Finn drew Heather back from her thoughts with a comment that made her expression brighten. “Your kid’s got a pretty sophisticated palette for a five-year-old.”
Her kid. She smiled and nodded her agreement. “Indeed,” she drawled. “Did you know she can taste a difference between the milk at school and the milk I get at the market? Honest to god, I think she could ace a blind taste test and figure out the one percent from the two percent.”
He leaned over the counter between them and murmured, “She’s the reason the oatmeal cookies kick ass. Gave thumbs down on the first two recipes. Too much sugar, she said.”
“Only kid I know who makes a face at sweet stuff.”
“Right?” he barked. “And she almost threw up when I tried out the grilled cheesy melt sandwich on her. Kid’s a tough critic.”
“Oh, shit,” Tori blurted out. Holding up the yogurt in her hand she laughed and made a wry face. “Left poor Daniel hanging.” She swatted Finn on the arm and scolded him. “Stop distracting me, Beantown.”
“Hey,” he yelped. “You ladies trapped me, remember?”
Lacey patted her tummy and snickered. “Baby Cameron is on your side, Finn.”
He grinned and asked, “Picking out names yet?”
Lacey blushed slightly, shrugged and said, “Maybe.”
Angie started doing a touchdown dance as Tori dismissed her antics with a wave and dashed off to feed her son.
“That sounds to me like we have a definitive blue or pink announcement to look forward to.”
Alex’s gruff laughter came around the corner before he did. “Slow down little missy. I’m sure Finn didn’t leave without saying goodbye.”
Bella burst into the kitchen, looked around, spotted Finn and launched into his surprised arms. Luckily he had good reflexes and caught her before she went flying to the ground.
“Finn!” she yelped. “Thank you for the cookies,” she said with a glance at Heather.
She nodded and gave her a thumbs up. Manners were Bella’s special thing.
“I have sumpin’ for you,” she enthusiastically burbled. Twinkling her fingers at Alex, Heather watched as he rifled through a stack of envelopes and handed one to Bella.
Aww. The invitations. How sweet. And Bella chose Alex to be her helper! Heather had to swallow down a big lump of emotion. To the little girl, Alex was the undisputed patriarch of Family Justice—a concept none of them disagreed with. Of course she would seek his permission and approval for her next big social occasion.
“Here,” Bella said to Finn as she pushed the envelope into his hands.
“Did you write my name all by yourself?” he asked.
“My Heather helped,” she declared proudly. “She told me the letters and I spelled ‘em out.”
Finn held up his hand, palm facing Bella. “Good work, girlfriend,” he cheered as they high fived a goofy smack.
“Open, open,” Bella encouraged.
“Okay, sweet thing, but you have to get down so I have my hands.”
Like an Olympic gymnast, she leapt off him and landed at his side.
Finn, showing what a great guy he truly was, crouched down to Bella’s level and gravely opened the envelope and slid the colorful card out.
“Wow,” he drawled approvingly. “Is this an invitation?”
“It’s for my birthday, Finn!” She was clapping her hands and jumping up and down as her ponytail swung back and forth. “Look! It’s Arial,” she cooed.
Angie and Lacey both looked at Heather and winked. They understood Arial’s significance in the bigger scheme of things. The first breakthrough with the neglected child came in the bathtub, and ever since bubble baths and all things girly were where Bella did her best work.
At first the allure was mountains of bubbles but before long Heather figured she needed some bath toys. Having no damn clue what she was doing, a mad dash through Target and five huge shopping bags of crap later, she’d presented the child with a set of Little Mermaid bath toys. From then on it was all Arial, all the time.
She had Little Mermaid sheets, a Little Mermaid backpack, and a Little Mermaid toothbrush. Between George, the Cabbage Patch doll from Heather’s mom that the little girl was obsessed with and Arial, finding a décor them was a no brainer.
“Imma be six,” she hooted proudly to a round of snickers and groans.
