“Oh, pfft,” she groused. “Pay no attention to these overgrown boys. You’ll see. A Justice man? You can dress him up real nice and even take him out in polite society. He’ll use the proper fork and remember not to pass wind in public. But, oh lord. Once they’re in that Arizona compound? All bets are off. It’s blue jeans and flannel for dress occasions.”
“That’s not really an answer,” Heather complained.
“Shugah, you look lovely. And since you need some reassurance, let me give you the four-one-one on the Family Justice.”
Stephanie wanted to twist Brody’s earlobe off for throwing this poor girl into the deep end without proper vetting.
“Ignore the men. Well,” she drawled. “Everyone except the Major, of course. Him you can’t ignore.”
“That would be the groom, right? Alex Marquez.”
“Yes. That would be him. Tech genius. The only man, other than Calder, who I easily bow before. They don’t make them like him anymore.”
“Got it.”
“Like I said, ignore the rest of the desert rat pack. Now … the women. That’s another matter. We have Lacey Cameron. She’s the youngling of the group and the most senior Justice wife. When God passed out sweetness and fairy dust … she got it all. Then there’s my contribution to the ladies’ posse. Victoria. Despite having a pageant queen for a mama, she’s what you would call a no-nonsense geek. Started as Alex’s assistant before she lost her damn mind and fell for that devil she’s married to.”
Heather chuckled. “So … Tinkerbell and an Amy Farrah Fowler?”
Oh, my god! Stephanie almost peed herself at the comparison. She couldn’t wait to share it with Calder who would no doubt rub Draegyn’s nose in the spot-on joke. When Tori first came to Justice, she was hiding behind big, clunky glasses and sensible shoes that should have been declared a crime against humanity. Amy Farrah Fowler, indeed.
“There’s also Betty, who runs the business. Carmen is the intrepid Latino housekeeper and she knows exactly everything about everybody. Ria is the cook. Does all the food planning for the agency and Villa. She’s married to Ben. Ben is the go-to for everything. Gus is the stable master and the keeper of a massive fleet of cars, trucks, carts, ATV, scooters. You name it. As you can see,” she said. “Not exactly a fashion runway.”
“You didn’t mention Meghan.”
Well, my goodness, Stephanie thought. That sounded a bit like jealousy, and if it was, this was too delightful to be true. Alex jealous of Brody and Brody’s lady friend jealous of Meghan. Instant Karma!
“Well. Meghan. Hmm. She’s a force of nature, that one.” Wearing a lighthearted expression, Stephanie considered how else she could possibly explain. “You know how people always say that for everyone there’s that one person who fits? Like a twin or a missing half? That’s Meghan. When I first met Alex Marquez, he was barely functioning, and I mean that in an injured soldier way. Justice was new back then, and he was personally involved in nearly every assignment. Our national pageant office hired them to do security. I knew the moment we met that he was a giant among men. You’ll see what I mean. He has this old-world charm and the sort of manners every mom hopes she passes on to her kids.”
“How long has he been with this Meghan?”
“That’s the thing. According to their official biography, they were acquainted by mail … a long story … but they’d never met. Then one day last summer, she dropped by the Villa while traveling through the Southwest. Courtesy call. A luncheon was all it was supposed to be.” She looked Heather straight in the eye. “She never left, and now, they’re making it legal.”
“Wow. She never left?”
“Oh, well, I should add that she did leave once. Actually, the Major all but packed her bags and sent her away. Sometimes, a couple needs the fear of God put into them before they find their way.”
“You sound like you know what that’s like.”
“I do,” she admitted. Looking wistfully at Calder, she confessed, “I thought I was too old for love. Too set in my ways with a career. Took a separation and a man with balls to bring me to my senses.”
Heather looked at Calder and then at Stephanie. “How’d he change your mind?”
“He came back for me,” she declared. “After I pushed him away, he came back. He dropped everything and was the one to give in. That man was willing to give up his future and move to a city he’d hate because that’s where I was.”
“Wow.”
“If it ever comes to that, my dear, take it from someone who knows. Don’t waste time worrying about the past. Nothing can change what’s already happened. The only thing we really control is how we meet the future.”
