Oh, it did.
“I’m dying to tell someone about the sex of our child. We just found out the other day at the doctor’s and it’s killing me!”
Emma glanced over. “Well? Then tell me.”
“I’m not supposed to, but I really want to. It feels wrong not telling my mother.”
Whenever he said that, her heart skipped. Curtis might be close to her in age, only a decade younger, but to her soul, she knew he was meant to be theirs.
He was her child by another mother, and she was grateful his mother had left him. He was all theirs.
“That was sweet, but I understand. If you and Kat opted to keep it a secret, then I don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers.”
“Definitely not spoken like a mother,” he said, grinning. “You should practice that more. I think it’s nag, nag, manipulate, nag.”
She laughed. “I don’t really do nag.”
He stared at her. “Grey’s food.”
He had a point.
“Him taking vitamins.”
“Okay, that sounds like me.”
“Katerina having the best folic acid out there that money could buy.”
“You made your point, Curtis. I get it. I’m a horrible nag. I’ll stop.”
He laughed. “Don’t stop. We love it about you. That’s what makes you Mom.”
Curtis got quiet.
“I have to tell you. I can’t keep it from you! It’ll kill me,” he offered.
That made Emma laugh.
“Okay, then tell me.”
He beamed. “We’re having a little girl.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Curtis. I’m so happy for you. You’re going to make an amazing father. She’s going to be one lucky little girl.”
He hugged her. “God! It doesn’t feel real. I want to fill the house with babies. I can’t wait to hold her.”
She patted his cheek. “Well, you can fill the house all you want. I’ll even babysit.”
“So, nothing on the Greyson and Emma baby making front?”
She smiled, keeping her suspicions to herself. There was no way she was letting this cat out of the bag.
Not yet.
She wanted to take a test, and Greyson deserved to be the first to know. Plus, there was Paris and Tessa. If she got pregnant before them, it would hurt them.
That’s the last thing she wanted.
So, Emma went with the old standby excuse.
“It’s only been a few weeks. I was on birth control a while. I read online it could take months.”
“It’ll happen.”
She didn’t doubt it. With the amount of times they were fornicating, Greyson had likely gotten his wish.
“What are you going to name her?” she asked. “Have you decided?” Emma asked as she looked through a desk.
“Sadie Emma Croft. Sadie was my grandmother’s name, and Emma is my mother’s name.”
When she heard the name, Emma immediately started crying. “You’re a jerk to do this here. You know I’m a big puddle of mush.”
He hugged her. “I love you, Mom. God! You rolled into Grey’s life and mine too. I can’t imagine what would have happened had you not called us to Celestia. You’re the reason this is happening.”
“You having unprotected sex is the reason, Curtis,” she teased, trying to stop the tears.
She loved this man.
“It was you. This started with a woman and man seeing each other across a field filled with death. From that, there was life. It’s come full circle.”
She was aware. “Thank you for naming your child after me. That is a huge honor. I can’t wait to hold her. Maybe if we ever get pregnant, she’ll have a best friend.”
He hoped so.
“Is it wrong I want a big family?” he asked, helping her look through a file cabinet.
“Nope. I get it.”
“I want like seven kids.”
She snorted. “You’re going to have to move back into the house if that’s the case. That pool house is made for two, three people at the max.”
Yeah, speaking of that…
“After we’re married, can we move back inside the house?” Curtis asked.
She glanced over. “Yes, why?”
“I want to be close to my family.”
Emma laughed. “We are one hundred feet away.”
“You have better food in your kitchen.”
She found that amusing as hell. “Curtis, the chef stocks both of our kitchens with the same food.”
“I just miss being in the thick of it all.”
She got it.
“It’s the pool being that close and the baby being in danger, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, is it weird I’m worrying about that? It’s not like Sadie will come out walking…right?”
She snorted. “How should I know? You didn’t fall out of my uterus.”
He smiled.
Emma knew he needed this.
“Get married Sunday, and after the honeymoon, move back into the house.” Then it occurred to her. “Where are you taking your new wife on your honeymoon?”
“We are heading back to Celestia. I want to show her where we all started, and then I’m taking her to a few places she’s never been. It was hard with Katerina. She, Dimitri, and Natasha have been all over the world. I wanted her to see some things she’s never seen before.”
“That’s sweet. I think you’ll have fun.”
“Can you guys survive without us a few weeks?” he asked. “If you can’t, we’ll stick close.”
She touched his face much like a mother would. “Curtis, you take your wife away. You treat her like Greyson treats me, and you make sure you cherish each and every day with her. Got it?”
He kissed her on the forehead. “Yeah, Mom, I got it. Thank you for everything.”
She didn’t mind.
As they headed upstairs, there was a locked door at the end of the hall. As ex-cops, that called to them.
How could it not?
“Want me to kick it in?”
She laughed. “Or you can pick it. You’re marrying a Gideon. Some of Kat’s skills had to wear off on you.”
She had a point.
