Call You Mine

by Claudia Burgoa

  “Stay single,” Dad suggests. I give him an unamused glare.

  Mom’s jaw drops. “But you were breaking up with him. How is it that he turned things around on you?” I love how she humors me. “What happened?”

  “He said, ‘This has run its course, Grace.’ I mean, it’s not like we’ve gone out for a long time or we’ve had s—”

  I’m interrupted by my father’s sudden cough. This is precisely why my brothers are so immature. Dad might be able to take down criminals, but he behaves like a teenager sometimes.

  “Sex is normal, Dad.”

  Mom rolls her eyes. “Mason, you either let her tell the story without the gagging noises and the immature remarks or leave the kitchen.”

  “My princess shouldn’t have…” He pauses and shivers. “She’s just a kid.”

  “I’m almost twenty-eight,” I remind him, and I want to add that maybe I’m too old to be called princess.

  He gives me a once-over and says, “Too young.”

  This man is exasperating. He doesn’t have a problem while I’m on the clock working for his organization. But when it’s about dating, I suddenly turn into a two-year-old toddler who should move back home because I’m a baby.

  “And just so you know, this didn’t go beyond four dates. I still can’t believe I was dating him—and he’s the one who broke it off!”

  “Gather some data, analyze it, and maybe run a background check before you even give out your phone number.”

  I roll my eyes. Only my father could come up with something as ridiculous as treating my dating life as a project. But maybe he’s not that off. It makes me wonder how he dated when he was my age. Maybe he’s like Seth and had the occasional one-night stand when he had time. I know he wasn’t like Nathan, who’s been with his girlfriend forever.

  “No, I think I should give up men.”

  “You have my vote.” Dad smirks.

  I groan.

  “You know what they say.” Mom, who always has some wise advice and tries to look at the bright side, says, “You have to learn how to weed your garden, and the only way is by knowing what plants are good for it and which ones are…useless.”

  She doesn’t always make sense, though.

  “That doesn’t make sense. Maybe you were trying to say, kiss a few toads to find a prince?” Dad looks at her unamused. “Stick to what you know, Ainse.”

  “Be nice, and I might remind you what I do best later tonight,” she teases him, and Dad takes her into his arms and kisses her.

  My parents are one of the most adorable couples I know. I want to find the kind of love they share. Pure and eternal. It’s impossible when I keep kissing orangutans. I can’t even find a decent toad.

  I make gag noises to stop them. They might be cute, but seeing my parents making out is a hard limit.

  Dad looks at me and grins. “It’s normal…you know.” He changes his pitch pretending to sound like me.

  He’s about to walk out of the kitchen when he halts, looks over his shoulder, and says, “The meeting starts in five minutes, Gracie. Text your friend so he can connect with us. I think he should take a break while he’s dealing with his family. But what do I know?”

  When Dad leaves, Mom looks at me. “Are you okay about the breakup?”

  I shrug. “Yeah. It’s just so frustrating. I asked him why he thought it wasn’t working.”

  She frowns. “You knew it was over.”

  “Yes, because he’s boring and dumb. I can’t have a mature conversation with him. I want to know what is wrong with me.” She is about to speak, and I shake my head. “No, don’t give me your usual, ‘there’s nothing wrong with you.’ I am twenty-seven, and I haven’t had a steady boyfriend. At this point, I think I’m a virgin—again.”

  She sighs. “Well, what did he say?”

  “He got upset because I’m over-analytical. Then, he went ahead with the list of flaws. I’m always texting or on the phone in the middle of my dates.” I pause, drink from the lavender tea she prepared for me when I arrived. “He’s jealous of Beacon. He doesn’t even know him. He’s been living in Baker’s Creek for a month.”

  I swear this is like a bad joke that never ends. What’s the problem with me? Your best friend interrupts our dates. If I keep going out with a guy, Beacon points out all his faults, and it leaves me not wanting to date the poor guy.

