And then she heard a soft giggle. Followed by a husky chuckle. Her hand jerked away from the knob as if it had burned her fingers. By reflex, she also jumped back and collided with the wall behind her.
Scrambling to get the hell out of the hallway, Meghan got tangled up in her own feet and crashed into a parson’s table outside the pantry. A large ceramic canister wobbled on the tabletop. Mouthing curse words, she quickly reached a hand to steady the breakable object.
Muffled laughter and words drifted on the air. Spanish words. Shit! Fuck! She couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Scrambling awkwardly up the back steps without making enough noise on the wooden stairs to wake the dead, she took off in a clumsy sprint when she reached the second floor and headed for the nursery.
Flying into the room like a bat out of hell, she closed the door, leaned against it, and burst into howls of laughter.
Alex was standing up with a piece of a bassinet in his hand. His reaction to her unseemly display was a half smirk.
“What did you do?”
Waving him off as she tried to quell the laughter made him start to laugh too.
“Baby, what’s going on?”
She slapped both hands over her mouth and fought the giggles as tears of laughter leaked from her eyes.
He dropped what he was doing and guided her away from the door with an arm around her shoulders. Still laughing, she turned to him, clutched the motherfuck out of his t-shirt, and rubbed her face on his shoulder. Alex’s chest rose and fell as he chuckled right along with her without knowing what was so goddamn funny. The babies got in on the family moment too and did a womb cha-cha.
Dragging him by the hand to the loveseat near the big window, she pushed him to sit and planted her ass on his lap. Right away, he caressed her belly and studied her face.
“The kids have the hiccups or something?” he asked.
“Oh, sweetie”—she sniggered—“it’s so much better than that.”
“Care to share?”
Gathering her thoughts, she bit off a lingering giggle and tried putting on her fallback expression. The one she used as a teacher that said, I’m a badass.
“I just caught Carmen and Duke getting frisky in the pantry.”
Her husband blinked, cocked his head slightly, and stared at her like someone who needed a translation.
“Alex,” she murmured smoothly, “our housekeeper and your security chief are doing it.” He denied her claim with a headshake, but she kept going. “And if they aren’t doing the deed, then they’re at least swapping spit.”
“In my pantry?”
Patting him on the chest, she pointed out the obvious. “It’s my pantry too, you snotbag, and that’s not really the issue now, is it?”
It took him a minute to process, and then he ran a big hand through his already messy hair and drawled, “Holy shit.” Then he looked at her sharply and asked, “Did you actually see them?”
“No, but they were definitely fooling around—with the door closed. I heard something and thought Zeus had gotten trapped again. Thank god, I was paying attention and stopped myself from opening the door. I did not need to see that!”
“We shouldn’t be surprised. They’ve been acting like teenagers for months. The guy looked like he wanted to shit himself at the wedding with Carmen all but passing him off as a boy toy.”
Well, that was sure as hell funny! Shrieking, “Boy toy,” Meghan rocked back and forth as more laughter engulfed her.
Grunting out a derisive snort, he added, “At least, those two are for real. Unlike someone else who’s the Pied Piper of Bullshit.”
She sobered instantly. “You mean Finn, don’t you?”
“Yep. Him and that charade he’s putting on with Remington. It’s just bizarre.”
“I think he has serious feelings for her.”
He raised a brow. “For real?”
“Yeah. I mean that’s the only thing that makes sense. They’ve been doing the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing for months. Ever since my dad was here in the fall. And he isn’t getting any on the side.”
“How do you know that?”
She shrugged and made a face. “Barry told me. Actually, he let it slip.”
“Oh, you mean he’s not taking advantage of the groupie squad that hangs around Pete’s?”
“No, and for the Finn I know and love, that’s a big deal. He’s had more ass than a proctologist.”
“You might want to work on that snarkasm.”
Meghan chuckled. “It missed, didn’t it? Damn. I’ll have to think about it.”
