Unforgettable (Family Justice Book 5)
Page 1
Unforgettable
A Family Justice Novel
Suzanne Halliday
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Acknowledgments
About the Author
UNFORGETTABLE
A Family Justice Novel
Copyright © 2016 by Suzanne Halliday
All rights reserved.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is meant for mature readers who are 18+.
It contains explicit language, and graphic sexual content.
Edited by Gemma Rowlands
Book Cover Design by www.ashleybaumann.com
Formatting By Vellum
Created with Vellum
This book is dedicated to kickass women everywhere
Including this impressive bunch from days gone by…
Nancy Drew, Emma Peele, Xena~Princess Warrior, Velma, Maddie Hayes, Agent 99, Julia Baker, Wonder Woman, Jeannie, Rhoda, Scarlett O’Hara, Jem, Penny ~ Inspector Gadget, Uhura, Mary Kate Danaher, Gidget, Mary Tyler Moore, Alice, Catwoman, Laverne & Shirley, Sister Bertrille, Mary Anne, Betty, Veronica, Rhoda, Barbarella, Murphy Brown plus a hundred more
1
Good lord in heaven. What in the world is that smell?
Inhaling deeply, Alex shut the Marquez hacienda’s massive wood door and smiled as a deluge of fantastic aromas overwhelmed him. Stowing his bulky backpack, he tossed a set of keys onto a table and followed his nose—just like Zeus would—making a beeline for the kitchen.
Slowing his steps the closer he got, the sounds of his wife’s happy laughter, and the sonorous accent of his faithful housekeeper Carmen, filled the air. His smile grew bigger. This was his joy. Coming home. It didn't matter if all he did was stroll to the barn and back. There was something extraordinary about walking through the hacienda’s entrance—where generations of the Valleja-Marquez family had come and gone for more than a century—to find the love of his entire world filling their home with her unique energy.
And love. Meghan’s unbounded love bounced off the walls and breathed new life into the stately old home.
New life. Wow. And then there’s that.
“Oooh, look,” he heard his wife enthusiastically exclaim. “This thing is huge. We can make enough ice cream for the whole family!”
“It’s too bad the old bucket crank didn’t work. Meesus Ashleigh and los niños used it all the time.”
Alex hung back to observe the homey scene. Grinning when Carmen spoke of his mom’s weakness for homemade ice cream, he instantly remembered the ancient machine. His dad would add the ice and salt to the old wood bucket, and they’d take turns working the crank until the addictive frozen treat was ready.
Meghan snorted as her happy laugh rang out. “No time to waste on cranking, Carmen. You know how the Major is when ice cream is around. This electric mixer will be loads easier!”
A dinger went off. Alex peeked around the archway and watched as Carmen wiped her hands on a well-worn apron and dashed to the stove. Pulling a long baking sheet from the oven, she leaned over it, sniffed, and murmured “Perfecto.”
Meghan chirped with glee and clapped her hands. “Alex will love this, Carmen!”
That was his cue, so he took it. Striding confidently into their midst, he chuckled when both women looked at him, startled by his silent appearance.
“Stealth mode again, I see,” his smarty-pants wife snickered. Her face was luminous, her smile wide. They shared a mental high five and a quiet giggle when their eyes met. Shit just didn’t get better than this.
Making straight for her, he wrapped a hand around her neck and held her head. “Mrs. Marquez,” he growled.
Her eyes twinkled. Making a serious face, she lowered her voice to a deep rumble and mockingly growled, “Big Daddy!”
Alex smirked and arched a brow. His grip tightened on her neck. She was trying to keep a straight face, but it wasn’t working. Not at all. Finally, her quivering lips gave in, and a broad, happy smile lit up her face. Batting her eyebrows, she giggled softly. “Mr. Marquez. Major,” she added with emphasis and the hint of a sexy sigh.
And then she tilted her head and offered her lips—an invitation he swiftly accepted.
The whole time Alex claimed his wife’s heavenly mouth, she sat with her hands resting placidly in her lap. More poised and serene than he’d ever seen her, his woman surrendered to the demanding kiss with calm, but delightfully greedy abandon.
What was Carmen doing while he and his gorgeous wife made out? If he knew her at all, the stalwart Latina, who’d been keeping an eye out for him since he was a young boy, would be smiling but snickering to herself as she shook her head.
Carmen Delgado was their number one cheerleader and fearless guardian. She was also the Valleja-Marquez watchdog and had at her fingertips an endless trove of privileged family information. Including the bombshell secret he and Meghan were sitting on.
Alex wasn’t a fool, and he had no doubt whatsoever that his housekeeper suspected his wife was pregnant before they did. For real, the universe wouldn’t have it any other way.
Knowing she would fiercely protect their privacy and give them all the time and space they needed as they adjusted to this life-changing news was a tremendous comfort.
