“We found out Ember was pregnant and the conversation just kind of grew along those lines. Everyone was open to having kids or more kids except me.” She sighed and dropped her head against his chest.
“Everyone? Really?” He carded his fingers through her hair and tugged it a little when she didn’t answer.
Finally, she nodded. “Joy said she wants a kid. Joy! That shocked the fuck out of all of us.” She sighed and shook her head. “I feel like I should want them, but I don’t. You really got a prize when you married me, DeMarco.”
“First off, I knew exactly who I was marrying. I didn’t marry you to change your mind or make you a different person. You are who you are, and I am who I am. Hell, you don’t try to stop me from playing my stupid zombie games or coddle me when we do our training or rehab, and woman, you know I wouldn’t put limits on you. That’s not who we are. I accepted when we got married that it was going to be us and only us, and I am more than okay with that. We have nieces and nephews and by the sounds of it at least one more on the way. Children don’t fulfill a person, babe. They make a life fuller. Our life is full to the brim with the love we share. Not having kids is our prerogative, just like having a family is theirs. They don’t live our life. They don’t get a vote.”
Oh, damn, he understood. She knew he did, but she needed to hear it. She had to make sure she wasn’t being a selfish bitch. His words wiped away the worries that had been plaguing her since Mal and Poet’s wedding. She swiped at the tears that formed. “Damn it, DeMarco, that squishy inside you have showed up again.”
She pressed close to him when he folded her back into his arms. “Yeah, I know. I’ll have to work on that.”
“Make sure you do.” She sniffed and then smiled as his chuckle vibrated through her. “I fucking love you.”
He kissed the top of her head and spoke quietly, “I know, babe. I love you, too.”
Chapter 9
“What did you do? They’re quiet as church mice.” Anna handed Amanda a cup of hot peppermint tea as she sat down.
“I gave them all new coloring books and colors. The older boys got coloring pencils. They’ll be good for at least a half-hour, and by then, Jacob will be here.” Amanda took a sip of her tea. Her eyes popped open. “Oh, you spiked the tea!”
Anna chuckled. “I found something I like as much as cold red wine. Peppermint schnapps in hot peppermint tea. The young woman buried somewhere inside this old body tried it when my youngest daughter was home for Thanksgiving and made the rest of the brood a batch. It’s good, isn’t it?”
“No, darlin’, this is fantastic.” Amanda took another sip and closed her eyes. “Warms the bones and delights the soul.”
“Where is Jacob anyway? I thought everyone was leaving work early today to get ready for the trip.” Anna smiled at Gabriel and Frank when they walked into the living area of the hotel suite.
“He is taking the dogs to a lady who will watch them.” Frank lowered himself onto the couch where Amanda sat.
“Where have you two been? We are on vacation.”
“Does your vacation entail watching your grandchildren?” Gabriel sat down next to Anna and sniffed. “Ah, after the schnapps again?”
Anna elbowed him and laughed. “Vacation, remember?”
“My grandbabies are a delight and I’d gladly spend the entire two weeks watching them, but Tori told me that the couples are going to take a day each with the older kids so everyone can enjoy their vacation. Now, where did you two get to?”
“Joseph called. He wanted to inform us about an event happening in the near future. Some things you can’t delay and must address when called.” Gabriel lifted an eyebrow and Frank smirked.
“Oh, no. I’ve seen that look.” Amanda turned to face her husband. “Frank Marshall, the last time I saw you make that face the kids ended up with puppies for Christmas.”
Frank grunted but added, “Teaches them how to be responsible.”
Anna cocked her head. “Really? Aren’t some of the children too young to deal with the responsibility of a puppy.”
Frank shrugged. “Wasn’t talking about the grandchildren.”
“I think the kids are doing very well for themselves. Chance and Elizabeth would have been proud of each of them.” Amanda patted Frank on the leg.
Frank smiled at his wife and kissed her temple. “They turned out okay. Just need to keep them humble.”