“I got your meaning, though, and to be honest, honey—I feel bad for your brother.”
“Why?”
He tried to shrug, but Meghan saw the conflict on his face.
“Remington, she’s, um … well, you know, right?”
“Do I know that she’s damaged? Seriously? Isn’t damaged and broken part of the job description at Justice?” She sheeshed him and rolled her eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
A second of silence told her he would let it go at that. But she had questions, and now seemed like a good time.
“What’s her story?”
She gave him credit for not playing dumb. It was gratifying when he unloaded because it reaffirmed, yet again, that she had his total trust.
Raking his fingers through his hair, he met her eyes, and she detected a slight twitch in the muscle of his jaw.
“I don’t know her story. Deliberately,” he declared with blunt emphasis. “Cam found her and brought her in. That’s enough for me. We all know that with one text and a bottle of Macallan, I could have her entire DoD record in under an hour.” His mouth twisted into a grimace. “But I figure she’s entitled to her privacy.”
“Does Cameron know how she ended up so ...” She paused and searched for the right word. “Crunchy? Why is she so hard?”
“Cam does due diligence like nobody’s business. She was fully vetted and carefully screened before he even met with her. How could he not know? And there’s someone else …”
“What? Who?”
“Well, Sawyer seems to know a bit of something too.”
“Sawyer? Captain Sawyer?” She chewed on that bit of surprising news for a second. “Oh, sure. Was he in the war with you guys? I just assumed, but that kind of makes sense. She flew helicopters, and he’s a pilot. Did they know each other?”
For a couple of moments, he looked startled by her response, and then he shook his head in the negative. “Uh, Sawyer wasn’t a fly boy.”
Okay, now she was even more confused. “Captain Sawyer—the man who flies your plane? You knew him in the war, but he wasn’t a pilot? Am I missing something?”
Alex put his head on the back of the loveseat and chuckled for a second or two. “I can’t even begin to tell you what you’ve missed.”
A light bulb went on over her head, and she asked the million-dollar question.
“You could start with his full name. We’re dying to know. Is Sawyer a first or last name?”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Sorry. Took a blood oath.”
“Asshole,” she muttered under her breath.
“I heard that. Do you need more demerits?”
He was distracting her with his smooth segue away from the subject at hand, so she changed topics.
“Explain the pilot thing. I’m confused.”
“Ah, yes, well, it’s actually simple. Farm boy from the heartland. Think crop dusting.”
She sniggered. “Got it.”
“Anyway, the night before he had a chance to prove his aviation skills, the dumb shit went honky-tonking, and like countless others before and after him, he surrendered his military career to the almighty power of Jack Daniels. “
“Was he under your command?”
She saw the shadow in his expression a split second before he laughed. “No, thank god. Sawyer was what you’d call a fixer. He fixed shit and could lay his hands on almost anything. Need a bo
x of embargoed cigars? Sawyer was the guy.”
She pondered this new information.
“How does he know about Remy?”
“Good question. One that I didn’t ask, and all he told me was that she’d had a tough time.”
“Hmph.”
“Finn has his work cut out for him if he really has feelings for her. She has a mighty impressive wall built around her that doesn’t seem to be getting any smaller.”
Something flared in his eyes. She pounced when he tried to shield his expression.
“Oh, no, you don’t. Nuh-uh. Out with it, Major.”
His face reddened, and he actually squirmed. “Pleading the bro code.”
“Absolutely not, Alex. This is my brother. Fuck your stupid bro code. What aren’t you saying?”
He gave in by throwing his hands up and laughing. “I will be banned for life if you blow our marital privilege clause.”
“Understood.” She was curious for real now because whatever Alex knew was more funny than serious.
“Ya know how you girls share makeup tips and product recommendations?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, at Calder’s stag night, your brother made a, um, product recommendation.”
He said the words with such snarky precision that Meghan smirked.
“Apparently,” he drawled, “something called Stroke 29 gets five stars.”
