Page 1 of By His Side
Chapter One
Darien
As soon as my office door closed on my last appointment of the day, I tipped my head back and closed my eyes. I loved being a probation officer, but there were days where that love stretched itself to its limit, and today was one of them. The morning had included a hostel visit and an appearance in court, which might have been okay if they weren’t on opposite sides of London, with traffic proving a nightmare.
That meant I’d gotten back to my office late, all my afternoon appointments subsequently behind schedule. Had I had lunch? I didn’t think so. There hadn’t been time. At least my brother owning a restaurant meant I could swing by Quinn’s Brasserie on the way home and throw myself at his mercy. Assuming he was there.
I smiled at the thought he might not be. My work obsessed brother had changed a lot over the past eighteen months, since I’d talked him into employing one of my clients. I wished I could claim that I’d known the two of them were perfect for each other, that I’d set themup, but I hadn’t. The news they were together had blindsided me as much as anyone. They were a good match, though, bringing the softness out in each other. Good job, seeing as they were engaged, and Levi would be my brother-in-law before the year was done.
A scream from one of the other offices had me jerking upright in my chair. I’d assumed everyone else had already gone home, but apparently not. Despite it being a scream of excitement rather than fear, it still warranted investigation.
The screamer—Katherine Hollander, one of my work colleagues—was standing in her office, clutching her phone to her chest. As soon as she noticed me hovering in the doorway, she bounced toward me in one of the best impressions of Tigger I’d ever seen, her eyes gleaming and her usually immaculate blond hair coming loose from her plait like she’d already done a lot of bouncing before I arrived.
I just had time to get out “are you okay?” before she swept me into her office and made me bounce with her. On a day where I’d already used up all my energy reserves, it was a big ask, but I dutifully joined in because it seemed rude not to.
“Darien!” she said, her eyes wide.
“Katherine,” I replied as the bouncing continued.
“They said yes!”
“Did they?” We were going round in a circle now, the bouncing on the spot no longer doing it for her. “Who’s they?”
“The people.”
“Oh, the people. Well, I’m glad we cleared that up.”
“And it’s going to be next week.”
“Is it?” We reversed direction. It was like being stuck on a fairground ride you couldn’t get off even if you wanted to. “What is?”
“The baby. The seven-month-old.”
“Wait!” I pulled her to a stop, everything clicking into place. Katherine and I had worked together for over three years, Katherine confiding in me when we’d gotten more friendly during a drunken pub visit that she and her husband couldn’t have children and that they were on an adoption list and had been for some time. “Are you telling me you’re getting a baby?”
“Yes!” Tears welled up in her eyes and I pulled her into a hug, which was infinitely better than the bouncing. “They just called. He’s called Oliver, and they sent a picture, and he’s perfect in every way. We’re going to be parents, Darien.”
I squeezed her tighter. “I’m so happy for you and Greg. You’re going to be great parents. The best. Little Oliver’s a lucky boy to get you two.”
She ducked out of the hug and went over to her desk to rearrange bits of paper. “It’s next week, though, and there’s so much to organize before then.” She hefted a pile of casework folders. “I’m going to have to reallocate these before I go on adoption leave, which means everyone’s going to hate me for adding to their workload. And you know what?”
“What?”
“I don’t care.” She laughed, the sound bright and carefree. “Because I’m going to be a mother.”
I smiled, her joy infectious. She stopped laughing when she caught sight of the time. “Aren’t you going to be late?”
“Late? Late for what?”
She pointed a finger at me. “Ha! You nearly had me there. But you… Darien Quinn. You’re one of the good ones. I wouldn’t have set you up with Emily if you weren’t, because, as you very well know, she’s one of my oldest friends. You’re going to love her and she’s going to love you.”
Christ on a fucking bike!I had a date tonight—the wheels put in motion by Katherine, who’d suddenly decided out of the blue one day that Emily and I would be perfect for each other. According to Katherine, the recently divorced Emily was ripe for a nice man and I fitted the bill. I was supposed to wine and dine her and then we were supposed to fall in love and live happily ever after.
Katherine shoved me toward the door. “Go! I need you to make a good impression. Whatever you do, don’t talk about her marriage. Talk about nice things. Things that’ll make her forget that her ex-husband was a dick who didn’t deserve her. How many cases can I give you?”
“What?” The abrupt change in subject had my head spinning.
“Cases,” she said. “Try to keep up. I have to reallocate them, remember? How many can I give you?”