Ending the satisfying kiss with several quick smooches, he felt a zing of profound pleasure when Meghan sat back and made an almost imperceptible whelp of regret. She’d sit there and kiss him till the moon came up without missing a beat.
Smiling into her vibrant emerald colored eyes, he released his hold and swiped a thumb across her kiss-swollen lips. The responsive shiver that wracked her body surprised them both.
“Damn hormones,” she whispered.
“Sucks to be me,” he replied gravely.
Carmen cleared her throat with quite a dramatic flair. “You two do know, I’m still here, sí?”
Meghan laughed first and pretended to shove at him. “Can’t you behave?” she chided affectionately.
He’d be surprised if the look he answered with didn't set her panties on fire. It was usually her on the receiving end of a growled, ‘behave’, and he let her know with his expression that they’d be visiting the matter-at-hand later.
When she blushed, he knew the message hit its bulls-eye. Turning to the watchful housekeeper, Alex crossed his arms and shook his head.
“Mrs. Delgado,” he grumbled playfully. “Only the delicious aroma in the air
is keeping me from firing your nosey butt.”
“Nosey butt!” Carmen shrieked with absolute delight. “Arrogante.” She was gathering something into smaller piles on the baking sheet as she verbally put him in his place. “Your mamá would have more than,” she bragged with a tiny hand motion, “a little something to say if you fired me up.”
Fired her up. God, she was cute. And she absolutely knew her wording was wrong. It was part of the game they played.
“So what are you making old woman? Are those walnuts? And what’s the smell that’s making my mouth water?”
The air was thick with the scent of sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and something else. Something alcoholic. He breathed deep and took it in. Bourbon. That was it. Warm bourbon. Visible behind Carmen’s bustling form he spied a bottle of Maker’s Mark on the counter. Alex’s taste buds tingled and his mouth flooded.
“This,” she said with a wave over the baking sheet, “will be bourbon ice cream and spiced walnuts. Meesus found the recipe,” Carmen said, tilting her head at Meghan. “On the Pinterest.”
The two women chuckled.
Was Pinterest supposed to be funny? Good time to start paying attention, he thought. This Pinterest thing got mentioned frequently, and it’d probably be wise to know what they were talking about.
Pointing at a large plug-in appliance on the island counter, he asked, “What’s that apparatus?”
“It’s a digital ice cream maker!”
His wife’s happy burble of excitement gave him enormous pleasure. The sort of pleasure that wrapped around his heart and lingered for a long time.
Almost to himself, he murmured, “So you’re making ice cream.” He took in the whole scene and started connecting the dots.
Carmen was tackling mounds of warm-from-the-oven nuts, chopping them into bits that she dropped into a large bowl.
Pushed to the side, he saw evidence of a fruit explosion alongside what looked like a mound of chocolate brownies. The ladies of the manor had been busy.
Laughing and smirking at the same time, Meghan got his full attention when she barked, “Back me up here, Carmen. We need a new freezer, right? Just for the ice cream we’re making. Honey,” she gushed enthusiastically as she waved him closer. “Look at this.”
She was pointing at a stack of printouts spread around her on the island. “We can concoct anything with this machine. Can you imagine? All summer long being able to reach for homemade ice cream?”
Chuckling, he noted every nuance of her facial expression and body language. Recently, Alex had added a new avatar to his wife’s growing repertoire of personality icons. This one was new—manifesting about thirty seconds after they discovered she was pregnant. He was calling it her Sex Kitten pose, and holy fuck was it ever effective.
Her mouth did this thing she called making a ship where her lips pursed, and she frowned with a deliberate pouty grimace. His insides pulsed every time she did it.
He stood right on top of her because he got off on crowding her physically, solely because of the way she always reacted. Putting her hands on his chest, she kept up the pout but purred, “I just wanted to make you happy.” She pressed her kitten claws against his chest. “Ice cream is your favorite, right?”
Yeah, he thought. She never disappointed.
Alex lowered his voice so only she would hear, and murmured, “Alcoholic ice cream?”
Her sullen frown turned to childish delight. “We made cherry vanilla for me and a brownie blend. Carmen makes fresh whipped cream and, oh!” she exclaimed with a rush of exuberance so powerful he felt her excitement hit him full on. “Guess what?”
Carmen chuckled. It still chafed his nuts that everyone knew shit before he did. The role of Big Daddy to a desert rat pack did not include being the first to know. The all-too-familiar rumble that happened when his need for authority was frustrated heaved inside him. His wife would be feeling Alex’s demand for control later. Much later when he’d have time and privacy to indulge.
Gently feathering his fingers along the side of Meghan’s radiant face, he touched her soft dark red curls and lightly tugged on an ear lobe. Smirking, Alex let his woman’s high spirits wash away everything except his impenitent love and lust for just one thing—her.
“What?” he responded with a warming smile.
“We’re doing a family night at Heather and Brody’s. I have to call Heather right away and tell her we’ll bring the ice cream!”