Wait a minute. She’d heard that before. Parker said those words when the boys dropped off her drunken husband after the bachelor party.
“I’d never heard of it, but the elders got right on it and Googled that shit.”
“And?”
He picked up her hand and kissed it. The red hue on his cheeks deepened. Alex being embarrassed by anything was new territory, so she was intrigued.
“There’s only one way to say this.” He sniggered. “It’s a premium masturbation cream.”
Her jaw dropped open. Was he serious? His innocent expression suggested he was just as startled by this information as she was.
Bumping her brows together, she lowered her voice. “Is that a thing?”
“What? Whack-off lotion?” He smirked. “I think you have your answer.”
It was her turn to blush beet red. Images of her manly beast stroking his …
Alex snapped his fingers an inch from her nose. “Babe. Come back.”
She giggled softly and pushed some hair away from her face. “Busted?”
“Pretty much.”
“So what you’re saying is my brother is product testing jerk-off aids while pretending to have a relationship with a woman who has a murky past?”
“I think that sums it up. Yep.”
“And our housekeeper,” she murmured.
He sneered. “Fucking Viagra.”
She kissed him and fed her laughter into his mouth.
“That’s exactly right, my Beast. Fucking Viagra—and I say more little blue pills for the AARP crowd. Whooppee!”
She grinned, and he smirked. They would have continued kissing except for a loud commotion that kept getting closer.
The door to the nursery flew open and in walked her father-in-law along with a grumpy Parker. Matt Sullivan drew up the rear as he stepped into the room and pointed at the pile of bassinet pieces.
“Told you, I did!” He laughed. “Not a single piece put together.”
Cristián started immediately apologizing for bursting in and interrupting them. Parker begged him to stop.
“Uncle Cris, sheesh. Give it a rest.”
Meghan knew that was her cue to leave. Sliding off Alex’s lap, she stood and kissed Cristián. Pointing at Parker, she asked, “Want me to take him with me?”
Alex glowered and flipped his friend off. “Yeah, get him out of here, the traitor. Asked for his help and what does he do? The dads!”
It was all good-natured ribbing and completely normal. She rubbed her belly and smiled. Cris and Matt were already assembling the baby equipment—which started Alex sputtering.
“Come on, Counselor,” she cooed with a half-smile. “You can help me choose gifts for the baby shower.”
She wrapped her arm through his and pulled the big man from the room. Meghan knew he’d been spending time with Sophie and wanted to pick his brain. Twinkling her fingers at Alex, she watched as he blew her a kiss and then went back to grousing at Cris and Matt.
Tori wasn’t sure what was worse—her husband’s tedious affinity for danger or that her son was walking the same path. She felt the color drain from her face when a yee-hawwing Draegyn St. John flew overhead on a zip line, and she got a fleeting glimpse of her thirteen-month-old son strapped to his chest. His little arms were flailing, and his delighted giggles harmonized with Draegyn’s shouts.
“Fuck my life,” she muttered through gritted teeth.
Beside her, Desirée St. John Morrison had a good snorting laugh. “I know, right? Jeez Louise, Tori, I put up with three daredevils.”
Overhead, Wade Morrison zoomed by. The kid was only nine, but he had the brass balls of an adult. Tori thought he was great, and Draegyn? Oh my. Wade was the first chance he had to experience family beyond just his sister. He thought the boy was the golden child. Not that seven-year-old Shiloh wasn’t just as amazing.
They took their insulated mugs and went back to the mega-sized UTVs they drove to the zip line station. Tori clocked in one marvel moment after another from the time they got off the plane in Seattle to this moment. Tyler and Desi’s unusual life tucked away in the Northern Cascades in some of the most beautiful natural scenery and environments on Earth wasn’t all that different from what the Arizona St. Johns had going on. The only real difference was in Arizona, it was hot as balls most of the year and the vista way different, while here, the lush green forests and breathtaking coastline followed the changing seasons. In other words, she was dressed in five layers and had a new appreciation for sitting around the fire pit.
