Tori guided her to the kitchen table and started issuing orders. Carmen scurried about while Meghan sat numb. She stroked her belly and struggled to control the surge of emotion threatening to take her under.
Somehow, she managed to choke down half a sandwich— although she couldn’t tell you what she ate—while her two guardians hovered. It could have been shoe leather tartar with anchovy paste for all she knew.
Take care of Alex’s baby humans. The words looped round and round in her head. She had his children inside her. Nothing else mattered but him and taking care of the kids. They were everything.
She overheard Tori speaking on the phone to Heather. Lacey and Lily were resting, and the boys were fine. Bella had them under control.
I should speak to Heather, she thought. Say something to Lacey. Maybe have some words of encouragement. But she just couldn’t.
It was difficult to gauge how much time went by. She moved from the kitchen to the sofa in the great room. Then she went into her office for a while where she sent an email to Sophie and asked her to please step in at the Double M and handle Meghan’s responsibilities.
She went to the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
In the kitchen, Carmen was absently wiping the clean counters over and over. A pot of vegetable soup that Finn had made—her ma’s recipe—sat on the stove. Tori curled up on the sofa and read a magazine—or pretended to. She wasn’t sure which.
When her mother-in-law came through the front door and swiftly made her way to Meghan, she threw herself into Ashleigh’s arms and completely melted down.
“There, there, darlin’. Come on, sweetie, take some deep breaths.”
Ash’s soothing words and the way she stroked Meghan’s hair helped her find some control.
Tori handed her a box of tissues, and Carmen set a small glass of chilled juice on the table as she and Ashleigh sat.
“Thank you for coming, Ashleigh,” Tori quietly murmured.
“Where else would I be?” she asked. “My daughter needs me.”
Meghan swallowed a sob. The woman she’d been terrified to meet and worried she would disappoint had become as close to her as her own mother.
“Oh, Mom,” she cried. “I’ve never seen Alex like this.”
“I know, sweetie. I know. It’s scary. He doesn’t play soldier, Meghan. It’s not an act. These things are in his blood. Cris and I had to accept this about our son a long time ago. He took that oath with the full knowledge and understanding that it was a lifelong commitment. People died, and he was changed by the experience.”
“I know,” she muttered.
“Look at me, Meghan,” she said. “You too, Victoria. This is also for you. Don’t lose sight of one thing—we’re safer as a country because of countless men and women like Alexander and Draegyn. To them, war, terrorism, and national security are not nebulous concepts discussed on the news. They’ve seen blood shed to keep us safe. Some of the blood their own,” she solemnly reminded them. “Picking and choosing which battles they feel like fighting isn’t how this works.”
“Shit,” Meghan groaned.
“Here’s what I want you both to do.”
She and Tori perked up. It was like waiting for the oracle to speak.
“Victoria St. John. I’ve known that rascal you’re married to for a very long time. He’s a scoundrel, for sure. But he’s also a man. A man, who for the first time in his warrior life, has a family to protect and fight for. Do not underestimate what that means.”
Tori nodded with a grave, serious expression on her face.
“Meghan Marquez.”
She looked at her husband’s mother and swallowed hard.
“Aren’t you the woman who defied convention and insisted her true marriage vows be a sacred, personal moment?”
Oh, my. Direct hit.
“Think about it. Think about all those feelings and then remember everything Alexander did. Can you do any less for him?”
A big fat tear rolled down her cheek. Everything he did, he did for her. She put her hands on her children. Jeopardy loomed. He had to do what he had to do.
“Thank you.”
Ashleigh kissed her forehead and then took Victoria’s hand. “Now go freshen up. Ladies, remember who you are. This is about your men—men who know what they risk to protect the ones they love. Take care of them and remain strong. You are Justice wives, and I hope by now you understand the significance of that reality.”
22
She held Alex’s hand and stayed close to him as they waited by the door at the private plane terminal. Sawyer had flown to Los Angeles to get Parker and Angie when they returned to the US from Tahiti. The plane had just landed and was taxiing toward them.
