Enduring (Family Justice Book 8)

by Suzanne Halliday

  Finn meant what he said to Remy—that his dad didn’t spill anything confidential. But he had dropped an information nugget. Apparently, on nights when his non-lover was restless, she’d get a sketchpad out and draw him while he slept.

  Da did not need to say another word after that.

  Watching her mini freak-out because she imagined he was in harm’s way was oddly fun. He schooled his expression to remain neutral. She needed to get there on her own—without prodding from him. It was the only way for Remy to finally own her feelings.

  “Are you worried about me?” His question was understated. Calm. Two things Remington Bisset couldn’t locate at the moment without serious assistance.

  “Of course, I’m worried about you, ya dumb shit!”

  Her eyebrows rose. Confusion or amazement? He hoped a little of both.

  “Why would you worry?”

  She looked at him as if he was losing his mind. His heart started to thump heavily. They were so close—he could feel it. He mentally crossed his fingers and prayed he didn’t overshoot the runway with his needling.

  “Are you serious? Why? Finn! Oh, my god.”

  Her hands were waving, and she began stomping in a tight-assed back and forth. As she whirled, her incredibly thick mane of long black hair swirled around her shoulders.

  She had an innate strength that did not lessen her devastating femininity. Remy imagined that hiding in clothes that made her nearly invisible somehow obscured the woman inside. She was wrong. He viewed her rugged wardrobe with patience and understood why she rarely let her legs see sunlight.

  If he could, he’d buy the ASCAP rights to that damn Rod Stewart song and send it into obscurity where the reminder of what she’d suffered could never hurt her—ever again.

  “I can’t have this,” she grumbled.

  He needled a bit more. “Can’t have what?”

  That was the straw that brought her camel to its knees.

  “Can’t have you in danger because of me. Because I … need you.”

  “You what?” Finn held his breath. He was certain this was it.

  “Jesus Christ, Beantown! What the fucking fuck? I love you, okay? I can’t have it. You. Danger. Me. None of it.” She stopped pacing and dropped her face in her hands.

  Now that it was out there, he was stunned. Flooded with fierce admiration for the incredible woman he loved more than life, Finn gave the meaningful moment space.

  She loved him and actually said the words out loud.

  Holy fuck.

  He stood and gathered her in his arms. Relief course through him. Everything was going to be okay. They were still a hundred miles from making this thing work, but the truth was finally out there.

  Now, for the first time, he could take the reins she refused to release. He’d figured out almost from the start that what Remington needed most of all was to let it go. To surrender. Not from weakness, but from strength. He knew it would take someone special to break through and be that man. The honor she allowed by letting him love her gave his entire life meaning.

  There was no kissing and nothing overtly sexual about their embrace. He simply held tight.

  She was his, and he was hers. Finally.

  He pressed a kiss on her head and murmured softly, “You will never regret letting me in, babe. I promise. Love isn’t just a word, sweetheart. It’s everything. Thank you for trusting me.”

  He was a little surprised by how tightly she clung. The implied yielding was a powerful turn-on. One that, for now, he had to keep tightly controlled.

  A couple of minutes was all she could handle, and he was perfectly fine with that—especially when she stuck her tongue out at him when she pushed away.

  “Do not imagine this gives you the upper hand.” She sniffed, crossed her arms, and tapped her foot so adorably that he had to laugh.

  Well, he thought, she might not be ready for more—not yet—but they made it to the other side of the quicksand, and that meant they were now in flirtation territory and on the way to seduction junction.

  “Full disclosure, babe.” He motioned at her body language and smirked. “The snotty thing turns me on.”

  Her gasp and startled expression lit up his soul with joy. Messing with Remy was definitely going to be the highlight of his world from here on out.

  She came back quickly, though, and got a laugh out of him. “Just so you know, I have wicked MMA skills.”

  Finn acted affronted. “Are you threatening to kick my ass?”

  Her nonchalant shrug was tinged with amusement. Well, okay then. He was going to let it go but …

  In a nanosecond, he dropped her to the floor on her back with both hands in his grip and pressed into the carpet above her head. She tried to shake him off, but he was much bigger and had no problem keeping the advantage.

