Intercepted By Love: Part Four Part 19

"So am I," her mother said. "I can't believe they put crab and caviar into the burgers. Only in Hollywood."

"Well, the dream is over." She opened the door to the backseat and unstrapped little Bret. "Even Declan seemed deflated for once."

"Yeah, he had to sit there and watch us eat. But at least he signed the divorce papers. Guess he's onto another project." Mother yanked her shopping bags from the trunk. "I bought your dad all these funky t-shirts."

"I wish he could have come out and done the touristy stuff. How'd you like that cheesy wax museum?"

"Horrors! Bret was fussing the entire time. It's too early for him to be teething."

"Is it? You little sweetgums?" Andie nuzzled her nose in the baby's tummy. "You are so adorable. I'm going to miss you so much."

"Did you decide to go home with me?" Mother unlocked the door leading from the garage to the laundry room where the mail slot was located. "Oh, look, the mailman's been here."

"Any suspicious packages?"

"Nope, just letters." She sorted through them and tucked an envelope under her arm. "Let's get Bret changed and fed. Then I have to look up flights. Are you coming home with me?"

Pushy, wasn't she? Andie shrugged as she carried the baby into the house. True, she had no more job, and she'd be living off Cade, but who would take care of Bret? Who would she trust? An unknown nanny sent by an agency?

"Can you wait until I speak to Cade? He has a lot going on, and I want to see him and Bret settled first."

"Fair enough. You seem to really care about him. I guess your dad can wait a few more days."

"Mom! Please. Can you stop the guilt trip?" Andie put Bret on the changing table and flipped the lid for the wipes. Empty. "Can you bring the diaper bag in? Looks like we're out of wipes."

"Sure, I know you care about Cade, and I can see he loves you, but now that Declan signed the divorce papers, you have to wait six months before it's final. California law. Which, mind you, you're lucky because in New York, it's a long process of fault finding." She clomped her way to the garage.

Why did parents always insist on waiting? Waiting for what? To know your heart, to know how you really feel. To know if it's real. Her dad's voice. Always the voice of reason.

She stroked Bret's silky baby hair, tiny sandy colored wisps, and gazed in his clear blue eyes. "I'm going to miss you, buddy. I'll always love you."

Of course Roxanne couldn't produce adoption papers that fast. And she could always change her mind before or after it was signed. And maybe a baby was always better off with his own parents, no matter how dysfunctional they were. After all, Cade still held a torch for his mother, and he must be reeling right now about d.i.c.k Davis being his father.

"Cade's going to take care of you, his half-brother," Andie said. "You have nothing to worry about. Cade's a good man-a great father."

She gave the baby another kiss, feeling the rip tearing her heart apart. Cade and Bret belonged together, as brothers. Leaving Cade would mean leaving Bret, too. How had she fallen in love with both of them so deeply in such a short time?

Her mother set the diaper bag on the table. "After you're done, I have something to show you."

Andie shook her head and rolled her eyes. Mom was always so dramatic and serious. It was probably the jacket she won from Pinball Alley, hailing her the Pinball Queen of Los Angeles, or maybe she'd already bought their airline tickets.

"Sure, see you in a bit." Andie dug through the diaper bag. A tiny waxed packet dropped from one of the diapers. It was stamped with a red heart with the initials H. E. A. She opened it and a pinch of white powder dropped out. What the h.e.l.l?

"Mom! Mom! Come here. We have to call the police. There's heroin in Bret's diaper bag."

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

The first thing Cade spied on his street were the police cruisers. G.o.d, no! Had something happened to Andie or Bret? He double parked, since his driveway was blocked and ran toward his house.

Two officers exited right when he got to the door.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Where's the baby? Did anyone get hurt?"

"We're okay." Andie held Bret and stood behind the door. "I found drugs in the diaper bag."

"Drugs in the diaper bag?" Cade's jaw slacked to the ground.

"Yes, apparently, packets of heroin were slipped into the diapers," one of the police officers said. "Would you care to answer some questions?"

"Uh, sure." Cade opened the door. "Come in, have a seat."

The officers returned to the great room and sat on the couch. "Who, besides Miss Wales and Mrs. Wales, had access to the diaper bag?"

"Anyone who'd been in the house. Me, my mother before she OD'd, Roxanne, the baby's mother." Cade spread his hands. "Someone is trying to kill my mother. Did you guys find out who was visiting her at the rehab clinic?"

The two officers glanced at each other. One said, "You're the only one who visited her."

"Yeah, and the rehab facility says she kicked you out of her room," the other said.

"Uh, true." Cade rubbed his palm over his hair. "But what does that have to do with the killer?"

"Your credit card was used to mail the packages with the dope." The first officer glared at Cade.

The second one cleared his throat. "Maybe we should read you your rights."

"Me?" Cade bolted to his feet. "On what charges?"

"Attempted murder. You have the right to remain silent ..."

Cade blocked everything out. He gazed at Andie and her mother, both of whom seemed shocked. The cold metal of the handcuffs were too tight for his wrists, and his left hand throbbed from the broken fingers.

This was all wrong. Everything. He fell to his knees and closed his eyes.

Andie's tongue was stuck in the back of her throat. She held onto Bret and shuddered. How could they charge Cade? With what evidence?

