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Page 398

| softly. ''You've taken one step. Let me see you take another." |

| Tears came to Sasha's eyes as she watched Tobias gingerly take another step as he grinned from ear to ear. |

| "Da-da?" Tobias uttered, taking several more steps in a rush as he hurried and fell into Ashton's waiting arms. |

| Laughing, Ashton grabbed Tobias up and swung him around. "You did it!" he shouted. "By God, you did it! Now that you can walk, you can conquer the world." |

| The cooing of a baby close by drew Sasha around. Wiping tears of joy from her eyes, she went to the crib on the far side of the wall where it was guarded from the vicious rays of the morning sun. |

| "Paulette, did you see your brother?" Sasha murmured, lifting her five-month-old daughter from the crib, the baby's soft cotton gown trimmed with tiny ruffles of eyelet lace. She held her baby close to her bosom. "You're next, Paulette. In a few months you'll be taking your first steps too." |

| "Our son needs no more coaxing," Ashton said, carrying Tobias to Sasha's side. "Isn't he quite advanced for his age, Sasha? Did you see how he walked? Did you hear him say Da-da? Soon he'll be reading books!" |

| "Yes, I'm sure he will if you have anything to say about it," Sasha said, smiling down at Tobias. He was so healthy and content! |

| A pang of sadness gripped her when she allowed herself to think of Bianca. The search for her had only recently been called off. There had not been a |

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