  When Beacon is not around, my brothers are the ones making it hard on my dates. They’re younger, but they can be scary looking, like my father. Six foot five, dark hair, and their pale gray eyes are so freaking devoid. Sometimes guys swear they’re possessed.

  Seth and Nathan are a couple of kittens.

  “How did you do it?” I ask Mom. “Uncle Jacob and Uncle Mattie can be scary too.”

  She grins. “My brothers were scared of your dad. Plus, your father is a friend of the family. It makes all the difference.”

  So, I need to date a friend of the family?

  No thank you, Mom. I’ve been there, done that, and—you told me to end it. Well, he ended it first. I don’t think about the subject or I’m going to start sulking.

  “Let me call, Beacon,” I say, pulling out my phone.

  “Yo, G?” he answers right away.

  “We have a meeting. Are you ready?”

  “Always. Just give me a minute,” he answers, and I hear the roar of a car engine.

  “Did you steal one of your brother’s cars again?”

  He laughs, and there’s some clicking over the phone—the call drops. Well, I hope he arrives at his house in time so he can video chat. Dad hates to wait.

  I kiss Mom. “I’m heading back home after this.”

  “Don’t stay up too late,” she warns me.

  “I love you, Mom.”

  I wave at her, walking toward Dad’s office. I feel someone watching me. When I look up, I find Beacon leaning against the wall.

  “You’re here,” I whisper.

  His smirk widens as we run toward each other like a couple of kids who haven’t seen their best friend in years, which is partially true. He’s been busy dealing with the family that has never acknowledged him until now.

  “Hey, G!” he says, lifting me from the floor and twirling me around.

  I hold his face, looking into his deep dark green eyes. He seems happy.

  “It’s good to see you,” I say, but the reminder of why he shouldn’t be here makes me gasp, jump out of his embrace, and strike him on the chest. “You idiot!”

  The passing of his father leaving a ridiculous will behind changed his life drastically. He and his brothers have to live together in Baker’s Creek for the next eighteen months. He’s not allowed to leave the town during the first six months.

  There are so many ridiculous stipulations, and all of them are just so they can claim the inheritance, which none of the brothers want. It’d be easy to walk away, except William Aldridge will destroy—from the grave—the livelihoods of many if they don’t do as he says.

  Chapter Seven

  Grace

  “Ouch!” He flinches. “This is your new way to welcome your best friend?”

  “What the hell are you doing in Seattle, Beacon Kirk Aldridge?”

  “Technically, it’s Mercer Island. We have a meeting,” he reminds me, tilting his head toward Dad’s office.

  “You are supposed to be in Baker’s Creek!”

  “I am,” he assures me with a grin. “Didn’t you hear? The guys came to practice. We are in my studio.”

  “God, you’re impossible!”

  “You keep saying that, but am I?”

  No, but if his brothers knew where he was, they’d kill him.

  I glare at him.

  “You’re mad at me?” That sheepish, innocent look erases my anger.

  “I wish I could be upset.” I poke him in the chest. “You’re jeopardizing the lives of a lot of people.”

  “You know that if I fuck everything up, I’ll fix it.”

  It’s on t
he tip of my tongue to ask how. It’d be impossible to fix anything if they sell the properties and tear down the buildings, wouldn’t it? But I don’t say a word because if I challenge him, he might do something stupid to prove that he’s right. Then he’ll be complaining that I don’t have enough faith in him.

  “So, how’s Howie?”

  “Hardy,” I correct him.

  “Whatever,” he says with disregard. “He’s a loser, and you should break up with him.”

  I cross my arms. “Let me guess. He’s not good enough for me?”

  Beacon grins. “You know that, but you like to keep dating guys who don’t deserve you.”

  We open Dad’s office, and my brothers are already with him. Nathan and Beacon do their weird hugging, hand shaking ritual that’s just stupid.

  Seth glares at the screen and says, “Let’s get this over with. We have to be back in a few hours before anyone notices Beacon is missing.”