The tension in the air was thick and uncomfortable.
She thought back to last night and stifled a groan. It was after midnight when Alex finally came home. Half asleep, she felt him slide into bed and pull her close. Ashleigh’s admonishment to remember who she was kept Meghan from pressing any demands. It was enough that he was with her.
They slept—or at least she did. When dawn had passed, she came slowly awake to find he was blissfully already inside her. Holding her from behind, they lay on their sides as he made slow, sensual love to her. When they finished, he kissed her tenderly and told her to go back to sleep. So she did.
But that was hours ago and now here they were. She nervously fussed with her hair and ran a hand down the side of her dress.
The plane stopped at its designated spot, and a few minutes later, the steps came down. It was weird how few words passed between them as they waited. She could feel her husband’s tension and briefly hugged his arm. They were communicating on a deeper level. She felt him ease up and laid her cheek against his arm in response.
Sawyer came down first. He stood on the tarmac and fixed his spiffy captain’s jacket before donning the cap to his uniform. She’d never noticed before how military he looked.
Angie descended next. Sawyer held out his hand to help her with the last steps. She looked radiant, and her tan had a warm glow. Meghan smirked when she saw the very proper traveling outfit the wife of Parker Sullivan, Esq. had donned.
Nobody rocked a classic A-line sheath like Angie. Her look came across as part Coco Chanel mixed with Jackie Kennedy with an undercurrent of porn star. It didn’t matter that she was modestly covered. Not when she wiggled while she walked in a pair of fuck-me-immediately shoes.
What made it even funnier for Meghan was realizing her friend-slash-sister-in-law was coming off ten days spent frolicking naked on a private island.
Parker bounded down the stairs, and for a second, she was struck by how big he was. Alex and his best bud shared a similar physique. Large, solid, and powerful. Awful thoughts lit up her mind when she thought about Parker embroiled in Justice missions. Of all the surprises of the last day, that one was huge.
The three talked at the foot of the stairs for a moment. Alex’s grip firmed, and he squished her fingers. She touched his arm, and he gave a short apologetic grunt as he loosened his hold.
Angie, Parker, and Sawyer walked as a unit and headed to the terminal. Angie burst through the door and ran to her brother. Meghan quickly dropped his hand so he could catch his sister without being knocked over.
“I hate you for not telling me that Parker was involved,” she wailed.
“It was his story to tell.” He hugged her for a moment then put his hands on her shoulders and held her at arm’s length for a brotherly inspection.
“Are you happy?” he asked. “Did that bastard treat you okay?”
Parker sniggered and gave every impression of grabbing his crotch.
“Oh, fuck him,” Angie teased with her usual endearing brand of troublemaking. She waved her hand dismissively in Parker’s face while he tried to take a bite out of her fluttering fingers. “He’s a big boy. A big, lying boy,” she enunciated snarkily. “And since he is so damn good at keeping secrets, he can figure
the rest of it out all by his lonesome.”
Meghan saw the cheeky wink she gave her new husband and inwardly smiled. Part of her was relieved to hear that Angie was as surprised as she was to learn of Parker’s involvement with Team Justice. There was comfort in knowing she wasn’t the only one who had no damn idea.
“Sorry about taking a shit on your homecoming,” Alex moodily exclaimed. He sounded genuinely put out for what she knew he saw as a true faux pas. One simply did not act with such boorishness. The man had manners for miles.
Angie swept her hand back and forth and used two fingers to indicate eyes to eyes. “You and I will catch up later. To borrow a line from Ricky Ricardo, you’ve got some ‘splaining to do, big brother.”
Alex’s sheepish nod was all kinds of cute.
Twinkling her fingers dismissively at the men, she took Meghan’s arm and announced they were going to the car. Parker’s laughter as they left the terminal followed them all the way to Ben and the waiting limo.
“Oh, lord. We’re riding in style, I see.” Angie chuckled.
