by Lucy Score
He arrived early, carting a six-pack and the three foot-longs he’d picked up from Righteous Subs. His knock was answered by the adorable, mischievous Aurora and her guard dog Diesel, an overgrown gray beast that had flunked doggy obedience school twice.
“Hi!” she greeted him with enthusiasm.
“Hey, kid. Are you seven yet?”
“Not yet,” she shook her head. “But soon and then I’ll get presents and cake and there’ll be a party. You can come!” she offered.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” he said. “Is Beckett home?”
“He and mom are here somewhere. I’ll go find them, and you can play with Diesel and my Barbie,” Aurora said, shoving her doll into Niko’s hand.
The little redhead charged up the stairs calling for “Bucket” and her mom. There was a moment of silence and then a loud thump and a muffled giggle that came from the coat closet.
Niko watched as the doorknob turned as if by invisible fingers. A disheveled Gia poked her head out of the closet into the hallway.
“Crap. Busted,” she whispered over her shoulder.
Beckett, still buttoning his shirt stepped out behind her. “It’s just Niko, not a kid,” he sighed with relief.
“I’m early,” he announced unnecessarily. He tried not to look at them directly in the eye.
Beckett’s hair stood up in tufts. Gia’s skirt was on sideways and her neck was red. She scratched at it absently as the sound of a baby crying wafted down from the second floor. “Damn it! Beard burn,” she muttered. “Hi, Niko. If you tell any of our children where we were, I will make you babysit.”
“I saw nothing,” he promised. Diesel whimpered longingly at the bag of subs. Gia yanked Beckett’s mouth down to hers for one hard kiss before dashing barefoot upstairs.
“Mama’s coming!” she called out.
“So…” Beckett said, buckling his belt.
“So…” Niko looked at his feet.
“Beer?”
“Definitely.”
––—
“Thanks for coming with me,” Emma said to Phoebe as she signaled a left turn.
“It’s my pleasure. With all the houses your father and I looked at before we decided to build, I kind of miss exploring the weird and wonderful real estate that Blue Moon has to offer.”
“I’ve seen more weird than wonderful,” Emma sighed. “But Bruce was awfully firm about this house being ‘the one.’”
“Did you at least make sure it has a separate bathroom and kitchen?” Phoebe asked.
“I did this time. He assures me it’s a dream home, but I’m afraid that translates into nightmare.” She spotted the house number and parked at the curb. “Oh, this can’t be it,” she breathed.
The red brick house rose three stories high and was tucked into a fenced in lot with an abundance of trees and ferns. The leaves of the dogwood tree in the front yard fluttered in the evening breeze.
“This is… lovely,” Phoebe decided, opening her car door.
“I must have gotten the address wrong,” Emma frowned, checking her phone for Bruce’s text.
“I don’t think so,” Phoebe said, pointing at the for sale sign with Bruce Oakleigh’s mug on it against the sidewalk.
“Maybe the inside is terrible?” Emma murmured, following the brick walkway to the front porch.
“Oh, it wraps around both sides,” Phoebe sighed. “Just think of a porch swing right there and morning coffee and evening wine.”
“Termites. There’s probably an entire termite colony living here,” Emma predicted. “Or black wallpaper. Or maybe a murder-suicide happened here.”
“Only one way to find out.” Phoebe nodded at the front door.
Just as Emma raised her hand to knock, the door flew open and Bruce grinned at them. “Right on time, ladies! Right on time. Now, come in and take a look around. I think you’re going to really like this place.”
An hour later, Emma was in love and trying to talk herself out of it. She could see it, could see herself living here. She’d walked into the stunningly appointed kitchen, with its sexy as hell quartz counter tops and six-burner stove, and envisioned lazy brunches at a table tucked into the bay window. The kitchen opened into the family room at the back of the house. A wall of glass showed off the backyard that begged for a fire pit and a dog.
The formal dining room had soaring ceilings and room for at least a dozen. The master bedroom was four times the size of her postage-stamp sized room now. She smiled, realizing Niko wouldn’t have to duck to get under the showerhead in this bathroom. The third floor library space would be a perfect studio and office for Niko.