“Hashtag, Kanye,” Angie chortled.
Alex ran his hand atop Bella’s head and she looked up at the big man with a happy grin. “Major says I can ride the ponies when I’m six.”
“Is that so?” Heather asked with an eyebrow raised at Alex. He looked at her with a grin that said, My bad? Letting him off with an eye roll, she clapped her hands like Bella and told the enthused kid, “I’ll talk to Jace and see what we can do.”
Mission accomplished, the invitation hand-outs continued with Bella chatting up every family member with a personal plea to please come. Her joy was infectious and in no time at all, they were all gathered in a crowd out on the patio—perfect time to break out the homemade ice cream Meghan supplied.
Amidst a chorus of ‘wows’ and chants of ‘oh my god this is delicious’, the family relaxed as the day meandered to a close. A peaceful feeling settled around them. Heather took it all in with a happy heart. These people, who she’d known for little more than half a year, had welcomed her with open arms and yes, quite a few wink-winks. The buttoned up teacher she fell for had completely morphed into muscular, scruffy, long haired, jeans wearing man candy. If he got any hotter she was going to have a problem on her hands because as it stood now, she could barely keep her hands, or her mouth, off him.
Dylan was scooting around the patio in his signature Ferrari walker yelling, “Toe-toe” and giggling like crazy as Victoria chased him with Daniel clutched in front of her like a laughing battering ram. Typical Justice.
Draegyn and Cameron stood by, spooning ice cream into their grinning mouths and occasionally high fiving each other. Those two were a riot and a half when they got going, and Heather was pretty damn sure their sons were going to continue the hilarity as they grew up together.
Bella and George got in on the fun and soon there was a raucous game of team-tag going on.
Brody appeared like magic at her side. He ran his hand on her butt and gave a gentle squeeze. “Happy?” he asked. Somehow he always knew.
“Yes. Incredibly.” She reached for his face and ran her fingers down his cheek. Several days of stubble gave him a sexy allure. It was easy to like the badass biker look because it suited him so well. “Bella is an awesome hostess,” she chuckled. “Did you know Finn says she has what he calls a sophisticated palette for a kid? That girl has so many hidden talents it makes me dizzy sometimes.”
He chortled and bumped his hip against hers. “She’s a lot like you, that way.”
Their conversation got interrupted when Alex rose and tapped his ice cream bowl with a spoon. Someone might just as well have shouted, ‘Ten-Hut’ with how fast everyone snapped to attention. Even the damn dog sat obediently and focused on the big man commanding all their attention.
She looked at Brody and he looked at her wide-eyed.
“What’s this about?” she asked.
“No fucking clue,” he murmured. Taking her hand, he said, “Come on,” and pulled her closer to the family.
“It’s now or never,” Meghan joked as she pushed him off the lounger. “The clock is ticking down, Major,” she laughed. “You know damn well our parents have synchronized their watches and are doing a countdown. If you don’t get a move on, Angie’s phone, Finn’s phone, even Parker’s phone is gonna light up with the news.”
He kissed her soundly, murmured, “Show time, baby,” and stood up. Tapping his spoon on his now empty ice cream bowl, he cleared his throat and set the bowl aside as all eyes turned on him.
Holy shit. He was used to being the guy in charge, the one who everyone looked to, but this was completely different. Seeing their curious expressions maybe,
kind of, sort of, shook him up.
Send soldiers into battle? Sure. Had to be done. Tell his family he and his Irish goddess were having a baby? Yikes. Why was he so nervous? After all, telling his folks and Meghan’s earlier, and making them swear on all that’s holy that they’d give them the evening to tell everyone else, had been pure delight. His mom cried. So did Meghan’s dad. If there was ever any doubt that his folks were completely fucking serious about retiring and moving home to Arizona, it vanished once they made their happy announcement. And he also didn’t doubt for a second that the O’Briens were probably planning a visit real soon.
