“I’m already there,” Finn said. “I just need Emma to set a date so I can finally refer to her as ‘my wife.’ For some reason I really want to say it.”
James shot his brother a knowing grin. “I know what you mean. There’s no better feeling in the world than knowing when you say those words you can only be referring to one person … unless you’re Mormon, I mean.”
“I can’t wait until it happens to me,” Finn said. “We just need to get through this first. I’m worried it’s going to be a tough adjustment.”
“You and Emma have already been through the worst this world has to offer,” James said. “Whatever comes next will be a cake walk.”
Finn could only hope his brother was right.
2
Two
“I’m so nervous I can’t stand it.”
Emma paced the small lobby at the front of the prison, earning a sympathetic look from the corrections officer behind the bubble as Finn tried to calm her. They’d arrived with ten minutes to spare and finished filling out the paperwork in less than five minutes. Now Emma was beside herself as they waited.
“Sweetie, why don’t you sit down and relax for a few minutes?” Finn suggested, patting the open chair next to him. “They have to process him and I’m sure they’re giving him instructions for his parole.”
“They should’ve already done that,” Emma huffed, jerking on the top Mandy loaned her and frowning. “I hate this shirt. I didn’t want to hurt Mandy’s feelings but … it looks stupid.”
It looked like a simple white top to Finn, but he decided to refrain from arguing. “I think you’re beautiful in whatever you wear. In fact, I think you’re the most beautiful woman in the world. You could be wearing a potato sack and I would still think you were the prettiest woman on the planet.”
“Nice one, man,” the officer behind the glass enthused, flashing Finn a thumbs-up.
Emma made a face as her gaze bounced between the two men. “I’m not an idiot,” she said. “I know you think I’m being ridiculous but … I’m really excited.”
Finn flashed a smile as he reached out with his hand, drawing Emma close as he rested his other hand on her slim hip. She was still uncomfortable with her body after giving birth, her hips wider than she remembered. Her boobs were a lot bigger, too, but Finn had no intention of complaining about that. He loved her body regardless. Before she got pregnant she barely ate anything, intent on keeping her figure slim for modeling. He often worried about her eating habits. He would gladly take an extra ten pounds – ten pounds that looked amazing on her – if it meant she would do more than pick at a salad most nights.
“Sweetie, it’s okay to be excited,” Finn said. “You haven’t seen your brother outside of this place in years. I get that you’re happy and thrilled, and I’m excited for you. You need to take a breath, though. Pacing … and worrying … and being a general pain is not going to make him come out quicker.”
“Yeah, that wasn’t as smooth,” the officer said.
Emma’s tight frown informed Finn of that fact before the officer made his opinion known.
“Fine,” Finn said, blowing out a sigh and holding up his hands. “Pace away. Just know that a watched door never opens, though. That’s a fact … that I just made up.”
Emma was agitated, but she couldn’t help but smile at the man who stole her heart and made her world complete. “I love you, Finn. Thank you for everything you’re doing for Jeff … and for me.”
Finn’s smile slipped at the serious words. “Emma, I love you. You don’t have to thank me for doing the right thing by you. I always want to do the right thing by you.”
Emma’s eyes briefly clouded over as she waved her hand in front of her face in an effort to stave off tears. “I don’t want the first thing Jeff sees as a free man to be my tears,” she said. “I want him to see me smile. Tell me something funny to distract me.”
“Funny?” Finn hated being put on the spot. “Um … funny.”
“I don’t think that’s what she had in mind, dude.” The officer behind the glass was getting a kick out of Finn’s dilemma. Finn figured there wasn’t a lot of entertainment happening in a prison lobby on a day-to-day basis.
“Oh, well, do you want to know what James told me about Mandy while you and she were upstairs doing the chick thing?”
Emma arched an eyebrow. “The chick thing?”
“Hey, picking out blouses is a chick thing,” Finn said. “It’s not my fault you can’t see that.”
“Fine,” Emma said, her hands landing on her hips. “What did your brother say about the woman who delivered our son and then risked her life to protect us while Mandy and I were doing the chick thing?”
Emma’s tone told Finn things were quickly spiraling out of control and he wasn’t sure how to fix the problem. “Um … I’m guessing you don’t want to hear about the drool, huh?”
“Your brother should worship Mandy every chance he gets,” Emma muttered, her hackles rising as she returned to her pacing. “That man is lucky to have her.”
“I’m pretty sure they’re lucky to have each other,” Finn said, pressing his lips together as he exchanged a furtive look with the amused corrections officer. “You know Mandy isn’t perfect, right?” Finn visibly shrank at the fury on Emma’s face. Since she wasn’t in danger of crying any longer, he was happy to put up with the anger.
