“I’m going to break all of your legs,” Caleb promises. “And what is up with your kids being little extortionists?” he asks me.
“What are you talking about?” I ask and look at my girls, who refuse to look up and meet my gaze.
“They talked us into going to the American Girl doll store,” Matt begins. “We figure, sure, we’ll get them a doll. It’ll keep them busy.”
“Seven. Hundred. Dollars.” Isaac stomps his foot with every word. “For three little girls to get a doll and a whole wardrobe for said doll.”
“Why did you buy them so much?” I ask, my eyes wide in shock.
“They lie to you there,” Matt responds with a sigh. “The tags have numbers on them, which we thought were the prices.”
“But no…” Caleb joins in as the rest of us stand in the living room, watching them in awe as they tell their story. “No, it’s a code number that tells you how to find the price on a chart. A chart!”
“So instead of that outfit being eight dollars, like we thought, it was forty damn dollars!” Isaac exclaims, pointing to Sophie’s doll.
“Forty dollars for a doll outfit?” Meg asks with wide eyes. “Holy crap.”
During this whole exchange, the three little darlings in question have been silently playing with their dolls, as though they’re the only ones in the room.
“And then when we check out, these three smile up at us with the most innocent looks on their faces.” Matt shakes his head in disgust.
“They’re not innocent,” Caleb grumbles. “They’re freaking extortionists.”
“Nate?” Josie has walked over to the tall, dark man and taps his arm to get his attention.
“Yes, beautiful girl,” he replies and squats so he’s at eye level with her.
“Can I have a ride on your motorcycle when it’s sunny outside?” she asks and twirls her hair around her finger, her brown eyes wide and flirty, and if I’m not mistaken, she actually bats her lashes at him.
“Of course you can,” Nate replies with a smile and taps her nose gently with his forefinger.
“Thank you!” She wraps her arms around his shoulders and hugs him and then returns to her doll.
“If she’s already hitting on the guy in the leather jacket with a bike,” Will remarks with a laugh, “you’re going to have your hands full with that one.”
Caleb curses under his breath as the rest of us laugh.
“That, right there, is why we’re only having boys,” Nate tells Jules as he points to Josie.
“I guess we’d better hope this one’s a boy then,” she replies with a grin, watching Nate’s face.
“That’s fine, I just… Wait.” He turns on her and grips her shoulders, watching her face intently. “What did you just say?”
“I wanted to tell you later when we’re alone, but I can’t keep secrets, and most of our family is here anyway, so…” Jules shrugs and bites her lip, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “We’re gonna have a baby, ace.”
He leans in and cups her face in his hands, pulls his fingers down her cheeks and rests his forehead against hers, and the room is completely still as we wait to hear what he has to say.
“Am I dreaming?” he asks, his voice raw.
She shakes her head and wraps her arms around him. “No.”
He kisses her then, long and hard, like I’ve never seen him do in public before, not even at their wedding. He finally pulls back and gazes down at her with so much love in his eyes, it feels wrong to be watching it, like we’re intruding.
Caleb reaches down and links his fingers with mine and squeezes tightly. All of the Montgomery men are quiet.
This is their baby sister.
“I love you so much, Julianne,” Nate finally says and brushes the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs. “Thank you,” he whispers.
He scoops her up into a big hug and twirls her in a circle before setting her down and turning to the rest of us. “We’re gonna have a baby!”
“Congratulations!”
We descend on them, hugging and laughing and then hugging each other, celebrating and rejoicing in the new life that is about to join our family.
“Mommy.” Maddie tugs on my hand to get my attention. “Can Sophie stay with us tonight?”
“No, sweetheart.” I lift her in my arms and kiss her cheek. She’s almost too heavy to hold like this now. “Not tonight.”
“Why not?” Josie asks.
“Sophie has to go home and sleep in her own bed,” Stacy tells them with a smile.