  In the midst of the struggle to escape, she managed to wrap her legs around his waist and hang on like a boa constrictor. He barked with delight and surprised her by quickly standing. Now upright, they wrestled around the room, banging into furniture and knocking over a lamp.

  Oh, and they were howling with laughter the whole time.

  She grabbed at him and pulled on his hair. Her tight grip on his waist made it impossible to shake her off. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun.

  Things might have stayed in the safety zone, but dammit if she didn’t put her mouth on his neck and bite like a vampire desperate for human flesh.

  Shit. He was just a guy, and a guy who hadn’t had sex in a time span counted in years.

  He slammed her against the wall and ground his pelvis into her spread thighs. She increased the grip on his head in response. There wasn’t anything else he could do after that except kiss her until she trembled.

  Their tongues were engaged in a slow, seductive duel. He and Remington had a strong kissing game. A year of doing nothing but that made them pros. But her admission and his desire messed with his head and made him want more.

  He shuddered and groaned into her mouth when she sucked on his tongue. She writhed just a bit. He pressed against her, holding her body in place, and deepened the kiss as his fingers slid up her torso and cupped her breast. The soft mound filled his hand. She moaned. He was certain this was what heaven felt like.

  They continued the intoxicating make-out session while Finn took full advantage of her subtle surrender. He wanted to feel her warm skin but knew if he went too far, too fast, she’d be a mess. So he kept his groping in over-the-clothes territory.

  “What’s that noise?” she asked in a husky whimper after tearing her mouth from his.

  Noise? He breathed deeply and reluctantly stepped back so she could slide down his body and land on her feet.

  “Fuck,” he murmured with their foreheads touching. The desire to take his cell phone and smash it into a million pieces made him scowl.

  Fishing into his pocket, he found the offending noise and pulled it out. “What?” he barked into the phone.

  It was Barry wanting to know where the hell he was. Pete’s needed him to manage the kitchen during the dinner hour.

  “Dude,” Barry teased. “Feed your girlfriend and then get your ass back here! Manny just took a swing at Fred over some buttermilk. Come on, man. You know my kitchen talents are limited to cans of Spaghetti-Os and toaster oven chicken nuggets.”

  He winced and glanced at Remy’s face. She had a freshly mauled look that pleased him to no end.

  “Are we in trouble?” she whispered with just enough sarcasm to make him grin like an idiot. They really were making headway if she was willing to crack jokes.

  “Sorry, partner. Remy was being a shit. Said she didn’t like the fried chicken I brought over and made me go get her a Big Mac.”

  Barry roared with laughter while his lady punched him in the arm. Hard.

  He grabbed her ass and pulled her against him. She briefly struggled and then laughed.

  “He’s a lying sack of shit, Barry!” she yelled while he pu
lled the phone from her reach. “He was watching reruns of Reba!”

  While kidding around was great fun, he had responsibilities and a business to run. Ending the call, he switched gear and got serious.

  “Where are we sleeping tonight?”

  His question was bold and direct. She didn’t even try to deflect. Thank god they were past playing games.

  “I have to be at the garage by O-dark-thirty. Caravan of Humvees heading out for a training exercise. Do you mind?”

  “Nope. Whatever works, babe. I’ll grab FiFi and circle back later. You want me to bring anything? Made chocolate peanut butter bars. Bella’s recipe. Interested?”

  “Did you really have to ask?”

  He kissed her soundly, told her he loved her, accepted that she just blushed, and nodded and then headed back to work.

  Chapter 14

  Tori rested her head on the back of the recliner and sighed. The rhythmic tugs as Ryder nursed filled her with blissful contentment. She pulled her knees up and boxed in the swaddled baby boy.

  Feathering her fingers softly on his little face, she felt a surge of mother love that warmed her soul. She and Draegyn might be an unconventional couple, but they sure as hell made beautiful babies.

  Draegyn.

  Mmm.