“I have news,” Desi said through a wide smile after they’d climbed into the UTV and gotten comfy.
“Well, if your smile is any indication, I’m guessing it’s good news?”
“Oh, Tori,” her sister-in-law said with a laugh. “I’m so glad Raygun found you.”
She playfully shoved Desi with her shoulder. “I love the expression on his face every time Shiloh calls him Uncle Raygun.”
Desi grinned.
“Nice work,” Tori added.
“Hey, I do what I can. That arrogant snot needs constant reminding that he wasn’t born on Mount Olympus.”
She patted Desi’s leg. “Okay. Out with it. You have news?”
“I wanted to tell you first and kind of feel you out about Drae.”
“Jesus, sweetie. That sounds a bit ominous.”
Desi grinned some more. “Not ominous. Just out of left field. Tyler and I are adopting.”
She hesitated and leaned into Desi’s word bubble waiting for more. “Adopting what?”
“A baby, of course!” Joy tinkled in her laugh and filled her expression.
“Oh, my god! You’re serious? A baby?” Tori barely had time to get her cup in the holder before she grabbed Desi for a monster hug.
“That’s fantastic,” she assured her, “and Draegyn will be thrilled. He loves the whole idea of family. Haven’t you noticed?”
“This is why I’m so glad you’re here, Tori. Our parents fucked Drae up so badly that I really did think he’d end up some sad old pervert with a revolving door of bed Barbies.”
“Bed Barbies. That’s a new one.” Tori scoffed with a snarl.
“He loves Daniel. It’s so sweet to see in person.”
“So why adopt now?” she asked.
“Well, it’s simple. I had so many problems with Shiloh that some shit and some stuff happened. I haven’t been able to conceive since then. We wanted another child, and this seemed like the best time. So last year we started the paperwork and did the home visits and all that jumping through hoops stuff. At Christmas,
we got word that our application had been viewed positively, and right before you got here, Tyler and I went to Seattle and met with the birth mother. She’s awfully brave and really young. Only eighteen. She plans to study Marine Biology, and I think she chose us because of our outdoor lifestyle.”
“Wow. So when is this going to happen?”
“Late March or early April.”
“Whoa, that’s soon. Do you know if it’s a boy or girl?”
“She doesn’t want to know in advance, and we respect her wishes.”
“Well, that settles it then,” she chirped. “You guys are coming to Arizona in July. We’ll celebrate Baby Morrison and wait on Baby St. John.”
“How’re you feeling this time?” Desi asked.
“Like night and day. I’ve got tons of energy, and even though it’s early, I’ve had no nausea. Knock on wood it continues like that.”
“Oh, I almost forgot! And you have a baby brother or sister on the way too. What fun.”
Tori nodded enthusiastically. “This is shaping up to be the best friggin’ year ever! Weddings and babies.”
“No drama in sight.”
She sighed and looked around at the enormous trees surrounding them. Everything was achingly perfect. Finally. Her mom and Calder were married, a bunch of kids were on the way, and she and Draegyn were beyond happy.
From where she was sitting, everything sure did seem like it was coming up roses all around.
15
Angie had to chuckle at her mother’s antics when she walked by.
“I don’t know what that means,” Ashleigh griped. She tossed her mane of blond hair over her shoulder, crossed her arms, and applied a super-pout that made her husband slap his knee, point, and chuckle.
“Aw, come on, Mom.” Angie stepped over Sophie’s outstretched legs on her way back to her spot on the big sectional couch. “Dad will totally throw the game if you keep making that face.”
Alex snickered and Meghan reached across the space between them and smacked him on the leg.
Her mother made a disgruntled sniff that made Sophie snort with laughter.
Uncle Matt sighed dramatically and said, “Okay, I’ll try something else.”
Everlasting (Family Justice Book 6) Page 20