Defending His Own

the small dining area adjacent to the living room and stood in the arched opening, looking across the room at his grandmother and his son. His son!

Mattie Trotter placed her index finger over her lips, cautioning Ashe to be quiet. He nodded and smiled. Ashe noticed his grandmother's old photo album in Allen's arms.

More than anything, Ashe wanted to lift Allen in his arms and hold him. His child. His son. Ten years of the boy's life had already passed. Would they ever be able to make up the lost time? Would Allen ever accept him as a father?

When Deborah and Annie Laurie emerged from the bedroom, Deborah walked over to Ashe and handed him his jacket. He slipped it on, then put his arm around her waist. She took his hand in hers. He thought she looked beautiful in Annie Laurie's little burgundy-checked shirtwaist dress, her long hair disheveled and her face void of any makeup.

'Let's go get our son and take him home,' she said.

Mama Mattie's eyes widened, her mouth gaping as she looked at Deborah and Ashe, then down at the sleeping child.

'What?' Annie Laurie said. 'Allen is—'

'Allen is Deborah's child,' Ashe whispered. 'Deborah's and mine.'

'But—but… Oh, my goodness.'

With Ashe at her side, Deborah walked across the living room, knelt beside the sofa and kissed Allen on the cheek. He stirred, the photo album dropping to the floor. The boy opened his eyes, saw Deborah and jumped up into her open arms.

'You're all right!' He squealed with happiness. 'I knew Ashe would find you. I knew he wouldn't let anything bad happen to you.'

'And you were so right,' Deborah said. 'Ashe is my hero.' She looked up at him with all the love in her heart showing plainly on her face.

Reaching down on the floor beside the sofa, Allen picked up the photo album. 'Mama Mattie's been showing me pictures of Ashe when he was just a kid and then when he was a teenager. He was big for his age, just like I am. How about that?'

'Yeah, how about that?' Mama Mattie said, glancing at Ashe. Deborah sat down on the sofa beside Allen. He laid the photo album in her lap. 'Look at the pictures of you and Ashe together. You two must have spent a lot of time together. Mama Mattie has a ton of pictures of you two.'

'They were the best of friends.' Mattie's eyes glazed with tears.

'Hey, they told me they weren't an item, you know, that they didn't go together, but I think they had a thing for each other.' Allen looked up at Ashe. 'Come on, Ashe, fess up, you and Deborah were more than friends.'

'Back then we were friends, but we should have been sweethearts,' Ashe said. 'You know what, pal? I've just realized, very recently, that I've always loved Deborah.'

Deborah raised her eyes, looking at Ashe with disbelief. Had she heard him correctly? Had he just confessed his love? Here, in front of his grandmother and cousin. In front of their son.

'A lot has happened tonight,' Ashe said. 'Deborah and I haven't had a chance to talk about the future, but I was wondering if I could have your permission to ask Deborah to marry me?'

'Wow-wee!' Allen jumped up off the sofa, threw himself against Ashe and hugged him, then turned to Deborah. 'Are you going to say yes? It'd be neat to have Ashe for a brother-in-law.'

'Don't I have any say in this matter?' Deborah asked, not sure she liked being bulldozed by her two men.

Ashe kept his hand on Allen's shoulder when he spoke to Deborah. 'Doesn't look like you get a vote. Allen and I are a two thirds majority.'

'Is that right?' The look on Allen's face broke Deborah's heart. She couldn't remember a time when her son had been so happy. He adored Ashe. That was plain to see.

Ashe pulled Deborah up off the sofa and slipped his arm around her waist. Allen grinned from ear to ear.

'Once I was too big a fool to realize what I had,' Ashe said. 'But now I know, and I'll never let you go, Deborah. Never.'

'Isn't this great!' Allen hugged Ashe and Deborah, then spun around to bring Mattie and Annie Laurie into the celebration. 'Just think, when Deborah and Ashe get married, they'll sort of be like parents to me. Deborah's always been a second mother to me. Now, I'll have a dad, won't I?'

'Yes, son, you will.' Ashe could barely speak, the emotions erupting inside him overwhelming in their intensity.

'I like this just fine,' Allen said. 'Everything is working out great. I sure am glad Mother hired Ashe to protect Deborah.'

'So am I,' Ashe said.

'Well, it's time we go home, don't you think?' Deborah patted Allen on the back.

'Could I stay here with Mama Mattie?' Allen asked. 'We've already made plans for tomorrow. She said I didn't have to go to school. We're going to the hospital to see Mother and Roarke.'

'Roarke!' Ashe and Deborah said simultaneously.

'He's going to be fine,' Mattie said. 'We've called the hospital several times. He came through surgery with flying colors. Looks like he'll be laid up for a spell, but he's going to live.'

'Thank God.' Deborah leaned against Ashe. 'What happened to him was my fault.'

'Can I stay with Mama Mattie?' Allen repeated his request. 'She's going to make biscuits and chocolate sauce for breakfast, then we're going to bake tea cakes and take Mother and Roarke some. Please, Deborah, let me stay.'

'Allen, I don't know. I—'

'Please. Besides, you and Ashe probably want to be alone anyway.'

'He's right,' Ashe said. 'Let him stay. We can pick him up tomorrow.'

Fighting her motherly reluctance, Deborah agreed. 'Oh, all right.' She hugged Allen. 'I love you, you know.'

'Yeah, I know.' Allen glanced over at Ashe. 'You'd better always love her and be good to her or you'll have to answer to me.'

Everyone in the room laughed, Deborah thinking how much like Ashe Allen was.

'You have my word, son,' Ashe vowed.

* * *

Deborah lay in Ashe's arms as dawn spread its pink glow across the eastern horizon. They'd come home, showered together and fallen into bed, making love like two wild animals. They had fallen asleep without talking. They hadn't discussed the kidnapping or the fact that Ashe had killed Randy Perry, nor had they mentioned Allen and their future.

Ashe stroked her naked hip. 'What are you thinking about?'

'About how we need to talk.'

'Yeah, I guess we kind of got distracted by other things.' He grinned, then kissed her.

'I was too exhausted to think straight and I guess you were, too.' She laid her hand on his chest, directly over his heart. 'What are you going to do about Allen?'

'I'm going to marry his mother—' Ashe pulled Deborah into his arms '—and be a father to him.'

'Are you going to tell him the truth?'

'Someday I think we should. In a few years, when he's a little older and can understand.' Ashe nuzzled Deborah's neck with his nose. 'We need some time to become a family, for the three of us to bond.'

'What about your job? Are you willing to move back to Sheffield? I can't leave Mother, and Allen wouldn't want to live anywhere else. This is his home.'

'I can find a job around here. Who knows, ol' Buck might offer me a position as his bodyguard.'

Deborah slapped Ashe on the chest. 'That isn't a joking matter.'

'Let it all go, honey. It's over. Let's don't look back, let's look forward. What's done is done. We've all lived through a pretty rough time, but it is over.'

Deborah knew she had to face the truth and had to confront Ashe with her fears. She couldn't marry him if he confirmed her doubts.