  I roll my eyes. Of course, Seth helped him. These two are each other’s accomplices.

  Dad leans back, grabs the remote, and turns on the big screen where everyone in The Organization is ready for the video chat.

  Dad created a high intelligence secret agency in his early twenties. He never thought it’d grow to be one of the most important companies in the world, or that it’d be a family business.

  He tried to keep us away from it, but we all showed potential and the talent to work with him. One day he and his partners will retire, and we’ll be in charge.

  “First order of business is Bryant, LLP,” Dad says and focuses his attention on Beacon. The law firm is based in Colorado. His brother, Pierce Aldridge, used to work there. He’s also the founder’s grandson. “We just started the investigation. It’s supposed to be simple. You said there was some discrepancy with one adoption, but there’s a lot more to it than losing some application. My gut tells me there’s a lot more happening there. I want to remind you that our company isn’t a cheap PI service. We’re highly trained to take down criminals. This law firm seems to have some of those. You want us to stop?”

  Beacon arches an eyebrow and shrugs one shoulder. “Keep going. If there’s more than what we bargain for, I’ll talk to my brother.”

  “Talk to your brother,” Dad orders.

  “At least, give me something to show him. I’m not disclosing anything about this company, but I want him to see why he has to either stop us or live with the consequences.”

  Dad looks at Seth. “Give him what you’ve gathered. This is yours. Assemble your team, wait for Beacon to give you the green light, and…don’t underestimate them.”

  “The second item circles back to our absent musician.” He grunts. “We need to speak to your former Delta Force brother in person. I understand he’s highly trained. He could be a great asset, but I need to interview him and test his skills.”

  “Vance can’t leave Baker’s Creek,” he pleads his case. “Can you just take my word and videoconference him?”

  I don’t know much about Vance Aldridge. Beacon keeps the little he knows to himself. Not because he doesn’t trust me, but because he keeps Vance’s privacy just like he does ours. Beacon believes he’d be a good fit for our company.

  Dad gives him an outraged glare. “Yet, you’re here, Aldridge. Make it happen, or we won’t consider him.”

  “You’re considering him, or you wouldn’t bring up the subject,” Beacon challenges him. “We can meet halfway. We need him as much as he needs us.”

  “We’re not thrilled about bringing a mercenary into our organization, Aldridge. We both know there’s a huge difference between what we do and…them.” He waves his hand toward the door. “You can always join them instead.”

  Beacon glares at him and then looks at me. He takes a deep breath. “I’ll figure it out.”

  Dad nods and sighs. “Third item belongs to our golden boy again,” he mocks Beacon. “Has your brother figured out a way to let you out of the will’s stipulation while you’re on tour? We’re done waiting.”

  Beacon shakes his head. “No, he’s working on it.”

  Dad grunts and looks at me. “It’s easy to find someone to replace—”

  “No,” Beacon snaps. “Either we do it as a team, or you assign that project to another crew.”

  “You can’t take that away from me,” I complain.

  Beacon’s hands become fists. “That’s not how we work, G.”

  Dad runs a hand through his hair. “Figure that out soon.”

  I am frustrated because I know what’s going to happen. Dad’s going to reassign this case to another team, and I’ll be poking my eye for the next eighteen months. Stupid William Aldridge. It’s because of him that the team is grounded. But our unit can run without Beacon in it. I sigh because who am I kidding. It’d be irresponsible to replace him with an outsider.

  “It’s not like I made up this shit to avoid my responsibilities.” They stare at each other, and I swear Beacon is usually chill, but there are times that he’ll go head-to-head with Dad for things that seem so stupid. “You know what’s at stake, Bradley.”

  Dad turns his attention to the screen, and Uncle Harrison, Tiago, and Anderson shrug.

  “We’ll come up with a backup plan just in case,” Harrison concludes.

  The meeting continues without bringing more attention to Beacon, who hates his new assignments—doing research, paperwork, and surveillance from Baker’s Creek. I can do some work for Seth or just take a break. Dad dismisses us and stays on the secure call with his partners.