And that’s when things fell apart.
Emma wasn’t just envisioning herself in the house. She was picturing Niko editing photos upstairs, sprawled out in front of the fireplace in the formal living room, joining her in the glass shower in the master bathroom.
“Did you see the molding around the doors?” Phoebe gushed as they returned to the first floor via the spectacular staircase at the center of the house that was designed for teenage girls to make their grand entrances on prom night.
“Mmm-hmm.” It was all Emma could get out. Somehow her brain had taken a vacation, and her imagination had built a life around Nikolai Vulkov and this house. Maybe there really was something hallucinogenic in the water in Blue Moon? But she knew the danger in trying to turn “see where this goes” into a concrete future.
“Well, what do you think?” Bruce asked, clasping his hands in front of him.
“It’s wonderful,” Emma admitted. But she needed to decide if it was wonderful because she’d fantasized Niko all over the house or if it really fit what she wanted in a home. “Maybe a little big for just me?”
“It’s a home to grow into,” Bruce said, suddenly serious. “Just imagine all of those bedrooms full with children and guests. Think of how much happiness these walls could hold.”
Emma cleared her throat, trying to dislodge the emotion that had settled there. She could see it. Thanksgivings and birthdays. The gallery dedicated to Niko’s work in the stairway that rose three floors up. She could feel it.
“It’s a possibility,” she said finally.
––—
Poker night was exactly what he’d needed, Niko decided, taking another bite of superb Italian sub. They crowded around a table on Beckett’s third floor in a spacious room with gabled ceiling and thick carpet. All three Pierce brothers, the off-duty Donovan Cardona, the fully clothed Fitz, and Evan, who at thirteen had a surprising aptitude for the game, settled in for the evening.
Franklin missed the fun to fill in as host in his restaurant, and Niko wasn’t disappointed. He’d never spent time with the father of anyone he was seeing. Though he’d known the man for a year, things were different now. And with everyone around the table knowing that he and Emma were having sex and more, Franklin’s absence was relief.
“How’s it going with the kids?” Niko asked Jax.
Jax scratched his jaw and discarded. “Good. Really good. It’s definitely an adjustment, but I don’t know who it’s harder on, us or them.”
“Still can’t believe you and Joey for all intents and purposes are parents,” Beckett said stroking his beard with a disbelieving shake of his head.
“Said the man wearing a baby,” Jax shot back. Lydia was curled up in her wrap, sound asleep against Beckett’s chest.
“Gia took Aurora to the studio. Lyd’s easy when she sleeps.” Beckett picked up his sub and took a healthy bite.
“Nothing about babies or kids looks easy,” Donovan argued. “First you have babies who are completely dependent on you for everything. Then they turn into kids and teenagers who will do anything to be independent of you. It’s insane.”
“You ever planning on having a family?” Carter asked Donovan, washing down his veggie sub with a swallow of cold beer.
Donovan shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah. Probably. Eventually. If I find the right future Mrs. Cardona.”
/> “Family’s easier with the right partner,” Beckett agreed, folding.
“Someone like Eva Merill?” Niko asked with a sly grin. He had no problem throwing others under the significant other bus.
Donovan shot him a look that made Niko glad the man wasn’t carrying his service weapon.
“You and Aunt Eva?” Evan asked, studying Donovan with a frown.
“What? He’s bang— uh, dating your aunt Emma.” Donovan pointed an accusatory finger in Niko’s direction.
Evan laid the evil eye on Niko and shook his head slowly. “I think they both could do better,” he sighed, straight-faced.
The table busted up, and Niko put Evan in a headlock and ruffled his hair. “Smart ass.”
Evan smirked. “Just be respectful of them and treat them well, and we won’t have a problem.”
Beckett threw his stepson a salute. “Listen to the kid. Because if either of you fuck with either of them, Evan and I are going to start taking names.”
“And kicking ass,” Evan added.