“She can sleep in our bed, like Caleb sleeps in Mommy’s bed,” Maddie replies, and once again the room goes dead silent.
My eyes go wide, and I look around the room, looking for Caleb, who is standing next to Nate, also with a deer-in-the-headlights look on his handsome face.
Isaac laughs, and everyone joins him, and I just close my eyes and lean my head against Maddie’s shoulder.
Just shoot me.
Chapter Thirteen
~Caleb~
“So, did you bring me here to remind me how out of shape I am?” Brynna plants her hands on her hips and glares at me after we enter through the nondescript front doors of Rich McKenna’s gym in downtown Seattle.
“No.” I chuckle and hold my hand out for her jacket.
“I’m not taking my jacket off.” She pouts.
“You’re adorable. Give me the fucking coat.”
She glares at me some more just as Jules yells from behind us, “There you are!”
“Jules is here?” Brynna asks with wide brown eyes.
Before I can answer, Jules runs to us and catches Brynna up in a big hug.
“I’ve been trying to talk Nate into letting me do some pull-ups, but he won’t let me do anything.” Jules rolls her eyes and then grins. “I’m going to get so fat.”
“I don’t think that’s possible,” Brynna replies while shaking her head. “Besides, he’s right. Unless you’re doing yoga, you shouldn’t be doing anything in this gym.”
“That’s what I keep telling her,” Nate responds as he joins us. “This is a sparring gym. We don’t do yoga.” Nate wraps an arm around my sister’s shoulders and kisses her temple.
“It’s great to see you guys,” Brynna begins and glances at me. “But what am I doing here?”
“Caleb didn’t tell you?” Jules asks.
She shakes her head, and Nate smiles reassuringly.
“Nate is going to show you some self-defense techniques,” I inform her and take her hand in mine, squeezing it firmly.
“Why?” she asks and stares at Nate.
“Because he kicks ass,” Jules replies proudly, making Nate laugh and shake his head.
“Can’t you show me?” Brynna asks me quietly.
Sure, if you don’t mind me getting distracted every ten seconds and turning a self-defense class into crazy hot sex.
“I could, but Nate has actual fighting experience,” I reply instead.
She turns her eyes to Nate and frowns. “I am perhaps the most out-of-shape woman in this family. You know that, right? Instead of treadmills and weights, I spend my time chasing and lifting twins.”
“You don’t have to be an athlete to protect yourself, Brynna.” Nate winks at Bryn, kisses Jules once more and then pulls away, holding his hand out for Brynna to join him. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
“Tell my kids I loved them,” she pleads as she tosses a look to me over her shoulder. “And I want to be cremated, please.”
I laugh and shake my head as I pause beside the big ring in the middle of the room next to my baby sister. Nate leads Brynna up into the ring and begins murmuring to her, demonstrating with his hands as he speaks.
“Damn, he’s fucking hot,” Jules whispers beside me.
“Really?” I ask and scowl down at her.
“What?” She grins innocently then leans her head against my arm. “He’s mine. I get to say stuff like that.”
“Not around me.” I sigh and wat
ch the tall, lean woman in the ring.
“She’s beautiful,” Jules murmurs.
“She is,” I confirm and sigh again. She’s so fucking beautiful she takes my breath away.
I don’t know why she insists that she’s out of shape. She’s tall and curvy, with just the right size ass and breasts. Her thighs are solid, probably from chasing after the girls. And her brown eyes destroy me, whether they’re happy or scared or glowing with lust.
“And according to the girls, you’re sleeping in her bed.”
I can feel her smile against my arm, and I narrow my eyes as I watch Nate wrap his arm around Brynna’s throat, as though he’s approaching her from behind.
“I am.” What else is there to say?
“So how is it going?” Jules asks and pulls away so she can look up at my face.
I keep my eyes on the ring.
“Fine.”
“Jesus, you’re so difficult!” She punches me in the shoulder and then shakes her hand with a scowl. “Ow.”