He caught Angie’s eye and gave her a little wink. Having his sister around turned out to be an unexpected delight, and not just because he found it ten kinds of funny that she so easily turned Parker’s world upside down. He’d been blessed with family his whole life. And now, with Family Justice, he really felt the weight of everyone’s connection to and dependence on him. Thank god he had Meghan by his side.
There wasn’t any use in making a speech. These people weren’t dumb. He had one shot and he better take it fast before someone—most likely Angie—started guessing and blew their special moment to hell.
He reached for Meghan’s hand. “My wife and I have an announcement to make.” She squeezed his fingers and their eyes briefly connected. He’d never seen her look more beautiful.
“We’re having a baby!” she cried happily.
An unexpected hush fell over the gathering and then Angie literally screamed for all she was worth and jumped up with her arms raised, waving frantically. “Oh. My GOD!” She screamed again and flew across the patio, wrapping him in a fierce hug. When she landed on him, he had to drop Meghan’s hand and grab hold of his squealing sister before she knocked him onto his ass with her exuberance.
“Does Mom know?” she cried through what he hoped were happy tears. “Of course she knows,” Angie answered before he could. “Explains why she practically hung up on me earlier.”
Everyone stood and crushed in on them. Their shouts of congratulations, hugs and happy tears were something he’d remember always. Even Finn dropped his odd-man-out bullshit and joined in. Bella Mia, who Meghan had a special bond with, was jumping up and down with childish delight. Dylan and Daniel sat side-by-side in their walkers and watched the commotion with big eyes.
“Wolf Pup,” Calder teased as he grabbed Alex’s hand for a hearty shake before pulling him in for a hug. Using the old childhood nickname his Uncle bestowed on him a long time ago made Alex laugh. “Nice work, my boy,” Calder said.
“Your sister is flipping,” he jested when they parted. “First you and Stephanie with a baby on board and now us. You do know your phone will be on fire in a little bit, right?”
Calder let out a big laugh. “Aw, fuck,” he said with a deep chuckle. “This seals the deal with them saying adios to the winery and hauling ass back to the desert.”
“Hey, why the hell not?” Alex drawled. “First Angelina. Even Uncle Ed! And now Finn in residence. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sophie shows up next.”
His uncle gave him a firm slap on the back. “Family, wolf pup,” he said with a jaunty grin. “That’s what it’s all about.”
A while after the commotion died down and a bit of calm restored, he was holding his wife’s back against his chest, his hands on her belly as they swayed back and forth to music only they heard.
“How’s it feel now that the cat’s out of the bag?”
“I love you, Major Marquez,” she murmured.
Answer enough. He kissed her neck and enjoyed the tender moment.
He glimpsed his sister and Parker coming their way and gave her a heads up. “I think Angie’s having a moment. Maybe you should go to her.”
Meghan turned and observed the couple moving in their direction. She turned in his arms, held his face gently and graced him with a loving smile. “Sweetie. This one’s on you. Look at her face and look at Parker. It’s you she needs.”
They kissed briefly and then separated just as Angie came to him. She walked straight into his arms, wrapped hers around his waist, put her face in his neck and started bawling like a kid.
Parker put a hand on his shoulder and grabbed tight.
Across the patio he caught Draegyn’s eyes and swallowed hard as the look on his face hit him hard. Cameron too.
All of them were re-living the nightmare that nearly cost Alex his life and that left him with scars he would one day be explaining to his son or daughter.
He was lucky to be alive and even luckier to have their love and support.
“Alexander,” Angie cried. He hugged her tight. Parker cleared his throat. Meghan sniffed, letting him know she too was overcome with memory and emotion.
He was one incredibly blessed son-of-a-bitch to have so many care so deeply.
Before the hug and tears got weird, Angie simply let go, kissed him on the cheek, kissed Meghan and then took off running. Parker’s reflexive grunt kept Alex from running after her. His friend was on it.
Meghan whispered, “Go after her, Parker. She needs you.”