An “ooooh” echoed around the table.
“What? Beckett says I can swear up here as long as I don’t tell Mom or do it at school.”
“I like this kid,” Niko said, jerking his thumb in Evan’s direction.
“I’m telling you. Kids are fucking magic,” Carter grinned, swiftly dealing the cards.
“And fucking monsters,” Beckett said, winking at Evan.
“Magical monsters,” Carter corrected. “It’s not something anyone can prepare you for. If I were to tell you that starting a family is like the best worst thing I’ve ever done, you wouldn’t get it until you were staring at your sleeping baby who spent the last four hours screaming and vomiting on everything you own.”
“It’s the challenge,” Beckett agreed. “Like ‘no, I’m not letting this tiny person break me.’”
Niko glanced down at his cards and tossed more chips into the pot. “I’ve never really thought much about having kids, starting a family,” he admitted.
“Joey and I have been on the fence about it, too,” Jax admitted.
“Really?” Donovan interjected. “I thought you two would end up with a family big enough to require one of those cargo vans.”
Jax shrugged and took a swig of his beer. “We’re not baby people. Give us an Evan and an Aurora, and that’d be awesome.”
“Thanks, Uncle Jax,” Evan said, raising his bottle of root beer in a mock toast.
Jax winked at him. “I think that’s why we’re adjusting pretty well to Reev and Cale. But looking at Puke-a-saurus Rex over there?” he said, pointing to the drooling, unconscious baby strapped to Beckett’s chest. “That terrifies me to my very soul. Besides, can you imagine Joey pregnant and not being allowed to ride?”
Carter shuddered. “You’re right. Don’t do it. We can’t take over the stables and riding program for her.”
Nikolai smirked at the Pierce banter. “So does no babies mean no family?”
Jax frowned. “Not necessarily. Before all this, we hadn’t really talked about anything other than how gross babies are and how awesome it is to sleep in and not be covered in someone else’s puke. You should know we’ve been gloating about how superior our lives are since the twins and Lydia came,” he grinned.
“You paint such a romantic picture of parenthood,” Beckett snorted. Lydia chose that moment to throw up on him in her sleep. “Shit. I hate when Uncle Jax is right.” He reached for his napkin and started mopping up his daughter.
Evan snickered.
“Is there any news on their mom?” Carter asked.
Beckett and Jax shared a quiet look.
Donovan took a drink, set his bottle down. “We tracked her to a motel in Virginia Beach a week ago and then poof. Into the wind. She’ll turn up eventually.”
“What happens in the meantime?” Niko wondered.
Jax cleared his throat. “We’re talking to Mr. Mayor here about drawing up guardianship papers.”
“No shit? Are you serious?” Carter demanded.
“Early talks yet. And we haven’t brought it up with them yet. They may want to wait it out for their mom, or they may not want to stay with us. But Caleb’s learning to ride, and he’s really into cars. Reva’s Joey’s freaking right hand in the stables, and she’s doing better in school now that she’s not trying to support her brother on her own.”
“What made you guys decide to make it permanent?” Niko asked.
Jax ran a hand over the back of his head. “Honestly, we thought our lives were perfect before. Awesome sex life, my career’s great, the breeding program is off to an epic start. But the longer they’re there, the better it feels. They just kinda fit. And they fit in this space that we didn’t even know was empty.
“Plus, and this is really important, neither of them has ever puked all over me,” he grinned.
“Asshole,” Beckett muttered.
“Well, congratulations,” Donovan raised his bottle. “If this works out, you’ll be cutting down on my sleepless nights worrying about dumping those two in foster care.”
“I’d appreciate if you all could keep your traps shut about this until we find the mom and see where everything stands,” Jax said, holding up two fingers for cards.
“She’s got to sign over custody,” Beckett explained. “And she may not be willing.”
“Fuck that,” Niko argued. “She abandoned them.”
Beckett finished mopping up Lydia and himself. “The law’s the law. And we need to be on the right side of it when we’re talking about kids and families.”
“What about you, Fitz? You ever regret not having kids?” Jax asked.
