Always (Family Justice Book 1)

by Halliday, Suzanne

  “We’re good,” she muttered.

  As the foursome came around the corner with Drae and Tori leading the way, Ria and Carmen moved into position. Across the room, Betty was standing and Stephanie was holding hands with Calder, who was in on what was about to go down.

  Like the crack drill sergeant she sometimes had to be around this crew, Carmen announced, “Okay, mis amigos. Ladies and baby onto the terrace for dessert while you gentlemen can go to the study for brandy and cigars.”

  “Don’t we get any dessert?” Drae bitched. “I’ve been waiting for that pumpkin pie.”

  She raised an expectant eye toward Alex, who immediately stepped forward and smacked the sexy secret agent on the shoulder. “Come on, dude. I’m sure they’ve got pie for us, right ladies?” he asked with wide eyes.

  Ria pooh-poohed all of them with a shake of her head. “You’ll find everything you need in the study. Now run along, boys.”

  Like the Pied Piper of fable, Carmen quickly shuffled Tori to the front of the group of ladies moving toward the doors to the terrace. She saw that Meghan was poised to open the wide doors that had Spanish style shutters on the outside.

  With Tori and her mother side by side, Meghan threw open the doors and pushed open the shutters to the dazzling scene set around the terrace. Tori and her mother gasped, and Carmen knew they’d managed to pull off a maneuver of surprise that rivaled anything the Justice Brothers could have come up with.

  “VICTORIA! OH, MY HEAVENS, SHUGAH,” Stephanie chirped excitedly when what was unveiled before her eyes finally starting making sense.

  The entire Valleja-Marquez Villa terrace was overflowing with every imaginable Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle decoration. Everywhere there were green balloons tied with yellow, green, red, and blue streamers. Light green Japanese paper lanterns with felt masks and eyes hung everywhere.

  Stephanie couldn’t help but laugh. While other little girls were all about the Muppet babies, as a preschooler, Tori had been mad for the Ninja Turtles and her dad had fed the fascination. The day Carmen and she had lunched and the kindly housekeeper had been all full of questions about Tori as a kid must have been a fishing expedition.

  “It’s a baby shower!” Tori cried with delight. “A Ninja Turtles baby shower! Oh, my God, you guys. This is the best!”

  “Better than a surprise wedding?” Lacey teased.

  Tori covered her mouth with her hands as tears shimmered in her eyes. “This is all too much,” she whispered, but Stephanie was having none of it.

  Draegyn’s grand gesture was what romantic stories were made of and the love being shared by this wonderful group of women was what friends and family were supposed to be about. No way was she going to stand by while her daughter tried to downplay the massive avalanche of support and love coming her way.

  Putting her arm around her only child as she led her toward a garishly decorated turtle shell throne studded with swords, she spoke quietly so only Tori would hear.

  “You’ve made an amazing family here, darlin’ and nothing could make an old Southern mama happier than knowing her baby girl is in such good hands. Draegyn, that shit, earned himself an all-occasion pass for going over and above in the romance department and your women friends just want an opportunity to celebrate you, honey. It’s awfully sweet. Let’s enjoy ourselves and make a few more memories, hmmm?”

  “ALRIGHT. SOMEONE GOING TO TELL me what the fuck is going on,” Drae asked, exasperated and annoyed. Somehow, and with amazing efficiency, he and Victoria had been separated and swept along in opposite directions until she was somewhere else and he was holed up with just the men. Something sucked and he wanted to know what it was.

  Cam pressed a glass of ice-cold champagne in his hand and chuckled. “This is your unexpected bachelor party and dude’s baby shower all rolled into one.”

  “What,” he snarled.

  “Well, we didn’t know you were going to pull a wedding out of your ass St. John,” Calder sniped, “so we aren’t exactly bachelor blow-out prepared.”

  Cam added, “But we did put five seconds of thought into what to do with your egotistical ass while your lovely wife giggles and cries her way through a surprise baby shower.”

  Drae was confused. What? “Baby shower?” he asked. “A surprise?”

  Brody smirked at him and drawled to everyone present, “I thought his analytical skills were supposed to be legendary. Looks like a giant tool right now.”