Gabriel snorted. “We finally have all four of ours settled. Deacon and Ronan aren’t going to re-up. They’re ready to come work for the business. They need to find a path forward. Gabriella settled in New York. She’s changed career paths three times, but she finally decided on interior design. She’s a junior partner now, but when she’s comfortable, we’ll help her start her own company.”
“What about the youngest? She’s rather like our Jade.” Amanda took another sip of her tea. “Delicious.”
“Charlotte has an apartment in Paris. Believe it or not, my wild child is doing an internship on art restoration. She’s a year and a half into a five-year program.”
“Wow, that’s an about-face for her, isn’t it?” Amanda handed her teacup to Frank. “Try this.”
Anna chuckled and pointed at her husband. “He didn’t believe that his daughter could settle down.” She narrowed her eyes at Gabriel. “He sent a team over there to watch her, to make sure she was where she said she was.”
“Having a security company comes in handy,” Gabriel admitted.
“Well, I think it’s wonderful that she’s settled.” Anna patted Gabriel’s leg. “And I’m especially happy that Daddy is finally trusting her to run her own life. She is twenty-one, dear.”
“Doesn’t make a difference.” Frank shook his head. “A father needs to keep tabs on his children. I’d hate to think what would have happened to Tori if I hadn’t stuck my nose into her business.”
“I’m glad we could help with that situation.” Gabriel’s grave response earned him a nod from Frank.
Anna glanced from one man to the next. “What? What did you do for Tori?” She swung her attention to Amanda. “Do you know?”
Amanda shook her head. “No. I have no idea what they are talking about.”
“Tori had an incident when she was working for the C.I.A. I asked Gabriel to check things out behind the scenes. He helped.” He patted Amanda’s leg. “She doesn’t know and I don’t think we need to tell her. Everything worked out well enough.” Frank took a sip of the tea and recoiled, handing it back to her. “I’d prefer bourbon or a single malt Scotch.”
“I can help with that.” Gabriel stood and headed over to the bar. He leaned out so he could see into the other room and smiled. “They’re having fun, no bloodletting yet.”
“They do have their moments, but Talon, Reece, Blake, and the twins are great with Tristin. Lizzy mothers Chloe like crazy, but since they don’t get in until later the boys are having fun together.” Anna shrugged. “I raised eight kids, watching grandbabies for a few hours is child’s play. Literally.” She chuckled and sipped her tea. She winked at Anna. “I don’t care what he says, this is amazing.”
“I don’t know how you did it. I raised four, and they wore me to a frazzle some days.” Anna took another sip of her tea as Gabriel delivered a drink to Frank and sat down beside her with his.
Amanda sighed. “Well, you do what you have to do. I could never make ends meet if Chance didn’t have the insurance policy from Guardian. That money allowed me to stay at home full-time until they were older. It worked, although their father’s death was hard on each of them. Lord, there were days when all I did was cry, but I wiped away those tears when the kids came home from school. They needed a parent who was there for them. I gutted out the first couple years. As the kids grew, it became easier. Chance had a couple brothers who reached out and offered help. They were there if I needed them, and we visited a couple times, but driving from Mississippi to the upper East Coast is one heck of a trip. They had jobs; we had a life
down south.”
“I understand doing what you have to do.” Anna’s eyes traveled to her husband. They’d had a rough start. The urgency of taking care of their unborn baby had driven her into hiding and away from the man she loved.
Gabriel nodded and wrapped an arm around her. “When Amanda contacted me after Joseph went after Chance’s killer, we agreed that we would try to provide a career path for each of them with Guardian or one of the other businesses.”
Amanda nodded. “The only one who wanted nothing to do with Guardian was Justin, but Gabriel was able to help him get into the restaurant business.” She smiled at Gabriel. “You were literally our family’s Guardian Angel.”
Anna smiled. Her husband had been a helping hand to so many people, but these two and their family—she was very glad he’d taken a special interest in both of them.
Frank took a sip of his drink. “That is a drink.” He winked at Amanda before he continued, “Got to admit it, Gabriel, you’ve been a friend to all of us when we needed you.”