“Mandy saved my life.”
“And I love Mandy dearly, but she’s not perfect,” Finn said. “She’s pouty, spoiled, and she has weird taste in movies. They’re probably showing our son Jaws even as we speak. He’s going to be terrified of the ocean thanks to her.”
Emma stilled. Mandy’s love of sharks – and the bloody movies that accompanied her obsession – was renowned. “You don’t really think they’d show him Jaws, do you? What am I thinking? It doesn’t matter if they show him Jaws. He can’t figure out what his own nose is yet.”
Finn snickered. He loved it when she got feisty. “They’re probably not showing him Jaws,” he conceded. “I believe Mandy said he had to work his way up to the hard stuff. They’re probably showing him Sharknado.”
“Oh, well, that’s fine,” Emma said, taking Finn by surprise when she waved off the comment. “Avery can’t recognize his own nose, but he’s smart enough to realize sharks don’t fly.”
“Uh-huh.” Finn didn’t know what else to say, and thankfully he didn’t have to dwell on it because that was the moment the door behind Emma opened, causing both of them to shift their heads in that direction.
Finn had seen photographs of Jeff Pritchard, although every time he offered to go with Emma to visit her brother she turned him down. Finn wasn’t sure why, but he honored her request even though he wasn’t keen on her visiting a prison without him. This was the first time he would meet his future brother-in-law, and he was amazed to see how much he looked like Emma in person.
They both had auburn hair and dark eyes. Jeff was thinner now than in Emma’s photos, but Finn had a feeling prison food would do that to almost anyone. The second he saw Emma his eyes lit up and the smile he graced his sister with was a mirror of the one Finn saw every night when he crawled into bed with his fiancée.
“Jeff.” Emma threw her arms around her brother’s neck, tugging him close as she hugged him hard enough to squeeze the life out of him. “I can’t believe we’re finally together again.”
Jeff laughed lightly, returning the embrace as tears threatened to spill over. When he realized they weren’t alone he fixed Finn with a wan smile. “You must be Finn. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
He was nervous. Finn didn’t blame him. Meeting the man who lived with your sister – and knocked her up – had to be a daunting task.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, too,” Finn said, extending his hand. “Welcome to a new life, man.”
Jeff shook Finn’s hand, his lower lip trembling as he sucked in a shaky breath. “Thank you.”
“SO, TELL me everything,” E
mma said, leaning forward in the back seat of Finn’s SUV as he pulled out of the prison’s parking lot. “What did they tell you to do first?”
“Give him a second to collect himself, sweetie.” Finn flashed a warm smile at Jeff. “She’s very excited, if you couldn’t tell. She’s been driving me crazy all week … ever since we got the phone call that you were being released.”
“It took them long enough,” Emma grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. She insisted on sitting in the back so Jeff could stretch his longer legs out in the passenger seat. Because she was too excited to go without talking to her brother, though, she insisted on sitting in the middle spot so every time Finn glanced in the rearview mirror all he saw was her flushed face.
“I’m just relieved to be out,” Jeff said, clutching the small grocery bag that included all of his belongings as he gazed out the window. “I forgot how pretty the trees are.”
Finn’s heart rolled at the simple declaration. He couldn’t imagine being locked up and kept away from the most important people in his life. “Well, I know it might sound overwhelming, but my brother is having a barbecue and we thought we would take you there for dinner tonight.”
“If you don’t think you can handle that, we can eat alone,” Emma added, her eyes keen as they latched onto her brother’s profile. “I understand if you don’t want to be around too many people. In fact … if you’re uncomfortable … we can eat alone just the two of us. In fact … that’s what we should do.” Emma tapped her chin as she mulled the situation over in her busy brain.
“Or you could let him decide for himself,” Finn suggested warily, worried she would blow up if he pushed her too hard. He’d never seen her this worked up. “I thought he might want to meet my brothers and Jake in a social setting since he’ll be working with everyone. It might take the pressure off.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Jeff said, glancing over his shoulder and flashing a smile at Emma. “I really am okay. You don’t have to do your mother hen routine.”
Emma scowled. “That’s the second time today someone has called me a hen.”
“Well, you should be used to it then,” Finn teased. “James always calls you guys hens.”
“And that’s the brother who owns Hardy Brothers Security, right?” Jeff was still trying to get the family tree aligned in his head. “He’s the oldest.”
