A Forever Kind of Family

by Brenda Harlen

In the background, she heard the gate agent announce the start of boarding. “I’m going to be on a plane in a few minutes,” she told him.

  * * *

  Harper felt marginally better after talking to Ryan.

  When she was buckled into her seat on the plane, she texted him her flight information and estimated time of arrival at home. He didn’t reply. She kept her cell in her hand, waiting, hoping, for a response, but there was nothing. Her throat was tight as she set her phone to airplane mode, knowing that every minute that she was out of touch was going to feel like an hour, that the two-hour flight would feel like forever.

  Unable to receive any communications from Ryan, she tried to console herself with the reassurance that he’d gone to the day care as he’d promised and Oliver was safe with him by now. But she really needed to see him for herself. She needed to see both of them.

  She checked her phone again for a message as she left the Jetway, and her gaze was so intently focused on the screen of her phone that she nearly walked right past them in the arrivals area. Then she heard her name and she looked up—and saw them.

  Ryan and Oliver.

  Here.

  Real.

  Safe.

  She couldn’t speak. There were no words—there was only emotion. A huge overwhelming wave of emotion—gratitude, relief, joy—that swept over her.

  Then Ryan’s arms were around her, warm and strong, holding her close for a long time.

  “You didn’t text me back,” she finally managed, the words muffled against his chest.

  “I forgot my phone in the car when I went in to get Oliver,” he admitted. “And by the time we left the day care, I knew your plane was already in the air and decided you wouldn’t believe that he was safe until you saw him for yourself.”

  “You’re right,” she admitted.

  “And he is—safe and secure and where he belongs. With us.”

  Oliver was also sandwiched between them, and he began to squirm against the constraint of their embrace. Ryan reluctantly let go of her and shifted the little boy to her arms.

  She hugged Oliver close and kissed the top of his head, while Ryan stroked a hand over her hair, as if he needed the physical contact to prove to himself that she was there. She understood the feeling.

  “Can we go home now?” she asked.

  “Whenever you’re ready.”

  * * *

  Home was chaos.

  Oliver had fallen asleep in the car but woke up as soon as Ryan pulled into the driveway. Then Coco went nuts when they walked through the door, dancing around between their feet and yipping happily.

  “Is it good to be home?” Ryan asked.

  She smiled. “You have no idea how good.”

  They took the baby and the puppy out into the yard and let them run around to burn off some energy. Ryan dropped onto the grass and pulled her down beside him. She was still wearing the linen pantsuit she’d donned for her interview with Annette Grantham a lifetime ago, and she knew that she’d end up with grass stains on the butt, but she didn’t care.

  She tipped her head back against Ryan’s shoulder and smiled, watching Oliver chase Coco for a few steps; then Coco would turn around and chase Oliver. And in that moment, her life was pretty much perfect.

  “I didn’t even ask,” Harper realized. “What happened with Aubrey? Was she arrested?”

  “The day-care manager called the police, but they said it was our choice whether or not to have her charged,” Ryan told her.

  “And you opted not,” she guessed.

  “I said I’d have to discuss it with you, but Aubrey’s attorney pointed out that there’s no evidence she wanted to take Oliver from the day care for any reason other than a visit.”

  She snorted her disbelief.

  “That was my reaction, too,” he said. “But the attorney also suggested that his clients might agree to a stipulation of supervised visitation if we chose not to pursue other legal remedies.”

  “I don’t know that pressing charges would accomplish anything,” she said. “At least that’s something.”

  “There’s something else,” Ryan said, and pulled Oliver’s beanbag puppy out of his pocket.

  “You found Woof.”

  “Aubrey found Woof.”

  “She must have been at the cemetery on Mother’s Day, after we left,” Harper realized.

  “And at the courthouse when we got married,” Ryan said.

  “What?”

  So he told her about Oliver “finding” the toy that day—and how he’d thrown it away. And now it had turned up again, courtesy of Aubrey.

  “That’s a little scary,” Harper said.

  He didn’t disagree.

  Then Oliver plopped himself on the ground beside them and looked at Harper hopefully. “Kee?”

  She chuckled. “Are you hungry?”

  “Kee,” he said again.

  “I guess it’s getting close to dinnertime,” Ryan realized.

  Her stomach growled in agreement, the bowl of fruit and yogurt she’d had at breakfast nothing more than a distant memory.

  “I had big plans for a special meal for your first night home,” he told her. “Spaghetti Bolognese, garlic bread sticks and salad, of course.”

  “Takeout from Valentino’s?” she guessed.

  “Yeah. How does that sound?”

  “Delicious,” she admitted. “But too much trouble.”

  “Too much trouble to go pick it up?”

  She nodded. “I don’t want you to go anywhere right now.”

  “We could get pizza delivered.”

  “Za,” Oliver chimed in.

  “Za sounds even better,” she agreed, ruffling the little boy’s hair.