  Alex started passing around cigars and laid it out like instructions for a five-year-old’s art project. “Yeah. Surprise baby shower. Presents, chick stuff.”

  Cam slapped him one between the shoulder blades, griping, “Welcome to the banished husbands club, bro.” Imitating an old-time radio announcer he quipped, “Your manly-man services are not required at the present time.” With a hearty chuckle, he pushed Drae into Alex’s big leather chair joking, “So shut up and sit the fuck down.”

  “Amen,” to that Ben snickered. “You the man until the ladies gather. Once a hen party starts, fuhgeddaboudit.”

  Drae glared at Alex for a second but the man was grinning at him like this was the funniest shit ever. Even though he and Victoria had been legally married for months, they’d skipped over the wedding part of things. Until he’d gone and done it, he hadn’t known how saying his vows in front of the family would affect him. He’d just been married for fuck’s sake and his possessive streak was having a field day. Woman. His. By his side. Now.

  “She’s fine,” Alex assured him. “Now relax.”

  Addressing everyone, he said, “Looks like we got a full country boy dessert spread set out for us,” Dad announced with a jerky nodding gesture to the back of the room. “And enough brandy and cigars to last all night. The champagne is to start things with a toast for this sorry motherfucker.”

  “Since I’ve been married longest and have a crop of grown-up kids, I get to start!” Ben testified with his hand in the air.

  “Draegyn St. John, you are a piece of work. After the first time we met, I told my Ria that you were going to be trouble. And I wasn’t wrong…”

  Drae scowled while murmurs of agreement could be heard around the room.

  “But then Tori Bennett came ‘round in her sensible shoes, ugly glasses, and messy hair, and you hit a wall at Mach 5. Gotta’ tell you Drae, it was amusing as all hell to watch.”

  He had to chuckle. Every word was true. Mr. I’ve-Got-Pussy-In-Every-City-Worldwide was stopped dead in his tracks by the most unlikely of females. These guys must have had a never-ending laugh at his and Victoria’s antics.

  “When she flipped you the bird and took off, I thought you got what you deserved for being such an asshat.”

  At the asshat reference, Drae saw Alex and Cam snigger. “Wait,” he grumbled. “I thought this was a toast—not a roast.”

  “Where you’re concerned, St. John,” Calder yelled out, “it’s always going to be a little of both!”

  Ben nattered on, finally beginning to loft his champagne. “But you showed us all how the road to love can be messy instead of like a Disney movie. You and Victoria bring the spark that keeps the Justice Family fire burning. She’s an awesome lady, and for reasons some of us don’t fully comprehend, she loves your sorry ass…warts and all. So here’s to you, my friend, as you head off on the most important mission of your life—as a husband and soon-to-be father. Good, luck, God Bless, and remember—no matter how wrong she is, the wife is always right.”

  The champagne was perfectly chilled, just the way Drae liked it. He wished Victoria was also enjoying his favorite Bolinger as well, but he knew that champagne wasn’t on the approved-during-pregnancy list. The idea of pounding thousands of dollars of bubbly as he slowly stripped his nubile bride until all she was wearing were the diamonds he’d just given her set up a pounding in his groin. A naked wife and the possibility of licking champagne off her luscious body was another scenario to add to his growing honeymoon bucket list.

  Everyone got
a shot at him with a round of ribald toasts that definitely brought the laughs. The second bottle had been cracked and consumed by the time they moved on to the dessert table. Ria had truly outdone herself. Drae spread his arms wide and threatened bodily harm to anyone who tried to bogart the pumpkin pie.

  As men were known to do when no women were around to scold or roll their eyes, they made quick work of devouring the sweets, along with an entire tub of homemade whipped cream, then broke into the brandy and began lighting the celebratory cigars. It was a good time, and though he’d rather be with Victoria, Drae relaxed and enjoyed the camaraderie of his brothers and family friends.

  “OH, MY GAWD!” TORI CRIED for the hundredth time as she ripped open package after brightly wrapped package filled with baby gifts and naughty bits for the new mommy.

  “I love it,” she giggled enthusiastically when she pulled a tacky, gaudy infant onesie emblazoned with the famous Las Vegas sign from the bright tissue paper.