“Thank you, Stephanie. I think I needed to hear that.”
Stephanie regarded the dog guru. The happy, smiling man she saw was a far cry from the bookish loner she’d known in Arizona. This introverted woman with the confidence problem was changing him. For the better.
Good for her.
“IS EVERYONE SAFE and sound, Meggie?”
Meghan looked up from her phone and smiled broadly. “Almost. The plane arrives soon, and Alex and his dad are due on the six o’clock train. Everyone else is settled in at their hotels. Squee!”
Smoothing Meghan’s tumble of auburn curls, Maggie O’Brien’s gentle, loving touch calmed Meghan’s emotions.
“You’ve missed your man, mo stoirín.”
Throwing her arms around her ma’s waist, Meghan buried her face in her middle. “Mom, I can barely breathe without him. Was it like this with you and Da?”
“Ah, sweetie. It still is, daughter. After all these years, it still is.”
With a tone that sounded like the beginning of a fishing expedition, her mother coyly asked, “Will you be spending the night at the hotel, then?”
Sheesh. Why did she feel like she’d just been zinged? “Um, actually … no.”
“No?” Meghan understood the shock in her mom’s voice.
Taking her mother’s hands, she remained seated but looked up into a pair of green eyes exactly like the ones that looked back at her in the mirror.
“Ma, don’t freak out, okay?”
“Are you pregnant?”
“What? No!” She shook her head vehemently.
“Oh.” She didn’t miss the disappointment in her mother’s voice. “Pooh. I was hoping …”
“Oh, my god.” Meghan laughed. “Talk about taking the wind out of my sails. Ma!” she exclaimed. “I’m not pregnant, but we are going to start trying right away.” She couldn’t believe she was starting to blush, but she was. “And because I had my period since leaving Arizona, we decided to abstain until after the wedding. I know it sounds silly.” She shrugged. “But I really want our wedding night to be special. And if we make a baby …”
“After you get married.”
“Right. Exactly the point.”
Why was her mother smirking at her like that? “So this abstaining arrangement. Was this your idea? You know what you’re doing, right?”
“Alex understands.”
Ma burst out laughing and pulled her up into a hug. “You’re a terrible liar, my daughter.”
“What do you mean?” She really didn’t know what in the world her mother was referring to.
“Really, Meggie?” Her mom’s headshake and pursed lips looked like censure. Then she dropped the mother of all bombshells. “I really wish you’d have let me meet you in New York.”
Meghan eyed her suspiciously.
“I was thinking a small tattoo, maybe here,” she said pointing at her shoulder blade. “Either a shamrock or a Boston PD shield. Can’t decide which.”
She was pretty sure all the air just got sucked out of the room. “Whaaat?” she muttered.
“Maybe I’ll surprise Da for his birthday. Just like you’re surprising the Major.”
“How did you find out?” Meghan wailed.
Her mother’s laughter rang out. “You gave this address on the tattoo release form.
I figured it was a wedding gift, so I opened it. They sent an instruction packet in the mail. By the way, if you need any more Neosporin, I have plenty.”
She felt like a fish out of water, standing there, opening and closing her mouth like an idiot. “Oh, uh … actually, I’m past the ointment phase. It’s healing nicely.”
They walked arm-in-arm to the front parlor and sat down on the loveseat together. “Sweetie, did you do this for Alex?”
Now that her secret was out, she was excited to share what she’d done. “Of course, Ma! Why else does a woman put ink on her ass? I got some symbols from his family crest done. Angie says it’s fantastic, but I can’t really see it without a mirror.”
Patting her hands, Ma sat back and regarded Meghan with a smile. “You keep that surprise under wraps, ya hear? No showing the girls. Your husband should be the first one to see the finished design. And unless you’ve lost your damn mind, I’m fairly certain this crest, as you call it, is somewhere that only your man is going to see.”
Meghan smirked. “What was the point if everyone could see it? Dad doesn’t know, does he? I’d die. Truly.”
