do list.”

There was a lot on that list.

“This whole situation could be used as a case of what-not-to-do when a person goes missing,” Aiden said. “And technically, I still don’t know that Kira
is
missing. But I have a gut feeling that something is wrong. She packed only enough clothes for Ava to cover a day. That’s long past. Kira should be back.”

Gut instincts, so pure and simple, should always be trusted. And as I watched Ava—bright, happy, and healthy—relax against her father’s chest, I had the feeling Aiden was right. Something was terribly wrong for her mother to have failed to return.

“Do you know of any other family?” Sean took a gulp of his coffee and winced as though it had burned his throat. “Maybe Kira’s lying low for a few days.”

Ava yawned and Aiden stood, holding her close to his chest. She buried her face in his neck, snuggling in. He swayed as he paced, lulling her to sleep. It was obvious that even though the pair had been together for only a couple of days, an attachment had been formed. A close one. They were strangers no more.

Waves crashed in the background as Aiden said, “Kira’s dad died when she was young, and her mom died a year or two before I met her. She was an only child. I think she mentioned something about an elderly great-uncle in California, but who knows if he’s even still alive.”

Kira couldn’t possibly have been raising this baby all on her own. Not with her job. “Someone had to be watching Ava while Kira was at work,” I said. “That person is another lead, because most likely they have paperwork with emergency contacts, that sort of thing.”

Aiden nodded, and I could practically see his thoughts whirling.

Sean said, “It would be nice to have a reference point. Is her disappearance related to a work story? Stalking? A bad relationship? A mental break?”

A stalker. It was something that hadn’t yet crossed my mind. In Kira’s line of work, it was an unfortunate reality. If that were the case, however, Kira’s producer would likely be aware.

Sean set his mug on the coffee table and rubbed Thoreau’s ears. “I can check Kira’s house while you two go to the TV station.”

My anxiety kicked up a notch as I set my foot on the floor. “You’re supposed to be on bed rest. Taking it easy. Doctor’s orders.”

“Lucy,” he warned.

“Don’t use that tone on me. I almost lost you. You need to do exactly what the doctor said, so you can get better.” I’d tried to keep my voice strong, stern even, but emotion cracked it wide open, revealing precisely how scared I’d been. How scared I still
was
.

He’d almost died in a fire at Valentine, Inc.

We’d
almost died.

The building had suffered at the hands of the psycho, too, going up in flames. There had been heavy damage to the first floor vestibule and stairway, massive smoke damage to both the second-floor matchmaking offices and the PI agency on the third floor that was leased by Sean’s brother, Sam. Fortunately for us all, the building was salvageable. It needed heavy renovations, but soon enough it would be good as new.

In time I hoped we would be, too.

Sean’s gaze didn’t waver as he studied me, and in that moment I knew he could see the tears that threatened to fall.

Finally, he said, “All right. I’ll stay.”

“You can help me from here, Sean,” Aiden said. With two fingers stuck in her mouth, Ava had fallen asleep in his arms. His gaze slid to me. “That is, if you’re allowed to use a laptop.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, he can use a laptop. Smartass.”

Sean smirked from behind the rim of his coffee cup. “You want me to run a full background check?”

“Yeah,” Aiden answered. “That and also see what you can turn up on social media. She may have left a clue there, too.”

All this speculation had me itching to get started. “When do you want to leave?” I asked Aiden.

“Now,” he said. “As soon as you get dressed, and maybe brush your hair. No offense.”

My hand went to my bedhead. “No offense,” I echoed, “but I think you should be more worried about how
you
look. When was the last time you showered?”

He glanced toward the mirror near the door and winced. “You’re probably right.”

“Why don’t you run home, shower, change, and shave?” I suggested. “After that, stop and file that missing persons report on your way back. And don’t forget to talk to Em about taking care of Ava while we investigate. Until then, we can watch her for you while you’re gone.”

“I don’t know about leaving her here,” Aiden said. “Where will she sleep? What will she eat?”

“She can sleep on the bed.” I stood up, grabbed my empty mug, and crutched into the kitchen for a refill. “We’ll wall her in with pillows and cushions. And I have plenty of Twinkies.”

He glared.

Laughing, I said, “Calm down. I have a whole box of Cheerios.” I found no need to tell him I only had Cheerios on hand as treats for Odysseus. I didn’t think he’d find it consoling that his daughter was sharing food with my hamster.

Silently, he kept pacing. His hand gently cupped the back of Ava’s head as he made sharp pivots.

Steamy tendrils rose from my mug as I poured coffee. Softly I said, “At some point you’re going to have to let Ava out of your sight if you want to find Kira.”

After a long minute of silent deliberation, he abruptly stopped pacing. He said, “You’ll call the security people?”

“I’ll call.”

Sean leaned forward and said, “I don’t mind watching Ava while you two are out. I babysit my nieces all the time.”

“Bed rest,” I sing-songed to him. “I don’t think chasing after a toddler is how the doctor imagined
taking it
easy
.”

“No, no,” Aiden said, waving off my concerns. “This could work. Your place is small enough to not have to chase her much at all, and Sean’s PI training is more likely to keep Ava safe. He probably has a gun here, too.”

“Well out of reach of a toddler,” Sean added.

I knew exactly what Aiden was doing, and I wasn’t letting him get away with it.

I jabbed a finger toward him. “You are not getting out of telling Em. Good try, though. And you,” I pointed at Sean, “are supposed to be resting.”

What did he not understand about that?

“Lucy,” he said softly.

Ugh
. Not that tone again.

I tried to stand my ground. “Sean.”

Then I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. I clearly saw his desperate need to feel useful. To help. Some of that probably stemmed from 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.