Ben hopped out as they approached and opened the back door. “Howdy, Mrs. Sullivan,” he playfully hooted. “You brought back souvenirs, I hope,” he teased. “Need a new shot glass for my global collection.”
Angie giggled. “I completely lost my mind in Papeete. Parker had come prepared with a Frommer’s guide to shopping. He had no idea what he was unleashing. It was pretty funny. I bought everything I saw from tacky tourist souvenirs to black pearls.”
Meghan chuckled heartily when her sister-in-law added, “I was born to spend his money.”
They got in the car although she made an awkward mess of it by flopping over like a pregnant ragdoll. The location of her center of gravity was a daily surprise.
Ben made sure she was settled and then smiled warmly. “Now remember, Mrs. M, snacks and beverages are in the cooler.”
With a hand splayed on her big belly, she gave him a crooked grin. “You think of everything. Now figure out how to hook up a private loo to this traveling sideshow and we’re good.”
“Understood, ma’am.” He snickered. With a jaunty salute, he pointed at the terminal. “I’ll just go hurry the gents along. It’s a long drive to the Villa.”
The door closed, and she looked at Angie with an amused chuckle. “Men and bathrooms. They lose their shit the minute a woman starts moaning about potty breaks.”
Angie broke out her snarky angel laugh and high fived Meghan.
“May I?” Angie asked as she gestured to Meghan’s stomach.
“Of course,” she quickly assured her. “Your brother treats my belly like a doctoral project. He lifts my shirt constantly to ask the kids questions or get an opinion on something. Have at it, sweetie. You’re their crazy aunty. Never too early to get acquainted.”
Angie grinned and carefully stroked Meghan’s belly. Someone gave a hefty kick, and she gasped with delight. “Is it okay to say how surprised I am that you got so big in just ten days?”
She grimaced, and Angie jumped. “What? What did I say?”
“I guess I’m grateful my enormous baby spa caught your eye and not what your father calls my gaunt look.”
“I lead with diplomacy, Red, but we were headed toward a stern reaction to how you look. Still no appetite?”
“None and it’s worse now with all this happening. But I’m on it. I understand what’s at stake.” She shrugged. “But it’s hard.”
Angie grasped her hands. “I was so shocked when Parker told me that I really did want to rip the man a new one for keeping an entire and very significant part of his past a secret. All his excuses make sense, of course. He’s a lawyer, after all. I didn’t learn anything until yesterday after we were in LA, so I haven’t had a lot of time to process much. But the flight home gave me thinking room.”
“I really am sorry this is messing with your return.”
“Oh, no bother.” Angie snorted. “That’s what I realized when I could think it through. We can do this, Meghan. You, me, Lacey, Tori. We’ve got this.”
“Your certainty fills me with hope.”
“Look,” she said. “We all joke around about being the female version of the Justice Brothers, but here’s the thing. It’s not a joke. Just like with the guys, we all bring something different to the mix. Maybe individually, we need a little support or a hand from time to time, but as a group? Hell, Meghan. When the energy of the Justice Ladies connects? Pfft. Seriously, we’ve got this.”
She rubbed her stomach. It would be great to feel Angie’s certainty.
Her sister-in-law became serious. “We’re in this together, and we’re all here for you. Family Justice has three births coming up. Not telling me about Lacey at the reception was a nice touch, by the way.”
Meghan shrugged.
“Anyway,” Angie continued without pause, “there’s Sophie, then Stephanie and you, with Tori further down the line. We can’t stop what’s happening with our men, but we can band together and help each other. There are babies to bring into the world and plenty of reasons to celebrate. Let’s just focus on that, hmm?”
She was talked out and sat back heavily. Angie seemed to understand and patted her knee. A couple of minutes later, Alex and Parker got in and they began the drive home. The newlyweds told amusing honeymoon stories and worked at keeping the banter light. Alex participated, but she kept it to a minimum.
When they arrived at the Villa they found a note saying the rest of the women were gathering at Lacey’s. After little more than a raised brow and a nod from Parker, Alex and her husband disappeared into the nerd cave, so there was nothing for her to do except follow take Meghan down the road to the Cameron’s.