He pulled out a little kit and got to work. He wasn’t Greyson Croft fast, but he got it done for Emma. Once the door was open, they headed inside.
It was a second office.
It must have been Dalton’s personal space. There were finance books, and tax code papers all over the place. Other than that, nothing looked out of place.
It was clear he wanted this space off limits from the kids and wife. It was his nerdy man cave—of sorts.
It made sense.
Emma and Greyson had their own offices too.
“Search it,” she stated, moving from file to file. Inside, she found client information. When she got to Tony Mays’s, she grabbed the files.
They were coming home with her.
If there was anything in them, the team would break them apart and find something. Everyone left a paper trail at some point.
They were hoping Dalton would be the same.
“Pay dirt,” Curtis said, holding a key card in his hand. “Look what I found.”
“What is it?” she asked, glancing over at the item in his hand.
“Well, I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but I think it’s an encrypted hotel key.”
She stared at it. “Where did you find it?”
“It was stuffed behind one of the pictures he had behind him on the wall. I noticed it was crooked.”
That was interesting.
“Why would a married man hide a key card in a locked office, and far away from his wife?”
Oh, she knew.
“It looks like someone was getting some action on the side.”
“Yeah, twenty-six years my ass,” Curtis said. “Don’t get me wrong. I hope Kat and I never have this issue, but people make mistakes.”
Emma knew why he was getting riled up.<
br />
Brynn had run his heart through the ringer.
“Kat won’t ever cheat. Ever.”
He hoped not.
“Can you drop me off at ‘Aquarius’, and then can you head home to do the Voodoo you do?”
“What do you need?”
“Find me this establishment,” she said, tapping the card with her finger. “We’re going to chase the trail.”
“You know it’s going to lead to pu…”
She pointed at him. “I will kick your ass if you go there. Then I’ll tell your wife-to-be.”
“You wouldn’t,” he said, horrified that she’d toss him to the wolves.
“I will.”
“And here I thought you loved me best.”
She snorted.
“Just find me the information, Curtis, and we’ll call it a day.”
“I can do that for you, Mommy Dearest.”
She pointed at him.
“Okay! Man. When you’re not around Dad, you’re cranky as sin.”
She laughed.
It was true.
“Let’s head out. We have our next crumbs in this very dirty trail.”
“When you say that, it makes me…”
She pointed at him.
“You’re such a mom.”
Yeah, she was aware.
* * * G r e y s o n C r o f t * * *
Aquarius
Across Town
When they arrived at the bar, there was media outside, and that was her clue that Greyson and Dimitri were there. For some reason, the vultures liked following him more, as of late.
It was probably because he was more likely to flip out and do something news worthy.
Let’s face it.
One of them had a temper, and one of them was a little calmer.
The media knew where their bread was buttered.
Greyson was the news goldmine.
When she was about to head in, Emma was more than happy just to stroll into the establishment, but Curtis escorted her to the door.
Apparently, he was taking his babysitting duty to the extreme.
She wasn’t shocked. He’d learned from the best. Emma felt like she owed Katerina an apology.
Curtis was turning into a caveman.
It was kind of sweet.
Once inside the club, the warm scent of whiskey and cigars wafted her way. There, she felt safe.
Emma loved it there.
If it wasn’t Dimitri’s place, she would have asked Greyson to buy it. The place screamed of old Vegas, and men of an era long gone.
This was an extension of their home.
Inside Dimitri’s domain, nothing was going to get to her. They had very little privacy anymore, and it was nice to have this place to hide out.
The more places, the better.
It made life seem like it was normal.
As Emma went to stroll past the hostess, she grabbed her arm and stopped her.
“Uh, you can’t just walk in here,” she said, even though she looked familiar.
Emma stared at her.
“What?”
“I said, you just can’t…”
A voice cut her off.
“Tiffany, that’s Emma Croft.”
The woman stared at her.
Really?
Did they find the one person in Vegas who didn’t know who she was? This might be a first.
Someone should write this date down on a calendar, or throw a party.
“Emma and Greyson are my family. They come and go all they want, and they eat and drink here without a tab. Am I clear?” Dimitri asked.
He opted to try something out. “She’s my sister. As far as I’m concerned, she owns the place as much as I do.”
The woman nodded. “I’m sorry, Mr. Gideon. I didn’t know. It won’t happen again.”
He smiled. “It’s okay. It’s day one. You’re doing a good job.”
And she was.
It wasn’t Marissa quality work, but she was able to do the job, and that’s all he wanted.
Emma headed toward Dimitri.
“Hello, Emma,” he said, accepting her kiss on the cheek. He dropped his arm over her shoulder and escorted her into his private office.
“I like being your sister. Thanks for that,” she said, giving his waist a squeeze.
This was all new to him, and he liked it a lot. This family thing was new but welcomed in his life.
“And, Dimitri?”
“Yeah?”
“Congrats on hiring the only person who doesn’t know me. You have that magical unicorn.”