Gabriel drew a deep breath. “I made a promise to myself a long time ago. Doing what was right would never take a backseat to making money. Taking care of my people and a decent business ethic is the hallmark of Guardian and now the other businesses I took over from my family. I have surrounded myself with people who believe in the same values, morals, and ethics. I made the mistake of overlooking character flaws once before, and it almost cost me my wife and future.”
Anna placed her cup on the end table and tucked closer to Gabriel. “Where did you first meet Gabriel, Frank?”
“Huh…” He rubbed his chin. “San Diego, in passing when I was in the Navy. Then again in Libya before I ran into him in Bolivia.”
“That’s where I finally convinced him to come to work for me.” Gabriel laughed. “He was a cantankerous country boy even back then.”
Anna snorted. “I believe there is a lot more to that story.”
Frank grunted. “Maybe a bit.”
A loud knock sent all the kids scurrying to the door. “Whoa there!” Frank bellowed the command, and every child froze in their tracks. “Who opens the door?”
Talon’s shoulders dropped. “An adult. But Grandpa, I was going to ask who it was first.”
“Nope, you know the rules. An adult opens the door. I don’t care whose house, mine or yours, doesn’t matter––an adult always answers the door.”
“But Grampa, didn’t the team check them?” Reece looked from the door to Frank.
“We won’t always have security around, Reece. It is always best to be safe,” Amanda said. “Children, back to the table. We have to pick up our things, that should be your ride to your sleepover.”
Frank glanced out the peephole and opened the door. Jacob and Jared stepped into the luxurious presidential suite Gabriel had procured for both couples.
“Get the animals tended to?” Frank closed the door behind the two men.
“Yes sir. Are you ready for us to relieve you of the horde?” Jacob bent down and hugged Tristan and Tanner, who’d escaped clean-up duty. “Hey dudes, did you have a good time with Grandma and Grandpa?”
“Yes sir,” they said in unison.
Jacob stood with a boy in each arm. “Were they good?”
“Perfect angels,” Amanda called from the table where the older boys were hurriedly putting away the coloring books, crayons, and colored pencils.
“Where is your man?” Frank asked Jared.
“At home. He’s putting Marcus to bed, and he has a video call with the manager of the shelter to make sure nothing drops through the cracks. He’ll probably need to sit in on a couple meetings via video from Aruba. Are we going to have that capability?”
Gabriel nodded. “Full comm set up, and unless there is an emergency, Jewell is not authorized within a hundred feet of the door.”
“Good luck with that.” Jared chuckled. “There’s the crew!”
“Hey, Uncle Jared!” Talon gave his uncle a high five and the younger boys followed suit.
“All right. Two cars. Blake, Reece, Talon with me, the twins and Tristin with your dad. Where’s your coats?”
“Here.” Anna held up two armfuls of coats, hats, and gloves. With adult help, the kids were bundled in record time.
“See you at the airport at eight?” Jacob asked before he opened the door.
Gabriel laughed, “No, we’re taking my jet down later. We’ll call when we get to the villa we rented.”
“Perfect. Chad and Jasmine are flying down and bringing Jade, Nic, Jewell, and Zane. We’ve got a full load with the ones flying in from South Dakota. We will see you in Aruba.”
“Be safe and be good for your dad and uncle.” Amanda blew a kiss at the boys.
“We will!” the boys promised as they scurried out the door.
Anna waited until the door shut before she turned on her husband. “I thought we were leaving first thing in the morning.”
“Ah, well, we were, but Frank and I need to pick up a few things before we head down.” Gabriel put his arm on her waist and guided her back to the small lounge they’d been in before Jacob and Jared arrived.
“What aren’t you telling us?” Anna stopped and narrowed her eyes at him.
“Nothing that you need to worry about, I promise.” He leaned down and kissed her.
“Uh-huh.” She glanced over at Amanda. “Are you buying this?”
“Not for a second.” Amanda crossed her arms and looked at Frank.
He lifted his hands. “If you want me to ruin the surprise…”
“A surprise?” Anna whipped around and grabbed her husband’s arm. “What?”