The police officers pulled Cade to his feet. They spoke into their shoulder mics to report the arrest. They were taking him away from her.

"Wait." Andie rushed toward Cade. "Anyone could have put the heroin into the diaper bag. How do you know it wasn't me?"

"Are you confessing?" one of the officers asked.

"No, I didn't, but you can't arrest Cade. He loves his mother."

The other officer raised his hand to shut her up. "We have other evidence. You can call his lawyer."

She reached out and touched Cade, but he shrugged away from her. "Go back to New York. Go live your life, Andie. Thank you for everything you and your mother have done for me."

"This isn't right." She clutched his arm and shoved the baby at him. "They can't take you away from Bret. You're all he has."

"Someone hates me, Andie. Someone's out to get me."

"I'll figure it out. I swear I will."

"No, you need to leave before you get caught in this." Cade kissed Bret's forehead, then leaned over and kissed her. "Bye. I'm breaking up with you, so please, go back home."

"Breaking up with me? But why?" Andie's heart shattered and her chest tightened. "What about Bret? Who's going to take care of him?"

"He's not ours, Andie." Cade's eyes filled with tears. "His parents can always take him back."

"But I love you, Cade. I can't let you go." She hugged him, pressing Bret between them. "We should be a family together."

"You deserve better. My mother said for you to stop undervaluing yourself. She thanks your mother too." He kissed Bret one more time. "This is from your nana."

Behind her, her mother snorted. "About time he got something right."

Andie wanted to kick her mother. Even the police officers had stood back to allow them to say farewell. But she wouldn't ruin the moment. "I deserve you, Cade. You're innocent and we're going to all be happy together."

"Ahem, we better get going," one of the officers said. "You can visit him once we process him."

"No, Andie, don't come visit. It's over. We're over. Finished. Go home." His voice was so strong and firm, it terrified her. Did he no longer want her? For real?

"No, my home is with you." Andie refused to let go. She clutched him and pressed her face into his chest.

"Okay, I've waited long enough." Her mother grabbed her by the shoulder. "Listen to him, Andie. He doesn't want you, and I have evidence he lied to you all along."

Cade jerked away from her while her mother pried her hands from him.

"What are you talking about?" he muttered. "I never lied to Andie. Ever."

"Oh yeah?" She waved an envelope and slid out a piece of paper. "I had you and Bret tested. A perfect match. You're Bret's father. d.i.c.k Davis was covering up for you. Look for yourself."

The piece of paper wavered in front of Cade's eyes, but the result could not be disputed. He'd seen paternity test reports before, so he skipped the table of markers and indices. On the center of the page was a box with the d.a.m.ning numbers: Probability of Paternity 99.99%.

Bret was his son, but how could it be?

[to be continued]

Look for the exciting conclusion to Cade and Andie's love story in Book 5 of Intercepted by Love Cade is arrested and thrown in jail. To save Andie from danger, he tells her they're through, done. Instead of abandoning Cade, Andie is drawn into a sting operation to prove his innocence.

After Cade gets out of jail, he finds Andie and blows her cover, putting her in more danger than ever. Can Andie and Cade unravel all the forces conspiring to keep them apart and intercept the love they both deserve?

- Be sure to pick up Intercepted by Love: Part 5 where all is revealed and see how Andie and Cade get to that happy place they so deserve.

The Remingtons: Leap, Laugh, Love

If you loved Melissa Foster's Love in Bloom Series: The Remingtons, you'll find your favorite Remington Twins, Dex and Siena in Rach.e.l.le's Kindle Worlds story: Leap, Laugh, Love.

What's more dangerous, a man-eating shark or a shark-eating man? Kerry Mills, a professional surfer, meets Finn Meriwether, Army Ranger, on vacation at Dex and Siena Remington's Montauk beach cottage when a shark attacks. Will love bite, too?

Kerry Mills is a professional surfer who travels the circuits of the world's surfing compet.i.tions until a broken heart and a shark encounter send her reeling to a tiny beachfront cottage. Focusing on her recovery, she has no interest in a rebound relationship. That is, until a tattooed hunk she spies in an outdoor shower asks her to teach him to surf. Suddenly, romance doesn't look so bad.

Finn Meriwether used to be the life of the party and the cla.s.s clown, but years of war in the Middle East have replaced his smile with a deep frown. He's overdue for a vacation and heads for his friend's seaside cottage for some well-deserved R&R.

Kerry soon discovers that sharks are the least of her worries. Her heart is at risk of being swallowed by a man whose grief and guilt overrides his ability to live and love. Can Kerry and Finn rise above their fears and take a leap for true love?

- Pick up your copy of The Remingtons: Leap, Laugh, Love today and take it to the beach. Will you go into the water?

Roaring Hot! Excerpt

If you love excitement and dangerous sports, you'll love Roaring Hot! - Billionaire Biker Romance - a story combining motorcycle racing, reality shows, and Zen Buddhism. On the surface, Teo Alexiou is an arrogant playboy who gets what he wants. He meets his match in actress Amy Suzuki, a woman he hired to play his girlfriend. The fun starts when he falls for her, and suddenly, the billionaire bad boy is wishing she'd cut the act and show him her true heart.

Roaring Hot! - excerpt Copyright 2014 Rach.e.l.le Ayala