He laughed. “You should have seen her try to tackle Greyson. That was some funny shit. She was stuck to his chest like…”
She lifted a brow.
“Uh, never mind.”
She snorted. “I’m pretty sure that had nothing to do with him strolling through. I want to tackle him a lot myself.”
He grinned.
When they moved closer to the table, Greyson was on the phone and looked worried. When he glanced up, he saw his wife. “Dante, hold on.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“The flowers are wrong, and my brother thinks I have a freaking clue how to fix that. What do I look like? A florist? Apparently, the roses are MIA somewhere in the gulf. What do we do?”
She laughed.
He liked control-freaking things, and now he could deal with this too. She would have fun watching him handle it.
“Emma. Don’t make me play flower games with my gay brother.”
“I heard that,” Dante said, when he was put on speakerphone. “What do I do?” he asked.
Greyson stared at his wife. “Come on. Don’t do this to me, baby.”
She snorted. “The only thing close to roses is peonies.”
“You want me to order ponies?” Dante teased.
Greyson looked horrified. “We are not getting ponies.”
Emma always found the Croft boys amusing as hell. This was no different.
“Boys, they look like roses, they smell close, but they are easier to find. I really don’t think Kat will care. Why don’t you call her and ask?”
Dante sighed. “I did. She burst into tears. I hung up so I wouldn’t have to get her more worked up.”
“She’s pregnant. She’s getting married. You’ll have these things,” Emma stated.
“I’m afraid to tell her peonies. Can you do it?” he asked.
Dimitri took a seat across from the couple and smiled. It was fun to watch them work.
“No, she’s not getting peonies. If it means this much to her, then I want you to get her roses. The wedding is in two days. Have them shipped from freaking Columbia, for all I care.”
Dante sputtered. “Do you know the cost of that? I’m going to have to grease every palm from here to there and back again, and all for a bunch of flowers that will be dead in a couple hours.”
Greyson knew that Dante was screwed.
There was no way she was going to let Kat down.
It wasn’t happening.
“Get out the grease, son.”
Emma didn’t give a shit. “I don’t care what you have to do, Dante. My daughter-in-law to be wants roses. Get her what she wants. It’s not as if money is an issue.”
And it wasn’t.
“Hell! Have them driven from the Midwest! Just make sure when she walks down that aisle Sunday, she’s awash in petals from roses.”
“Color?” Dante asked.
Emma pushed the button to hang up.
Greyson was amused.
“Thank you for that, Emma,” Dimitri stated, taking her hand across the table. “I can’t tell you how much this will mean to her. I know she used to hide in the roses to meet up with Curtis behind my back. That’s why she loves them so much.”
She smiled. “Then she’s going to have that memory.”
“I can’t pay you back for your kindness, but let me pay for the flowers.”
She shook her head. “Th
at is not happening. She’s having a child, and she or HE will be a croft,” Emma said, covering for herself.
Greyson stared at her.
“You know the sex of the baby.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
He knew he was right.
She wouldn’t look at him.
“You know! I can tell you know.”
She closed her eyes.
“What are they having?” Dimitri asked.
Emma shook her head. “I can’t even go there. I won’t go there.”
The men were both focused on her.
“I say boy,” Greyson offered. “Curtis will have a son. You can tell by the way he’s smiling.”
“I say it’s a girl,” Dimitri stated. “That’s why he’s all grins. He’s going to have a little Katerina running around.”
Emma wouldn’t speak.
“You’re tough.”
“Kat will kill him. He needed to tell someone, and he came to his mother.”
The men both gave up. There was no way she’d tell, and there was no way they’d make Emma break her promise. This was her secret with a man she called son.
They backed off.
“Back to flowers. Thank you, Emma,” Dimitri said, dropping a kiss to her knuckles.
“Get your lips off my woman. Get your own,” Greyson teased.
Emma kissed her husband on the cheek. “Calm down, cave-Croft.”
Dimitri laughed. “Yes, sir.”
Emma didn’t want his thanks. She was doing this for someone who deserved it. Kat had a rough life. Now she was going to have a much easier one.
“It’s no big deal. If Kat wants roses, we’ll get her roses.”
“I meant the fact that you love her like she’s your own. That to me is staggering. It takes the weight off my shoulders knowing others will protect my sister.”
She smiled at him. “I love Kat. She’s perfect for Curtis. I want her to be happy on her big day.”
“Again, thank you.”
Emma didn’t mind. They were the richest people in Vegas. If Kat needed roses, so be it.
“For the record, I’m hiring a wedding planner for our wedding, Greyson. I’ll be the one crying if I have to do this on my own.”
He didn’t mind.
Curtis and Kat wanted low key in their garden, as did Dante and Steele.
He did low key.
He wanted to blow the roof off of Vegas, and his kitten was going to get her fairytale redo. He had some tricks up his sleeve, and when they were done, she’d get the day of her dream.
Lost Justice (Croft Family Mob Series Book 2) Page 12