When they got there, Angie didn’t like the somber atmosphere. It lightened somewhat when she got her first look at Lily Rose. It was like holding a fragile baby angel in her arms. The little girl was absolutely beautiful, and her heart ached to cradle a child of hers and Parker’s.
She’d been without birth control for a little while now and secretly prayed every night that the sexual Olympics during their very raunchy honeymoon would bear fruit. Or fuck fruit as her wicked man liked to tease.
After a long, wonderful visit with her new Justice niece, she kicked the honeymoon curiosity can down the road for a better time. They weren’t all in one place for no reason.
She turned out to be right when Stephanie took the floor. “No need to go over why we’re all here. There will be time later to chat. For now, we have a situation to manage.”
Angie noted there wasn’t so much as a hint of twang as Stephanie spoke.
Carmen raised her hand to speak. “Can we just vote you in charge, Stephanie? We should have a leader—someone close to the matter.”
The whole room nodded.
“Okay then,” Stephanie replied. “If we’re all in agreement, I’ll be the contact person. That means you keep me in your loop. All of you. No exceptions,” she said with a finger wagged at Betty.
“I suggest you take out your phones and do whatever you do with important information.”
Oh my god, Angie thought. This is way more serious than she imagined.
“Here’s what I know. Heather will fill in when I’m finished.”
All eyes turned toward Heather. She waved and then put her head down.
“There are others coming,” Stephanie announced. “Tomorrow, Roman Bishop arrives.”
“Oh, I know who that is,” Lacey called out. “Cameron knows him. Really well.”
“These people are what Calder termed Team Justice. Or Original Justice. They’re involved too. It’s not just our guys.”
“I readied the casita,” Carmen told them.
Stephanie nodded. “Good. We’ll need it tomorrow night. Roman is traveling with his fiancée and four-year-old son. He’ll use the casita while he’s here, and his son will stay with Heather and Brody.”
“Got it,” Carmen muttered.
“Also arriving tonight or tomorrow
is a woman named Domineau Rivera.”
Angie’s mouth dropped open. A woman? Nobody said shit about Justice females.
“I’m assuming,” Stephanie continued, “that she’s staying down in the compound. Then on Saturday, Rafe D’Alessandro will turn up. Calder wasn’t sure what his arrangement was. The only word I got about this guy was complicated.”
“I can offer background on Bishop,” Betty announced. “He was around in the beginning—for a little while. Those weren’t good days for the Major. The two butted heads and parted ways. He’s on payroll from time to time but strictly as an independent.”
Angie noted Meghan’s clear interest in this tidbit of Justice information.
“Ladies,” Stephanie said, drawing them back to the topic. “And then the shit gets real on Sunday. Expect helicopters and caravans of black SUVs. Everyone who’s anyone in counterintelligence and national security is coming to brief the team. They leave Monday at first light.”
Absolute silence descended on the room.
Heather stood and took it from there. “So here’s the deal, girls. Obviously, there’s a crisis and we’ve got our part to play. Roman’s fiancée is named Kelly. She and their son can’t be left alone in New York City, so it’s up to us to take them in. From what Betty just said, I’m even more convinced this is the thing to do because it sounds to me like Kelly has some sort of standing in Justice. Even if it’s just part-time.”
“Tell them about the boy,” Stephanie urged.
“Oh, right.” Heather chuckled. “Matty James will be joining the crew. Four years old, wildly curious, and insanely smart, but he’s rather new to social situations having spent his life so far living on a mountain in rural Oklahoma.”
Tori laughed. “Sounds like a boy who needs the cowboy experience!”
“Yee-haw,” Lacey added.
“Bella is getting the red carpet ready to roll out. In short, ladies, we now have an entire squad of kiddos to wrangle. I’ve got Cheryl and her daughter, Bug, on lockdown for ‘round-the-clock babysitting if we need that. And two of the gals working the Double M are interested in freelance babysitting.”
Everlasting (Family Justice Book 6) Page 34