I smirk and glance down at her. “I’m not telling you about my sex life. Ever.”
“I just want to know how things are going.” She pouts.
“We’re fine,” I repeat.
“Are you guys going to the Nash concert tomorrow night?” Jules asks with a grin.
“Yeah.” I nod and sigh and pull my hand down my face.
God, I don’t want to go to that concert.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asks softly.
I shrug nonchalantly. “Bryn wants to go. She doesn’t go anywhere without me, so that means we’re going.”
“You don’t have to babysit her every minute of the day, Caleb.” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “What, are you worried that she’ll get hit on?”
“You don’t know dick about it,” I reply tightly.
“Well, if you guys would tell the rest of us what’s going on, I’d know dick about it!” she responds and then sighs heavily. “There will be a lot of people at the concert.”
I glance down at her briefly, registering the concern on her pretty face, and I square my shoulders and look away.
Too many fucking people.
I give her a jerky nod, and she swears under her breath.
“Hey, Craig! Come up here and help me out!” Nate calls out to a muscle-bound guy at the other side of the ring. Craig jumps up through the ropes and joins Nate and Brynna with a grin.
“What can I do?” he asks, looking Brynna up and down, and my hands clench into fists.
“Craig’s a nice guy,” Jules mentions, deceptively casual.
“Hmm,” I grunt.
“They’d make a cute couple.” She taps her lip with her finger. “I should set them up.”
“I should kick your ass,” I growl.
She turns her gaze to mine and a wide, knowing smile spreads across her face.
“You’re not setting her up with anyone, Jules,” I warn her.
“You don’t seem to want to claim her.” She shrugs.
“I’ve claimed her,” I mutter and swear under my breath.
The little brat won’t stop until I spill my guts.
Jules whips her head around to watch me, her blue eyes wide and mouth dropped open. “You love her,” she whispers.
More than anything.
“I can’t have her,” I whisper back and push a hand through my hair.
“Why?”
“She deserves so much better, J.” I shake my head, watching the amazing woman up in the ring with my brother-in-law and a muscle-head who would give his left nut to fuck her.
“What in the hell are you talking about?” She’s keeping her voice down, but I can tell she’s pissed as hell.
“I’ll end up hurting her. Physically. Emotionally.” I shrug again and glance down into Jules’ angry eyes.
“So, what? You’ll fuck her while you’re staying with her and then ride off into the sunset when it’s all said and done?” She glares up at me with her arms crossed over her chest, and I feel like an asshole.
Because when she puts it like that, I am an asshole.
“I don’t know,” I respond and suck in a quick breath when Nate pushes Brynna onto the ground, knocking the wind out of her.
Both Nate and Craig squat beside her, helping her up.
“I just don’t want to bring my baggage into her and the girls’ lives.”
I feel Jules’ eyes on me, so I glance down to find tears in them.
“Caleb, life is too short for this. She and the girls love you. You love them. Be happy.” She wraps her arms around my waist and holds on to me, pressing her cheek against my chest. “Just be happy. All of those guys whose lives you saved, and even those who lost their lives beside you, would want that for you.”
How does she know? I don’t deserve what Brynna and her girls are offering me. I couldn’t protect my guys to ensure they had the kind of lives I can see myself having with these amazing girls.
Instead, they got a ride home in a box and an American flag.
“Be happy,” Jules whispers. “Enjoy her. If she can’t handle it, she’ll tell you. Christ, Caleb, Brynna is one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. She can handle just about anything you throw at her.”
I frown as I watch Nate and Craig with Brynna. Her scowl as she concentrates on what they’re trying to teach her. Her smile when she gets it right. Her exasperated sigh when she gets it wrong and ends up on her magnificent ass.
She’s mine.
Craig whispers something in her ear, making her laugh, her eyes shining. A light sheen of sweat covers her face and chest, and my breath catches.
And then the bastard does what any red-blooded American man would do while that close to a woman like Brynna.
He tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear.
And I see red.
***
~Brynna~
How in the hell am I supposed to concentrate on not getting my ass kicked when I’m in the ring with Nate McKenna?
I know he’s married. To one of my best friends. And I’m in love with his brother-in-law. But for the love of all that’s holy, he’s in a black tank that shows off perfectly toned muscles that stretch beneath that delicious tattoo that runs down the length of his arm. His hair is pulled back at the nape of his neck, showing off his square jaw and bright gray eyes.
Everything about this man screams sex.
Screams. Sex.
And it doesn’t hurt that he’s one of the sweetest men I’ve ever met, and to top it all off, he’s completely in love with his wife.
Is there anything sexier than a hot man in love with his wife?
No.
“Remember, if they manage to get their arm around your neck, you pull your arm up and jab down, hard,” Nate murmurs in my ear from behind me. His arm is wrapped around my neck, as if he’s surprised me from behind.
“Right,” I confirm, not sure that I’ll ever remember any of this later.
“Okay, I want to show you some fighting techniques.” Nate smiles reassuringly and turns to the side of the ring. “Hey, Craig! Come up here and help me out!”
The man named Craig easily pulls himself up the side of the ring and through the ropes and walks confidently to our side.
“What can I do?” he asks with a grin. He’s handsome in a boyish kind of way. His body is hard and bulked-up, but he has a young face. I bet he was called babyface all through school.
He’s good-looking, but not what I want.
What I want is standing at the edge of the ring with his sister.
I glance over to find Caleb scowling down at Jules, who has her arms wrapped around his waist and is hugging him close. I wonder what they’re talking about.
“Pay attention, Bryn,” Nate says and motions for Craig to move behind me and show me how to place my feet and hands.
We go through several minutes of instructions, with both Nate and Craig laying their hands on me, showing me how to hold my arms, spread m
y feet, tilt my hips.
“Okay, are you ready for me to hit you?” Nate asks.
“I’m gonna die,” I whisper, earning a laugh from Craig behind me.
“I won’t let him kill you,” he murmurs into my ear. “Besides, you know how to deflect this. Just remember what he told you.”
Nate comes at me, and just when I think I’ve outmaneuvered him, he sneaks in with another jab, and I’m flat on my back with the wind knocked out of me.
“Shit!” Nate and Craig both squat beside me and take my hands in theirs, helping me up to a sitting position.
“You okay, sweetheart?” Nate asks.
I nod and drag air into my lungs. “Knocked the wind out of me.”
Nate steps back, but Craig smiles gently at me and tucks my hair behind my ear and glides his knuckle down my jawline, sending goose bumps down my arms. “Nothing sexier than a sweaty woman,” he mutters.
“Sweaty women are not sexy,” I respond with a wrinkled nose, smiling up at him, and then quickly glance guiltily around for Caleb.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Caleb announces as he bounds into the ring, his face tight with anger. He glares at Craig, who immediately backs away, and takes my hand in his, helping me to my feet. “Are you okay?” he asks me.
“I’m fine. I can keep going.”
“No, that’s enough for today.” He shakes Nate’s hand. “Thanks, man.”
“Anytime.”
“I want to play, too!” Jules announces as she pulls herself into the ring. “C’mon, Bryn, I’ll spar with you.”
“No!” Both Nate and Caleb yell at once.
“She won’t hit me hard,” Jules mutters with a pout.
“I’m not hitting you at all. You’re pregnant, for God’s sake.” I shake my head at her and laugh. “You can go nine months without kicking ass, Jules.”
“Nine months.” Her eyes go wide before they land on Nate. “You’d better get ready for lots of verbal ass-kickings if I can’t kick your ass in the ring.”
“Yeah, you scare me.” Nate smirks and pulls her into his arms.
“You’re sweaty,” Jules complains and tries to squirm away, but Nate holds strong.
“C’mere,” he mutters and buries his face in her neck, making her giggle.
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