Undercover Hero (3B Hero Series) Book 4

Twenty

**** Brittany lay back against the pillows of her hospital bed, and smiled. The little 5 pound 7 ounce baby girl slept happily as her very proud father rocked her.

"What?" The new mother gave her husband a suspicious look. "What are you up to?"

Gabriel leaned back in his seat with a mischievious grinned. "I was just thinking..."

His wife lifted a finely arched brow, "About..?"

He gently stroked his daughter's delicate cheek. "How did you know? We decided to be surprised, yet you knew she was a girl." He grinned.

Brittany beamed, "Is that all?"

The agent's jaw jerked, "Is that..." He ran his free hand through the jet black hair and chuckled. "Tany, I know you well enough to know you kept that promise."

Brittany decided to take pity on her exhausted husband, "To be honest, I don't know. I just...knew. I knew the second she was conceived. I knew she was healthy, that she was a girl, and that she was safe. I also knew that you would let me name her anything I wanted."

Gabriel smiled at that, "And what made you so sure I'd agree to that?"

Brittany looked at her sleeping daughter. "Sweety, one day soon you'll learn that your papa, is a very stubborn man. He wants to hide his feelings from the world, but in his heart he's a Christian just like me. Except, when he rushes mommy out of church."

The father in question leveled his hard stare at her. "You do realize that it's your fault we're not in church right now."

Brittany smiled, "Well excuse me, Mr. FBI. It wasn't me. I've met you, but someone here hadn't and very much wanted her papa." She graced him with the sweetest of smiles.

Gabriel snorted, then turned his gaze onto his daughter. "I still can't believe it, Tany. I thought for sure she'd have blue eyes." He shook his head in amazment.

Brittany's smile widened, "We know she'll be taking after the both of us. Like you I can't believe..." She shook her blonde curls in wonder.

It was at this very moment that two tiny lavender eyes opened to meet her father's violet gaze.

***

Valentin stood on the front porch of the main house, watching the mist settle over the mountain. He couldn't believe the difference. When he'd been undercover, the place had felt almost sinister. Now, as he watched the morning mist rise... He shook his head.

"Picture perfect. It's almost surreal."

He stiffened as the vibration on the wood planks ran up his legs. When he turned, there was a flash of purple hair. Then Carlyn plopped herself onto the railing.

Her blue eyes seemed to twinkle as if she were laughing at a joke only she knew. "What?"

He shook his head, "Nothing. I was just enjoying the scenery. Carlyn, I have to return to Italy. Now that my undercover assignment is over, I'm no longer on loan to the US. They need me to transfer from undercover to being a translator and help training new translators."

He watched as the sparkle faded, "Why? You're chest it's..."

"I'm healed well enough, besides I won't be working in physical encounters as much. I have my orders." He took a step closer, and took her face in his hands. The contrast in their skin tone never ceased to amaze him. Stroking her smooth skin with his thumbs, "It doesn't matter where I am in this world, what job I've been given. I will always be thinking of you, and waiting for the moment I can come back for you."

Carlyn choked back a sob, as the tears began to fall. "Valentin, please stay. My dad knows people... he can..."

Valentin shook his head, "You're loyal to your country, just as I'm loyal to mine. One day, I will settle here in the US, but first I have to fulfill my contract. Two years, baby. Give me two years."

Carlyn pressed her face into his hand and smiled sweetly up at him. "I'll be waiting for you."

***

Tina beamed as she and and True Wolf stepped into the hospital room. "Hi, mommy! Permission to enter."

Brittany laughed, "Hi! Look at you two, holding hands."

True smiled as he pulled a huge one eyed teddy bear from behind his back. "For the little lady."

Gabriel's face went suddenly blank as he realized just where the eye patch had come from. "I told you to stay out of my office!"

True Wolf plastered an innocent look on his face, "Who... me? I would never break into an FBI Agent's office to get his eye patch. And I would never bedazzle it with fake gemstones."

Gabriel jumped to his feet and grabbed the bear. Sure enough his most expensive eye patch was covered in little purple rhinestones.

"You dirty rotten little..."

"Gabriel!" Brittany leveled her husband with her Detective's stare. "If you say one more word..."

The huge man sat down with a sheepish look on his face. "He started it." He said pouting.

She shook her head, "I don't care. I just finished it. I will not have Faith growing up with that kind of vocabulary. Do I make myself clear?"

Gabriel cast a withering look at the Deputy who just grinned at him. "Is that clear, Gabriel?!" Brittany demanded one last time. When he turned back to her, she had to work hard not to laugh. He looked so dejected. "Well..."

Gabriel swallowed his retorts and nodded, "Clear."

Tina grinned, "You named her Faith? Any special reason why?"

Brittany and Gabriel took each other by the hand and answered as one. "Because we never would've made it through without Faith."