“No way, sweetheart. I’m keeping this secret under penalty of being skinned alive.” Gabriel laughed and avoided her attempt at a swipe at him. He wrapped her in his arms. “How about we brew some more peppermint tea and order up some food?”
“Deal, but we are playing canasta. Amanda and I need to redeem our champion status.”
Frank snorted, which earned him a look from his wife. “Oh, it is on Frank Marshall. We need two decks of cards.”
Anna smiled as Gabriel went to order food and Frank and Amanda went in search of the cards. It occurred to her that life was a wonderful tapestry woven with colors of trial, friendship, love, and loss. Her tapestry was majestic and rich beyond her wildest dreams, but the brilliant threads she treasured most in that sweeping brocade were those of family and friends.
Chapter 10
“Wow.” Jillian gasped as Drake walked with her out to the pool area of Joseph’s massive estate in Aruba. Twinkle lights wrapped around palm trees and draped artfully overhead. The ocean rolled onto the beach beyond the pool area, highlighted by sweeping colors of rose, copper, and peach of the setting sun. “Have you ever seen anything this beautiful?”
Drake turned to her and folded her into his arms. “Every time I look at you.”
She smiled and stood on her toes to kiss him. “That earned you brownie points.”
“Oh, there’s Christian. I wanted to ask him about possibly installing solar panels on the shelter and the community center to help eliminate some recurring monthly costs. Be right back.” She pulled him down and kissed him quickly before she zeroed in on Christian and made a beeline in his direction.
Drake wandered over to the bar and watched as the bartender poured him a bourbon. Joseph had gone overboard tonight. He glanced to his right. A massive, thirty-foot-long table adorned in white linen and dotted with flowers, place settings, and yup, even name cards stood waiting for dinner. There was music playing softly through speakers camouflaged with landscaping around the pool. He wandered with his drink to the edge of the deck and glanced out to the ocean. So much had changed since he’d last been here. He glanced up at the massive residence. This was where Jason had asked Dixon to take on the assignment that separated them—in more ways than one. He’d left his brother and found Jillian. Dixon had found Joy. They’d come back together, yet the dynamics had shift
ed. Not worse or better, just different. He had his priorities and Dixon had his own. Children. Wow.
“Remember the last time we were here?” Mike stepped up beside him, his snifter of uber-expensive cognac in his hand.
“I do. It was a turning point.” Drake took a drink of his bourbon.
“A curve on life’s path. It took you to Jillian and Dixon to Joy.” Mike swirled the amber liquid and stared at the waves.
“Makes you wonder what’s next, doesn’t it? Where we’ll be the next time we’re here?”
Chief chuckled. “That supposes we’ll be invited again. I believe that our host was hoodwinked into the invitation.”
Drake snorted. “Yeah, but two weeks in paradise. When was the last time we spent two weeks together? All of us?”
“Well… for the five of us on the old Alpha team, I believe it was at the ranch before that mission that went to hell.”
“Damn, that’s right.” They’d reunited for other missions. The Maldives, where Mike and Taty were working undercover, then to D.C. when Dixon needed extraction.
Zane meandered over. “The last time I was here, I got married.” He smiled. “Best fucking day of my life.”
A waiter swooped by with a tray of appetizers. “Damn, Joseph went all out, didn’t he?” Zane grabbed a napkin and two of the small offerings.
“Which raises a question.” Jacob walked up with his drink.
“What’s that?” Zane popped a shrimp-topped cracker into his mouth.
“How’s he going to make us pay for this?”
“Hmm?” Zane’s mouth was full, but he got his question across.
“Joseph has a plan.” Jacob swung his eyes over to where his oldest brother was talking with Frank and their mom.
“You know that for a fact?” Mike took a sip of his cognac and sent a covert glance Joseph’s way.
Jacob nodded. “You can bet on it.”
Zane chuckled. “Well, we’re fortunate that he has retired from his previous career. So, between the men and women who are here, everything else is manageable, right?”
Promises (The Kings of Guardian Book 14) Page 7