  “There won’t be any salad,” Ryan warned.

  “We could get tomatoes and green peppers on the pizza.”

  “We could,” he agreed. “But we won’t.”

  “Spinach and mushrooms?” she suggested.

  “How about pepperoni, sausage and bacon?” he countered.

  She made a face.

  In the end, they compromised on pepperoni, mushrooms and hot peppers. They had a glass of wine with their pizza—a bottle of Harper’s favorite cab merlot that Ryan had picked up as part of his original dinner plan.

  After the pizza box was empty, Oliver had been bathed and tucked into his crib, and the puppy had settled into his own bed for the night, Ryan framed her face with his hands and kissed her softly. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too,” she admitted.

  “How was your interview this morning?”

  “Was it only this morning?”

  He smiled. “It’s been a helluva day, hasn’t it?”

  “Not one I ever want to repeat,” she assured him.

  “The interview,” he prompted.

  “I think it went well. Annette said she’d be in touch before the end of the week.”

  “For a second interview or an offer?”

  She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “What do you mean—it doesn’t matter?”

  “Even if she offered me the job, I wouldn’t take it.”

  “Why not?” he demanded.

  “Because it’s in Miami.”

  “And?” he prompted.

  “And...you’re here. You and Oliver and Coco.”

  “I offered to go to Miami with you,” he reminded her.

  “For the interview,” she acknowledged.

  “For anything you need.”

  Her brow furrowed. “I’m not sure I understand.”

  “This is the opportunity you’ve been working toward—if you need to go to Miami to make it happen, then we’ll go to Miami.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Do you want me to make it difficult?”

  “Of course not. But what about your career?”

  “I’m the national sales manager of Garrett Furniture. My office is in Charisma because I’m here, but I could do the job from almost anywher
e.”

  “What about Oliver?”

  He paused, as if considering the question. “We should probably take him with us,” he finally decided. “And Coco, too.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I was asking if you think Darren and Melissa would approve of us taking Oliver to Florida.”

  “They trusted us to do what’s best for their son,” he reminded her. “And I’m certain they wouldn’t care where we’re living so long as we’re together.”

  “You’d really move to Florida?”

  “It’s better than either of the alternatives—you giving up a job you really want or living apart from you.”

  “They haven’t actually offered me the job yet.”

  “They will,” he said confidently. “And I wanted to be prepared for when they did, which is why I’ve already talked to the board of directors about relocating.”

  “Is your mother on the board of directors?”

  He laughed softly. “No, but she’ll understand.”

  Harper wasn’t entirely convinced of that, but she had a more important question to ask. “Why?”

  “Why do I want to do this?”

  She nodded.

  “Because I know this is important to you, and because you’re important to me. Because I love you.”

  And she was finally beginning to believe that he did. “You mentioned that...before I left for Miami. And I didn’t say anything back.”

  “Actually, you did—you said my timing sucked,” he reminded her.

  “I was scared,” she admitted. “Because I thought you were using your feelings to manipulate me, because I didn’t know what to do with all of the feelings that I had inside me.”

  “Are you still scared?”

  “No.” She looked into his eyes, wanting him to see the truth of her feelings in hers. “Because I know now that I love you, too.” Then she leaned forward and kissed him, softly, sweetly. “For now and forever.”

  * * * * *

  Don’t miss the next installment of THOSE ENGAGING GARRETTS! by award-winning author Brenda Harlen!

  Garrett Furniture heiress Jordyn Garrett doesn’t believe in happily-ever-after—no matter what her love-struck relatives tell her! Can sexy bartender Marco Palermo convince her that some people are destined to be together—and that forever is the right path for them?

  Look for THE BACHELOR TAKES A BRIDE, on sale September 2015, wherever Harlequin books and ebooks are sold.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from FROM BEST FRIEND TO BRIDE by Jules Bennett.

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  Chapter One

  “You know how to please a man.”

  Megan Richards desperately wished those words coming from her best friend’s kissable lips had been said in a different context. Alas, Cameron St. John was only referring to the medium-well steak she had grilled, and not a bedroom romp.

  One day she would shock them both when she declared her desire, her need for the man she’d known since kindergarten, when he’d pulled her pigtails and she’d retaliated by taking her safety scissors to his mullet. A mutual respect was instantly born, and they’d been friends since—sans pigtails and mullet.

  “I figured you’d been eating enough take-out junk and needed some real food,” she told him, watching in admiration as he picked up their dinner plates and started loading her dishwasher.

  Oh, yeah. His mama had raised him right, and Megan didn’t think there was a sexier sight than a domestic man...especially one with muscles that flexed so beautifully with each movement.

  Since his back was turned, she soaked up the view. The man came by his rippled beauty honestly, with hours dedicated to rigorous workouts. She worked out, too—just last night she’d exercised with a box of cookies—which would be the main reason his body was so perfectly toned while hers was so perfectly dimpled and shapely.