Meghan melted into a warm mom-hug when her ma pulled her close. With her head upon a shoulder that had always been there for her, she drank in the special private moment. Tears stung at her nose and eyes.
“Ah, the million shamrock question. Does Daddy know?”
Capable hands, hands that raised four rambunctious kids and kept the home fire burning for more than thirty years, smoothed Meghan’s tumble of curls. She felt her mother’s face press against the top of her head with a kiss.
“I suspect you already know this, mo stoirín, but I’ll say it anyway. There are some things men just do not need to know.” A soft chuckle rumbled up from her chest and brought a smile to Meghan’s face. “Take it from me, daughter. No fancy words could ever explain to your da why you branded your bottom.” She squeezed her tight and chuckled again. “And the détente between your father and Alex, it’s well … it’s tenuous so best not to rock the boat.”
Hmm. This was news to Meghan. Maybe the nonstop calls with Dad and Alex weren’t about bonding. Maybe there was some hoop jumping going on. She thought about that angle for a minute and decided she wasn’t entirely unhappy about it if that’s what was really happening. In fact, it was kind of funny.
“Poor Paddy.” Ma giggled. “He’d never give Alex a pass if he knew!”
They laughed together with Meghan basking in the comfort of her mother’s embrace.
“And speaking of which,” Ma continued. “While blaming your husband for something he didn’t know about sounds like a barrel of laughs, I have to ask, Meggie. I’m not ignorant of what goes on between you two. How’s the Major going to react to what you’ve done?”
Yikes. Moms always knowing wasn’t just an urban legend.
“Um, well … I’m absolutely certain he’ll be …” She searched for a good word. “Delighted. When he sees it, he’ll love the symbology.”
“Uh-huh.” The hair smoothing continued. “Is that it?”
Talk about scoring a direct hit! “No. I’m pretty sure at some point I’ll have to, uh, account for my actions. Not consulting my lord and master was a grave error that he’ll make quite the point of.”
Meghan chose her phrasing deliberately. Though they were different generations, she’d been astonished to learn her mom knew way more about these things than Meghan ever dreamed. Explained a lot about her parents’ relationship and why Meghan fell so comfortably into the roles she and Alex seemed destined to play.
Laughter rang out. “And I’m sure you gave that intense consideration, am I right?”
Meghan sat up and grinned. “You know, Ma … when I was a little girl, I saw Da swat your bum.”
Maggie O’Brien fixed her with one of those impossible-to-read expressions that parents excel at. “Oh, I’m sure you’re mistaken, sweetie.”
After a quick kiss on the cheek, Meghan jostled her mom with a shoulder shove. “As someone who is acquainted with the view only seen when over a knee, I’m pretty damn sure what I saw wasn’t a mistake.”
Giving up all pretense of not knowing what she was getting at, Ma laughed and quirked a hilarious grin. With half a shrug, she picked at her skirt and smirked. “Probably overcooked the brisket or some such nonsense.”
They cracked up laughing; their roars of amusement bounced off the parlor walls.
“So what’s on the agenda, Meggie?” her mother asked after they’d wiped away the tears and blown their noses. Laughter had a way of making a mess.
“I talked to Tori a little bit ago. They’re getting the boys settled in. Your idea to commandeer people you know to handle the babysitting was brills, Ma! We don’t want anyone to miss a single minute of what we’ve planned. Angie, thank god, is all over the details, so all I have to do is pick an outfit and show up.”
Suddenly overwhelmed by a surge of something that was so big and so unforgettable that calling it happiness wasn’t good enough, Meghan twirled in a circle. Arms out wide, she pushed off with one foot and spun around and around on her toes as her ma stood by and smiled.
Checking out a pile of wrapped presents stacked on a table, Meghan drawled, “Just so you know, I’m not so completely addled by this wedding that it escaped my notice that everyone … and I do mean everyone,” she sniped with a raised brow, “is up to something.”
A sly smirk was all she got followed by a deft change of subject. So much for being kept in the loop. “Last night was wonderful. Ashleigh was charming. And Sophia. My goodness. What a beauty.”