  Beacon shuts the door closed and looks at Seth. “Give me a few minutes.”

  “Don’t take long.” My brother gives a courteous nod and walks away, dragging Nathan with him.

  Beacon takes my hand and pulls me toward the main entrance of the house. “Tell me about your Howie while I walk you to your car.”

  “You need to promise this is the last time you leave Baker’s Creek,” I say, following right behind him.

  “Come to visit often, and I’ll think about it.”

  “I’m running the summer camp you volunteered to organize.”

  “You insisted I stayed in Baker’s. If it was up to me—”

  “This is me you’re talking to, Beac. Don’t pretend you don’t care about it, because I know you better than you know yourself,” I warn him.

  He smiles and pulls me into an embrace. “Fine, I might give a few fucks. Because I do, I’m doing my best to behave. You should come and visit me more often, though.” His voice sounds like a plea. “There’s a room with your name on it.”

  “There is not.”

  “Come and see it for yourself.” He kisses my temple and looks at me. “What happened to the latest loser? Did you break up with him?”

  I give him the SparkNotes. The asshole dumped me before I had the chance.

  “You need a few lessons on how to date,” he claims.

  “Because you’re an expert.”

  “You know what your problem is?”

  “Beacon, I’m not in the mood,” I grumble as we arrive at my car.

  “I’m trying to save you time and energy,” he replies.

  “As much as I’d like to listen to your wise words, you have to go.” I tilt my head toward my brother’s car.

  “I’m wise.” He laughs. “G, you just need to stop dating losers and maybe…I don’t know. I’d have to see your dating techniques and figure out what you’re doing wrong.”

  “So, you agree there’s something wrong with me?”

  “No, you’re perfect. There’s a difference between being smart, talented, and gorgeous and knowing how to date.”

  I snort, “You’re going to give me dating advice?”

  This guy has never dated in his entire life.

  “Mr. Casanova doesn’t have any moves,” I mock him. “You just snap your fingers, and women flock around you. What’s today’s flavor?”

  “My, G, that’s inaccurate,” he says. “That was back when I was
a stupid kid. Plus, you know my brothers and I have rules. We don’t date the townies.”

  “You still act like a kid,” I remind him.

  “You like me that way.”

  “Not always.”

  “Well, the offer is on the table. Come to Baker’s Creek so I can tame the shrew. I can give you a few tips. Maybe teach you how to avoid losers.”

  I burst into laughter. “Go home, Beac.”

  He gives me a weird look. “Come with me.”

  “Maybe another day, okay?”

  He cups my face and says, “Swear, you’re not going to start working with another team just because I’m not there.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Damn it, G!”

  “How about just scouting work with Seth?”

  “You’re such a maddening, stubborn woman.” He shakes his head, kisses my forehead, and leaves.

  And maybe that’s my problem. I don’t let anyone dictate my life. I’m quiet, but I make sure people hear me. I’m shy, but I impose what I feel is right. I’m not some weak mademoiselle in distress. I save men who are in trouble.

  Chapter Eight

  Beacon

  “Hell, day one thousand and twenty-seven,” I complain while preparing dinner.

  I like to pretend I’m upset about the chores assigned to me or our situation when my family is around. It creates a fun atmosphere.

  Henry gets irritated. Pierce pokes him. Hayes lectures them. Henry cusses in response because we’re always judging him. Mills chides them for swearing in front of his kid. I toss a few more words to work them up and add Vance into the mix. That dude needs anger management. It’s so much fun to stir them and watch them fight about some nonsense.

  “We all have to cook,” our oldest brother, Henry, argues.

  He doesn’t cook shit. The guy orders food from the chef of the restaurant and voilà, we have a fancy dinner for eight and a kid’s meal. It really doesn’t bother me to help. I’m used to looking after myself—and cooking large meals for my people. My brothers and their wives don’t know it. I use everything they never cared to learn about me to my advantage.