His wife’s latest fascination meant they were going to need more than a new freezer. By the sound of it, an ice cream truck they could drag along might be necessary as well.
“Is this an occasion or a random get-together?”
Alex was still crowding close. He could have moved, but the truth was he wanted to stay physically attached. If it were possible, she’d be no more than an arm’s length away, twenty-four seven. Now that they were having a baby, he felt a thousand times more protective than before.
Meghan’s nimble fingers played with the buttons on his shirt. He watched silently—fascinated by her suddenly restless mood. As usual, his wife's mind was moving at supersonic speed.
“Random. Everyone’s feeling especially clingy these days.” She rolled a shoulder and looked away—focusing on the front of his shirt as if it held the answer to all the questions in the universe.
That was one way of putting it, he thought. More accurately; so many things had happened in such a relatively short period that the changes, and everything those changes brought, had sobered Family Justice in a big way.
For the first time since the war, Alex had connected with what it was like to almost lose someone. Or something. They all felt it in their own way, but it had been particularly hard-hitting for the men. This was the hardened core of what Justice meant for them. What they did invited danger and intrigue. Nothing could ever change that. From day one, Justice had made quiet inroads in the secretive domains within the highest echelons of the government, military, and private security complex. It wasn’t as if any of them could go off grid without a complete identity swap.
“I was thinking,” she said with shaky uncertainty, “that we might tell everyone.”
Her bright eyes focused on his. They’d talked about this. Finding the best time to make their announcement proved harder than you would imagine. Showing favorites would be just plain dumb. That meant it had to be a group thing. They hadn’t informed their respective families yet either—because Alex’s parents would tell the whole planet which meant Angie, Sophie and the Sullivans would be up his ass in a heartbeat. And the O’Briens would include Finn in their freak-out. Jesus. Why’d it have to be so fucking complicated?
Snorting as he laughed, Alex covered her busy hands with his and squeezed. “And what? We get a group video chat going at the same time?”
“Well that is what you do,” she coolly replied. “Between you, Tori and Calder, I’m sure if we gave you some cable, a cellphone, and a bag of potato chips, you guys could finagle a way to use it to connect to a video chat with the space station.”
A bag of potato chips. He chuckled heartily and shook his head as he tsk’ed.
“That’s me,” Alex snickered. “MacGyver Marquez.”
Meghan burst out laughing and shoved him hard enough that he rocked on his heels and took a step back. Her amusement was infectious, and he started to laugh as well although he had no idea what was so damn funny.
“MacGyver Marquez,” she hooted with childish mirth. “Oh my god, honey! Don’t you get it?”
No. He did not. But she was laughing her ass off so it must be good whatever it was.
“Meghan Marquez. Double M. Major Marquez and now MacGyver Marquez.” Smacking him playfully on the chest she giggled into his face. “Now do you get it? I’m Double M, but you? You’re Double DOUBLE M.”
Carmen laughed. He was surrounded by comedians.
“Oh, I get it,” he chided. Making a goofy grin, he informed both cackling ladies, “As it should be. Top billing for the top
dog. Remind everyone just who the hell is in charge around here.”
Meghan shrieked with delight at his comic pronouncement and Carmen mumbled in Spanish as she bustled about the kitchen.
“In charge!” his wife laughed. “Top dog!”
Apparently, he was quite a comedian too.
Throwing some side shade his housekeeper’s way, he grittily commented and then inquired, “Someone seems a tad giddy. Did my wife bother to eat anything, Mrs. Delgado, or did she pull her nibble and quit routine?”
“Oh, stop,” Meghan chided.
“You don’t eat enough,” he answered as a thickness lodged in his throat.
After taking a handful of pregnancy tests—all positive—they’d managed to sneak into Sedona for a doctor’s visit to verify that they were indeed expecting a baby. The appointment was very clinical and matter-of-fact. He’d been a nervous wreck the entire time and could hardly wrap his mind around everything his wife had to deal with.
It was October, and according to their official due date they were expecting to welcome a son or daughter the first week in June. Despite it being early days, Meghan was showing many pregnancy signs. Particularly concerning to him was the morning sickness—because it sometimes lasted all day.
The doctor didn’t exactly shrug off Alex’s concerns, but he did rather snidely point out that as an expectant first-time father, he would most likely blow most things out of proportion. Before he got the chance to express how perturbed he was by the doctor’s flip attitude, Meghan shut him down with expert female precision.
In the elevator on the way to the parking garage she sniffed, crossed her arms and growled in a sharp, matter-of-fact tone, “That guy was a dick. I want a female doctor. One with some fucking bedside manners.”
So relieved he nearly pumped his fist in the air, from that moment on it became that her wish was his command. So in about ten days they were headed in the other direction—south from the villa on the road to Flagstaff—where their new doctor, a highly recommended female obstetrician with a holistic outlook, would be performing the initial ultrasound. Until then, all he could do was keep after her about eating and staying hydrated.