  She loved him so much that sometimes it was hard to breathe.

  Ryder grunted against her breast. Nursing her son made Tori feel powerfully female. She carried him in her body until he was ready to join the family, and now that he was here, her body continued to nourish her second son.

  Life. It was a beautiful thing.

  One of the sliders flew open and Daniel’s giggles filled the air. Draegyn and their oldest boy were splashing around in a kiddie pool out in the yard.

  “Daddy,” he shrieked. “Ah!”

  Swiveling the recliner, she found her son, bare-assed naked, running from his grinning father.

  She wasn’t thrilled with the naked swimming habit but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Danny had issues with shoes and wet clothes. He was on the young side for potty training but his preferences were pushing the issue. Recently, he’d taken to stripping down to his birthday suit if his diaper was even a little bit wet, and it didn’t matter where they were. Last Sunday, he’d decided during the weekly family get-together at the Valleja Chapel that he would ditch his shorts and stroll around in a Batman T-shirt and sneakers. Only a T-shirt and sneakers.

  Everyone tried to play it off as normal until Daniel Alexander St. John displayed his penis to anyone interested while proudly smirking, “weiner.” When she lamented the use of the ridiculous word to the ladies, it was quickly pointed out by Heather that it could have been so much worse.

  Draegyn ran past, snarling like a beast of prey. “Better hide!” he roared.

  Two of her three boys disappeared into the back of the house as shrieks of laughter filled the air. She looked down at Ryder and smiled. Disengaging her swollen nipple from his sucking mouth, she winced at the jolt. As much as she loved nursing, she didn’t always love the sore nipples or occasional leakage at the worst possible times.

  The baby grunted his displeasure and opened his eyes. Son number two was a bit of a piggy. If she let him, he’d suckle nonstop. Ryder Bennett St. John was destined to be a boob man.

  Danny’s bellowing giggles got her chuckling. She wiped the baby’s puckered mouth and leaned in for a kiss.

  “Please be the calm son,” she quipped. He cooed. They stared into each other’s eyes.

  Daniel’s birth had been so dramatic that Ryder’s arrival—even though he quite literally slid into her pants one day—felt like a dream come true. He brought them nothing but joy.

  Her husband came into his own and found himself with the birth of their first son, but with Ryder, he was staking claim to new territory. Draegyn not only looked after their rambunctious toddler, but he also took amazing care of her too.

  They’d learned a lot and not always the easy way from her first pregnancy. This time, Draegyn was in control. He watched what she ate, how long she slept, whether she laughed enough, and how often she complained.

  Same was true postpartum. He put his manly foot down and laid down the law where her maternity leave was concerned. She didn’t wander far from the house without permission and spent her days pampered and spoiled. Having this time to bond with Ryder and not being rushed to recover from childbirth were unimaginable gifts.

  So was the loving care she received at the hands of her husband. Every night, he rubbed a wonderful organic salve onto her nipples. Not only did she love the smell, but his concerned reverence for her body also turned her to jelly. Watching his big hands massage her new mommy boobs was hotter than hot.

  And that wasn’t all!

  He also pretty much coated her entire body with a magic lotion made from coconut oil and shea butter that made her skin glow. Draegyn’s reaction to her stretch marks touched her deeply. He loved them but couldn’t explain why.

  As if all that wasn’t enough, he was vying for husband of the year by becoming actively involved in Meghan’s yoga sessions. She enjoyed her recovery routines, and with Draegyn’s encouragement, she threw herself into them with fervent gusto. The St. Johns also had family yoga times, and even got Danny his own mat.

  The sound of footsteps thudding toward the living room led to Draegyn appearing with a wiggling and giggling Danny riding on his shoulders. She hoped he didn’t pee down Daddy’s back.

  “Wanna switch?” he asked with a smirk.

  She smirked right back and shielded Ryder from being scooped up. “Nope.”

  “Hi, Mommy!”

  She gasped and pretended to just notice Danny perched on Daddy’s shoulders. “What are you doing up there?”