  Cameron closed the dishwasher door and gave the countertop a swift swipe with the cloth before turning to face her. With his hands resting on either side of his narrow hips, he might have looked all laid-back and casual, but the man positively reeked of alpha sexiness. His impressive height and broad shoulders never failed to send a sucker punch straight to her active hormones.

  Too bad he was married to his job as chief of police in Stonerock, Tennessee. Besides, she was too afraid to lose him as a friend to really open up and let years of emotions come pouring out. Well, that and Cameron and his family had been the only true stability she’d known since her parents were killed in a car accident during a snowstorm when they’d been traveling up north to visit friends. Megan couldn’t risk damaging the bond she had with Cam.

  Oh, and he’d made it perfectly clear on more than one occasion that he wouldn’t get into a committed relationship. Not as long as he was in law enforcement, thanks to an incident involving his partner when they’d been rookies.

  Yup, he didn’t do relationships; just like he didn’t do healthy food.

  “I don’t eat junk,” he defended himself.

  Megan tipped her head, quirking a brow.

  “I’ll have you know that Burger-rama is real food, and they know my order without me even repeating it.” Cameron crossed his arms over his wide chest and offered her that lady-killer smile.

  Laughing, Megan came to her feet. “I rest my case.”

  With a quick glance at his watch, Cameron pushed off the counter and sighed. “I better get going. I need to rest before heading out tonight.”

  She had no clue what he was working on; she rarely did. He was pretty adamant about keeping his work absent from their conversations. He’d tell the occasional funny drunken-fight story, but when it came to a serious investigative case, he was pretty tight-lipped.

  Whatever he was working on must be major, seeing as how he’d been heading out to work at midnight several nights a week—not something a chief normally did. The new lines between his brows and the dark circles beneath his eyes spoke volumes about his new schedule.

  “You’re working yourself to death. You know that, right? Between all the crazy hours and the junk food. You can’t be getting enough sleep.”

  One corner of his mouth tipped up in a smile. That cocky, charming grin always had the same heart-gripping impact. How many women had been mesmerized by that beautiful, sexy smile?

  “I’ll be fine,” he assured her, pulling her into a friendly hug. “This case should wrap up soon, and I’ll be back to somewhat normal hours, complete with sleep. The junk food remains, though.”

  Two out of three wasn’t too bad. Besides, normal for him meant ten-hour days instead of twelve or fourteen. Reminding him of his father’s bypass surgery last year would do no good. The St. John men were a stubborn bunch. She should know; she’d been the family sidekick since grade school.

  Megan kept her mouth shut and wrapped her arms around his waist as she slowly inhaled his familiar scent. Closing her eyes, she wished for so much. She wished Cam would wake up and see how deeply she cared for him, she wished her brother would straighten his life out and she wished she knew what to do about the out-of-town job offer she’d just received.

  None of those things were going to happen right now, so she held on tight and enjoyed the moment of being enveloped by the man she’d loved for years. If
friendship was all they were destined for, then she’d treasure what she had and not dwell on the unattainable.

  Cameron eased back, resting his firm hands on her shoulders. “You okay? You seem tense.”

  Really? Because she’d pretty much melted into his embrace. The cop in him always managed to pick up every little detail around him, yet the man in him was totally oblivious to the vibes she sent out. It would be so much easier if he just magically knew how she felt and took that giant first step so she didn’t have to. The passive-aggressive thing was never her style, but in this instance she really wished he’d just read her mind.

  “I’m fine,” she assured him, offering a grin. “Just a lot on my mind lately.”

  Wasn’t that an understatement?

  His dark brows drew together as those signature bright blue St. John eyes studied her. “What can I do to help?”

  Oh, if he only knew. One day.

  “Nothing.” She reached up, patted his stubbled jaw and stepped back to avoid further temptation. “Go rest so you can head out and save Stonerock from all the bad guys.”

  The muscle in his jaw jumped. “I’m working on it.”

  “I hope you’re careful,” she added, always worried she’d get a phone call from one of his brothers or his parents telling her the worst. Because Cameron would put his life on the line for anybody. He just wouldn’t put his heart on the line.

  He laughed. “Yes, Mom, I’m careful.”

  Swatting him on his hard pec, Megan narrowed her eyes. “I have to ask. You make me worry.”

  “Nothing to worry about,” he assured her, with a friendly kiss on her forehead. “I’m good at my job.”

  “You’re so humble, too.”

  With a shrug, he pulled his keys from his pocket. “Eli and Nora’s baby is being christened tomorrow. You’re still planning on coming, right?”

  “Are you going to make it?”

  Cameron nodded and headed toward the back door. He always came and went via her back door. He never knocked, just used a key when it was locked and made himself at home.

  “I’ll make it,” he told her, his hand resting on the antique knob. “I may even have time to run home and nap and shower for the occasion.”

  “How about I pick you up?” she offered.