  Her mother held up the card and read, “For my maid-of-honor. What happened in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas! Kisses and Hugs, Love Shawn.”

  “Awww,” she sighed. “That was so sweet.”

  “She wanted to be here, Tori, but she and Garry are in Vancouver where he’s filming. Did you see her on the cover of Style Rage magazine? Bet that non-outfit raised a lot of eyebrows.”

  “She’s a sweetheart,” Tori assured Lacey. “Not anything like the dumbass shit that gets printed about her. Not all models are airheads.”

  She wiggled in her seat, trying to find a comfortable spot. Her tummy felt heavier than usual. Maybe because she’d royally pigged-out on the Thanksgiving feast? Probably. Pretty sure she was going to be regretting the excess later, Tori grabbed the straw tumbler filled with ice water that she was keeping nearby and took a couple of gulps. She didn’t know why by the cold water seemed to be easing a bit of the twitchy tightening that was distracting her.

  What is Draegyn doing, she wondered. Even though she was having a blast surrounded by all the women she loved and a bunch of Ninja Turtles, Tori was fixated on her husband. Her actual, in sickness and in health, husband.

  Staring at her new rings was becoming a guilty pleasure. There was something incredibly sexy about knowing that her super-cool husband had spent time with a jeweler searching for what he wanted. What he thought she’d want. Didn’t he know that a paper cigar ring would have been just as memorable and romantic as a set from Cartier?

  Tori never put much stock in all the fascination people have for relationship bling. A ring just wasn’t on her list of things she just had to have. I mean, after all, she had Draegyn and that was enough. More than enough, in fact. She never doubted his passion for her. Okay, maybe that was a new spin on her pregnancy narrative because she had been a hormonal mess at one point and imagined all sorts of horrifying scenarios involving her 007 and a bevy of model types.

  But when she had her head screwed on right, Tori knew what was real. They were a classic mess and their relationship would always be full of more sarcasm and wildfires than lovey-dovey shit. Now that they’d declared their vows before family though, it seemed very, very real instead of the by-product of a conversation over breakfast.

  ALEX WAS ENJOYING HIMSELF. HOW could he not? He hadn’t been speaking out his ass earlier when he said they all had good reason to be thankful.

  Glancing at Cameron, he found the once brooding and miserable loner smiling from the inside out. He perched on an ottoman at Calder’s knees, a cigar clenched between his teeth as the two engaged in a Slapsies contest.

  Each time Cam whacked Calder’s hand, he’d shout out, “Blow me,” and laugh. A far, far cry from the empty shelled man he’d been before Lacey turned up. And now look at him. Married. Happy. A father. Shit. If happily ever after ever needed a mascot, it should probably be the Camerons.

  Ben, the old fucker, was clearly up to no good. Although Alex couldn’t hear what he was saying, he had the distinct impression he was talking about him as Gus and Brody listened to whatever he was driveling with captivated expressions. Occasionally, one or all of the three men would glance his way and laugh. Not that he hadn’t provided an ample reserve of stories to tell practically every time he and Meghan took the limo out for a drive. But, Jesus. Was nothing private around here?

  Drae, who was in the chair by his side, was quietly watching, too. They’d come a long fucking way from their earliest escapades when the two first met. Alex wondered whether he was also thinking about how damn lucky they all were.

  Cam sauntered over and joined them after Calder exclaimed that his hands were giving up. Alex found an odd contentment knowing that his uncle and the two men he considered his closest brothers were long-time friends.

  First, it had just been he and Drae hanging out at Calder’s beach house whenever they had R&R. But over time, Cameron became part of their inner circle, and after that, it had been just the four of them. Giving them refuge from the suck of war meant his mentor-uncle knew where some of the skeletons were buried.

  “Hey, dude,” Cam hooted at Drae. “Know what I just realized?”

  “That you’re a cock gobbler?” came the irreverent, sarcastic reply.

  Cam snorted. “Well, you’d be the one to know now, wouldn’t you?”

  Alex almost choked on the brandy he’d been swallowing when Draegyn grabbed at his crotch and pinned Cam with a haughty look.

  In all honesty, these were some the times he enjoyed the most—when Cam and Drae were sniping at each other as the insults flew right and left.