  Her son’s proud grin mirrored his father’s. “I’m widing.” He gave a toddler’s giddy-up to his daddy’s neck and giggled.

  Waving at his brother, Danny made a frown that signaled he was concentrating. He was such a determined boy.

  “Ryder,” he said clear as a bell.

  She grinned. Draegyn put his hand up and leaned it back toward Danny so he could slap it. Every day, their son’s battle with certain letter sounds became just the subject a story they’d tell one day. He knew when a word came out wrong. It didn’t bother him as much as remind the lad he didn’t do something right. Her boy was a determined tot, and she could already see that he wasn’t going to shrink from doing hard things. Trying again, trying harder—those were challenges, and nothing that intimidated the first son of Draegyn St. John.

  “Are you going to go hang with the girls? Charlie is hovering. She gave me shit for limiting visitors.”

  “Can’t wait. Just for a few hours, though. I shouldn’t be long.”

  “Take all the time you need, honey. I’ve got the boys. Just no running around, okay? You’re still restricted.”

  Oh, don’t worry.” She sniffed. “Now that you’ve read the riot act to everyone, they barely let me go to the bathroom by myself.”

  He jostled Danny and headed back outside. “Couple of more laps and we’ll dry off. “

  “Great! I’ll change the baby and get him settled. It’s too hot to walk, so Lacey is driving. I’ll catch a ride up to the big house with her.”

  Charlize Wilde was hanging with the Justice ladies once again! Tori loved it when Charlie came to town, and this time, she and the hunk of burning hot man love she was shacking up with were sticking around for a bit. While Caleb worked with Alex up at the Villa, Charlie signed on to do some workshops for the Double M, help with the variety show set design, brainstorm with Kelly about jewelry designs, and cause general mayhem. It was the last part that Tori enjoyed the most.

  It was good to see Kelly and Charlie develop a fast bond. Their friendship was based on weird circumstances. Charlie was sister to the girl who landed bazillionaire hottie Liam Ashforth. And Liam Ashforth, as fate would have it, turned out to be Kelly’s previously unknown half-brother. Because Matt
y was technically Kelly’s brother, there was murkiness around Liam’s relationship to Matty. Kelly was the boy’s defacto mom, making Liam an uncle and half-brother to the same kid.

  Because it was such a hot mess of craziness, Tori laughed aloud—earning no one’s attention. Charlie brought her usual assortment of toys, so today, most of the ladies squad was lounging around the Villa’s living room, passing boxes of colored markers and pens back and forth while decorating outrageous pages labeled stress relieving dick designs from an adult coloring book called “Colorful Cocks.”

  In other words, a typical Bendover day.

  “Okay, whoa, whoa, whoa! What? Say all that again,” Angie demanded.

  Meghan shoulder shoved Heather and chuckled. “Oh lord. Just gonna say it now. Poor Parker.”

  Heather said something under her breath that only Meghan could hear. The two fist bumped and shared a snarky laugh.

  Tori eyed this exchange and bit back a giggle. Her husband’s bad habit of playing subtle practical jokes was rubbing off on her. She was mindfully planning something appropriate that would let them know she knew all about their little club. Angie wasn’t exactly discreet with the parade of chokers trying not to look like collars and an assortment of ankle chains that was making them all jealous.

  Before she got pregnant with Ryder, she and Draegyn got snot-faced drunk one night and nearly laughed themselves to death with one-liners and some very bad jokes about what he knew and saw going on. Since she spent a good deal of time around Alex and knew his foibles and quirks, she also had his wicked take on the shenanigans.

  Tori returned from her wayward thoughts because Angie was on an excited roll. Lacey patted her leg and said, “Easy, sweetie. Baby on board, remember?”

  “Your sister is who?” Angie demanded.

  Charlie looked at Tori and winked. This explanation was almost as complicated as the Kelly-Liam-Matty thing.

  “Okay, gals. One more time. My sister Rhiann was living in the Big Apple and after a while found that the city had passed its expiration date.”

  Kelly let out a loud snort. Her disdain for New York City life was well known.