Fitz ran his hand down his braided rattail. “I thoroughly enjoy my bachelorhood.”
“I guess a wife and kids would really interfere with your stripping career,” Jax mused.
“You’re going to have a kid in college,” Carter grinned. “How’s that gloating going?”
“Hey, what are you guys all going to do when your daughters start dating?” Evan piped up.
Niko grinned watching the color slowly drain from the Pierce faces.
“Yeah, Reva’s probably already dating,” Donovan said, feeding the beast. “Have you met any of the guys, or do you think she just sneaks out to meet them? You wouldn’t believe the places I find teenagers making out.”
Jax’s knuckles whitened on the neck of his bottle, and Niko got the feeling he was reminiscing about his high school exploits with newfound regret.
“Can you guys imagine when Aurora starts dating?” Evan mused. “She’s barely controlled chaos now.”
“Hell no. I fold. None of them are ever dating,” Beckett decided, shaking his head. “I can’t handle that. I know what guys are like at that age.”
“We all know what guys are like at that age. We were those guys,” Carter groaned, tossing his cards on the table.
“They actually start younger now,” Donovan said helpfully.
“Oh yeah, I had to chase off a couple of preteens who were necking behind my dumpster at the store,” Fitz agreed. “Turned the garden hose on ‘em.”
“Maybe we can send them all to a private all-girls school?” Beckett wondered.
Jax pulled out his phone. “I’m out. I gotta see if there’s an all girls college with an equestrian program. No way in hell Reva’s going away to school with slobbering, pimply, walking freshman hardons.”
Evan raked in the pot and grinned smugly.
“You’ve got baby barf in your beard,” Carter smirked at Beckett.
“Let’s get back to Fitz’s stripping career,” Niko demanded. “I have a lot of questions.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“I can’t believe you talked me into this.” Emma stared out the train window as upstate New York zipped past. “Three days in the city,” she sighed.
Niko grinned at her. “Excited?”
She dropped her head to his shoulder. “Beyond. I thought it would be harder to get the tim
e off, but Jax told me they were on the verge of forcing me to take a couple of vacation days.”
“You’re family to them,” Niko said, lacing his fingers through hers.
“Funny how that happens. So tell me again everything that’s on the agenda,” she demanded.
“Tonight, we’re having dinner with my father and his wife.”
“Your stepmother,” Emma corrected.
“My stepmother,” Niko nodded. He didn’t need to tell Emma that part of the reason for their visit with his family was so he could wipe the slate clean with his father’s new wife. She’d already guessed and was fully in his corner. It wasn’t that there’d been tension between Niko and his father. Almost worse, there had been an impenetrable layer of disinterest as his father built a new life. Things would change, starting with this visit.
“Tomorrow you’ll be accompanying me to a photo shoot where you’ll be so overcome by my genius that you’ll barely be able to refrain from tearing off my clothes. But we’ll enhance the torture by going out for a traditional New York date, dinner and drinks, and delay the gratification until we’re in danger of being arrested for lewd conduct.”
“You do make interesting plans,” she teased. But the catch of her breath told him she was already anticipating a playful night of flirting, touching.
He leaned in closer, lips brushing her ear. “Then I’ll take you home and make love to you in my bed until the sun comes up.” Emma trembled against him, and he went achingly hard.
Her hand squeezed his. “Then what?”
“Then we sleep, eat, and make love until the show.”
The smile spread her lips slow and sexy. “You sure know how to show a girl a good time.”
He traced a finger over her cheek and down the knife-edge of her jaw.
“I can’t wait to have you all to myself,” he admitted. “No brewery, no Blue Moon, just you and me.”
“So there won’t be any children sprinting through your front door while we’re naked?”
“None.” His teeth grazed her earlobe, and Emma sucked in a breath.
“You’d better behave yourself while we’re on public transportation,” she hissed, gripping his hand.
He shifted gears again from intense to playful. “How was the house you saw this week? I noticed you didn’t say anything about it. How terrible was it?”