Undaunted by the conversational pivot, she agreed it certainly had been a memorable evening. At her insistence, they met Ashleigh Marquez for drinks followed by dinner. The two moms hit it off like they were long-lost friends leaving her to feel a little left out. Calling on Angie and Sophie for backup, they appeared in time for dessert and brought the perfect amount of humor to the proceedings. With Ma and Ashleigh marching arm-in-arm down the street, oohing and aahing over every damn window display along the way, that left the three of them to make comical faces as they followed in their wake, totally forgotten.
“Did you know your mother-in-law was an artist? My goodness. What a surprise. She promised to send Paddy and me something we can hang in the dining room.”
Meghan’s jaw tightened. Had she known? No, she had not. Or maybe she had. It was hard to know. Mostly, all she’d done was obsess over the Marquez family, so tons of details probably fell between the cracks. Finding fresh paint and some surprising facelifts all around the O’Brien home made her realize her mom had been doing the same.
“Quite a few surprises have come up,” she murmured. Brightening, she added, “Including Alex meeting up with his dad in D.C. I’m glad, though. Give them some quality father-son time.”
“What time’s their train, Meggie? Are you going to the station?”
“No to the station.” She’d decided against a public reunion. Being apart had been excruciating and no way did she want eyeballs on them when at last they reunited. Nope. She was going to his hotel. And she was wearing a pantsuit so there’d be no possible way for her horny alpha to talk her out of her skirt and panties.
Ma smiled knowingly. “Probably best.”
“Tomorrow, the insanity kicks off early. Hope you’re ready for this.” She laughed. “Wait till you guys meet Parker’s folks. They. Are. HIL-ARIOUS. And I can’t wait for you and Daddy to finally come face-to-face with Family Justice.”
She smiled so big her face hurt. Everyone had arrived, or would have by the end of the evening. They were all meeting tomorrow, the two extended families, for a bruncheon at her parents’ favorite Irish restaurant. Knowing her family was pulling out all the stops only made her smile brighter.
“These people are your family now too. We’ve heard so much about everyone, and in case you’re worried, I’ve personally read the riot act to your brothers. Deval and Michael will behave, but I can’t guar
antee a thing where Finn is concerned. That boy is giving me gray hairs. I suppose you heard about his latest escapade.” Motherly distaste was etched all over her face. “Told him that girl was trouble. But would he listen?”
Yeah, she heard. Ugh. Dev had gone batshit crazy telling her about Finn’s most recent girlfriend. Apparently, she was certifiable. He went on and on about how their youngest brother should have known better. Blah, blah, blah. According to Mike, the baby of the family knew more about pussy than a feline vet did. Sounded to her like Finn needed to either chill or opt for some new scenery.
“Maybe we should have forced the issue with Finn and made him go to medical school. I don’t know.”
The shrug her mom gave worried Meghan. Something wasn’t quite right. She could feel it.
“Being a paramedic is the next best thing, I thought.”
The skeptical look she got for the observation spoke louder than words. Looked like she might have to have a little chat with young Finn.
“Yes, well … let’s not let Finn’s head-shaking behavior ruin our fun. Better get a move on, Meggie dear. Plenty for you to take care of before your Major arrives.”
And she didn’t know the half of it! “Will you help me with my hair later? I want a half and half do. Something soft and feminine.”
“The white pantsuit?” And once again, moms always know.
Waggling her eyebrows, she chuckled. “Indeed.”
Poor Alex. He had no idea what he was in store for.
As the plane made its descent into Boston airspace, Brody could feel the tension radiating off his companion. He was prepared for this and knew what he had to do. After all, he’d made her a promise. Reaching for her hand, he held it in a firm, reassuring grasp.
Step one. Pay her a compliment. “I like your earrings, m’lady. They’re very pretty.”
She instantly reached with her free hand and touched one of the delicate danglers. “Do you? I’m glad, thanks. I like them too.”
Step two. Praise her interactions with their unexpected traveling partners. Pulling her hand to his mouth, he kissed her knuckles and grinned. “Looks like you won Stephanie over pretty easily. She really likes you.”
Sanctuary (Family Justice Book 3) Page 34