  Turning to Alex with mischief in his expression, Cam waved his cigar at Drae. “The way I figure if Calder hooks up with Tori’s mom, that will make him his fucking father-in-law!”

  This time Alex did choke and sit forward quickly while Drae thumped him on the back.

  “Holy shit,” Drae muttered.

  Cam blew a couple of smoke rings and then started howling with laughter. “Holy fuck!” he yelled. “And that will make you two sorry pieces of shit, like…what? Cousins?”

  Calder had joined them and was standing there with a mock-horrified look on his face. “Slow the fuck down boys,” he jeered. “Marriage is for the young.”

  “Oh, come on,” Brody interjected. Apparently everyone was going to offer an opinion and climb on this bandwagon. With a look of pure innocence, he taunted Calder some more. “Don’t try and tell us you haven’t thought about it.”

  “Humph,” Calder grunted. “I think about a lot of things—none of which I’ll be sharing with you pussies.”

  Gus and Ben were racked with laughter at the exchange. Alex eyed them both then went for the gold. “What the fuck are you giggling about, Gus? And when the hell are you going to ball up and take control of my housekeeper?”

  Drae and Cam grinned and rumbled, “Oooooh, snap.”

  “He’s making a point,” Brody drawled with a sneer.

  “I think they’ve got ya, buddy,” Ben added with raised eyebrows.

  Gus looked around at all of them and reddened. Finally, he fixed Alex with a steady stare and chuckled, “Control, you say? You want me to control that lady? You’ve met her, right?”

  “Caveman style, dude,” Cam joked. “Just smack her on the ass, heft her over your shoulder, and get on with it!”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Gus mumbled.

  They all barked with laughter and refilled their snifters.

  He saw Cam considering Brody with a long, inquisitive look before he bluntly asked, “What’s with you and the mad baby skills? You’ve never struck me as the diaper changing type.”

  And then an unusual silence descended as the dog guru clammed up. What in the hell is that all about, Alex wondered. He caught Brody’s glancing his way a second before he took a heavy gulp of the brandy.

  A bunch of things happened all at once. Drae, the cool-headed analyst, sat up straight and leaned with his forearms on his thighs—staring at Jensen’s unsmiling face. Calder leaned a hip against the enormous
wood desk and said nothing, but his expression suggested he sensed a disturbance in the force.

  Cam seemed to be considering the question he’d posed—searching for an easy explanation for the abrupt change in Brody’s mood. Gus and Ben looked a lot like jurors considering evidence.

  “I’ve got a kid,” Brody muttered into the heavy silence.

  Alex froze. What the fuck? Brody Jensen was a father? How in the fucking fuck did that little fact escape a background check?

  The quiet grew deeper. There was an odd humming in Alex’s head—maybe from the brandy—and he swore, if it happened, he could have heard a pea drop.

  As usual, despite the brandy, Drae got there first.

  “Let me get this straight—you…Brody Jensen. You have a kid? That none of us know about?” Astonished best described Drae’s delivery.

  “Back East?” Alex mumbled. “Is that why you travel? For a kid?”

  As quickly as his sluggish mind could, Alex reviewed the Jensen file in his head. The guy was the real fucking deal. Ex-Navy SEAL. What Alex knew, and he knew everything that wasn’t buried in some deep cavern of secrecy, was that Brody enlisted right out of high school. Knew how to handle a rifle so the SEALs scooped him right up.

  Ten years total in Naval Special Warfare—lots of it so confidential the security clearance needed to access the info was beyond imaginable. Alex was able to uncover the fact that Jensen had been part of an elite sniper team. He didn’t dig deeper than that. Didn’t need to. He was Special Forces, after all, and knew all too well what being on a sniper team meant.

  He had about seven years in when the unlucky S.O.B. got shot. In the fucking head. He recovered, but that pretty much meant the end to handling a rifle for an assignment. Somehow, he ended up in the Canine Corps training and handling the spectacular frontline dogs that serve such an important role in the military.

  At twenty-nine, he left the Navy. Less than a year later, he was referred to the agency by one of Alex’s D.O.D. contacts. After finding out that he was capable of designing and offering a first rate dog program for the agency, they hired him. That was three years ago.