“I’ve got this, man,” his oldest friend murmured. They shook hands again but no words were necessary. And then he took off at a fast clip on his sister’s tail. Angie was a gigantic piece of work but she was in the best of hands with Parker Sullivan. Seemed to him like everything was working out pretty fucking well for all of them.
9
They sat in silence during the short drive from Brody’s place to their recently finished home in a nearby development. Partially moved in, they’d been hanging around the new place but had yet to spend the night.
With his emotions careening all over the place he knew he had to hold it together for Angie, but fuck it was difficult. She’d fallen to pieces after hearing her brother’s joyful news. He understood completely. They shared the same feelings whenever the subject turned to that horrible time when Alex hung between life, death and a half-life. No one who knew him then, not even that douche nozzle St. John, came away from the man’s ordeal without some scars of his or her own. He still remembered the call from his dad letting Parker know what happened, and felt the awful chill of fear once again. He shivered at the memory.
Glancing at Angelina, he had the feeling that the calm she showed was nothing but an act. A closer look revealed clenched fingers and her knees pressed together so hard that she looked ready to jump.
Pushing the harsh memories down because he knew he needed to worry about his angel, Parker reached for her hand and raised it to his mouth for a soft kiss. He felt her fingers relax so he twined his with hers and held on.
She hadn’t said very much since he ran after her. At first she’d been too distraught. Alex was Angie’s weakness. Her love for family and the connection his complex, free-spirited lady had with her siblings, Alex in particular, showed what a spectacular human being Angelina Marquez truly was.
Her reaction to the baby news, jubilant at first, turned quickly introspective. He wasn’t surprised. It’s how they all reacted.
They’d made it to their development and even parked in the garage before she showed any signs of realizing where they were.
“Oh. We’re at the house?”
Parker leaned across the center console and kissed her. “We’re home,” he murmured. He unbuckled her seat belt and then climbed from the car. Opening hers, he held a hand out to help her from the car and pulled her straight into his arms.
Cradling her face in his big hands, he gazed into her emotion-filled eyes. She let out a little sigh, put her hands on his waist and relaxed against him.
“This is our place,” he reminded her with gentle emphasis. “The one we built together for the future we’ve always dreamed of.”
Something drifted through her expression. He looked deeper trying to catch the fleeting emotion before it vanished.
“Does this future need five bedrooms?”
Her breath landed on his face as she asked the question
in a curiously shaky voice. She knew he wanted kids. Sooner than later. But just like pinning her down with a ring much less a date, they only touched on these things in broad terms.
Was she nervous? Did the reality check of her brother having a kid shake her up in a way he hadn’t considered? Fuck. Maybe he better probe a little and see what happened.
Kissing her nose, he released her face and slung his arm about her shoulders, turning them toward the door to the house.
“Well, let’s do the math, shall we?” he said in a gently teasing voice. He hoped to break the ice a bit with some humor and loosen her up.
“The master is where we hang our hats.”
He let them in, turned on the mudroom lights and pushed her to keep walking into the main portion of the house.
“Then there’s the official guest room. Nice job by the way. I think the folding luggage rack and fluffy guest robes give it a five-star hotel vibe.”
She playfully elbowed him. Good. His tactic was working.
“So that leaves three up for grabs.” He paused when they stopped at the kitchen island. Angie dropped her purse and ran her hand along the cold granite. She took her sweet angel time picking out the finishes she wanted, but what she’d pulled off in the big kitchen was really something. The old world theme with cream colored cabinets and the beautifully shaded counters and backsplash was quite a sight.
He kept up his free form commentary while washing his hands at the sink for something to do.
“Now that I know what the hell a Jack and Jill bathroom is, I’m assuming the bedrooms on either side are for … family.” Slight hesitation, nothing too noticeable, thanks to years of fast thinking in a courtroom.
If he thought to distract her with clever words, he was wrong.
Unforgettable (Family Justice Book 5) Page 9