“He is,” Finn confirmed. “Then my brother Grady is next in line and then me. My sister Ally is the baby. She lives with our other co-worker, Jake Harrison. She calls him things like ‘cuddle bear’ and ‘snuggle bottom’ because she knows it drives James insane.”
Jeff snickered, enjoying Finn’s easygoing nature. “That sounds about right,” he said. “I remember being annoyed whenever anyone would come sniffing around Emma. I knew what they were thinking because I thought the same things when I was a teenager – just not about my sister, of course. I didn’t trust anyone.”
“It’s difficult for James because Ally did most of her woman growing stuff while he was in the military, so he missed it,” Finn supplied.
Emma wrinkled her nose. “Her woman growing stuff?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Men,” Emma muttered, shaking her head. “Ally is a ball of energy. You’ll like her … after you get used to her. She can be a little overwhelming at first. She doesn’t mean anything by it. She just likes being the center of attention.”
“I’m surprised your brother lets his employee date his sister,” Jeff said. “I would think that would be a big no-no in a security setting … where people have guns and stuff.”
“James was not happy when it first happened,” Finn explained. “In fact he kind of walked in during the first time it happened … and that made matters worse.”
“Oh, I can see that,” Jeff said, smiling despite himself.
“James couldn’t put up much of a fight since Jake is the same age he is and my brother is married to Ally’s best friend,” Finn said. “He and Mandy weren’t married at the time, mind you, but they were living together.”
“And Mandy and Ally were best friends in high school, right?” Jeff asked. “I think that’s what Emma told me.”
“They were incredibly tight,” Finn answered. “They got into a ton of trouble together. Mandy had a huge crush on James when she was in middle school and he was about to graduate but she was obviously too young. They met up again as adults, though, and they’ve been inseparable ever since.”
“Love at first sight?”
“Kind of,” Finn said, smiling at the memory. “It was more like lust at first sight. They couldn’t stay away from each other. The love didn’t take long to follow, though.”
“And they’ll all be at this barbecue?” Jeff asked, the first sign of nervousness showing. “Are you sure they’re okay with me being there?”
“They’re all excited to meet you,” Finn said. “Trust me. You won’t feel out of place. Everyone will be very welcoming.”
“And you’ll get to meet Avery,” Emma said, smiling at the mention of her son. “He’s dying to meet his other uncle.”
“I can’t believe I’m an uncle,” Jeff said, rubbing his chin. “I think a barbecue is a great idea. I’m looking forward to meeting your family.”
The smile Finn graced Jeff with was gentle and earnest. “They’re your family now,” he said. “Once you meet them it will become apparent pretty quickly that we’re a tribe. You’re one of us now, so you might as well get used to it.”
Emma giggled as Jeff grinned.
“I’m so happy,” Emma said, sighing as she reached forward and gripped her brother’s hand. “I finally got everything I ever wanted.”
Finn’s heart warmed at the simple endearment. She was unbelievably cute, and he was determined to make sure she stayed that way.
3
Three
“What are you cooking?”
Ally appeared in Mandy and James’ kitchen shortly before Finn and Emma were due to return with Jeff, causing Mandy to jolt as she shoved metal skewers in steak and chicken chunks.
“What the … ?”
“Do you knock?” James asked, irritated as he playfully pinched Ally’s arm and earned a murderous look for his effort. “This is my house. You don’t live here. You’re supposed to knock.”
“This is my best friend’s house and she said I don’t have to knock,” Ally huffed.
James glanced at Mandy. “Is that true?”
“I can’t hear you through all of the drool,” Mandy replied, returning to her skewers and causing James to make a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.
James shifted his gaze to Jake, who trailed his girlfriend with an affectionate smile on his face. “Did my wife tell you not to knock, too? That doesn’t seem safe given all of the crap that’s happened to her, does it?”
Jake shrugged as he hopped up on a counter stool and reached for one of the beers James had in an ice bucket on the counter. “I told Ally to knock, but she said it was unnecessary,” he explained. “I figured it’s your problem, not mine. I don’t care if she knocks when she walks into my house.”
“That’s because you live together,” James pointed out.
“That might have a little something to do with it,” Jake conceded. “However, even if we didn’t live together – and that would truly be a cold, dark world – I wouldn’t have a problem if she didn’t knock. She’s just that amazing.”
“Oh, I love you so much,” Ally cooed, kissing Jake’s cheek and causing James to scowl.
“You’re the world’s biggest suck-up. You know that, right?”
Jake didn’t appear bothered by the assertion. “I only suck up to the best.”
“Oh, he’s my favorite cuddle bear,” Ally said, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a fierce hug.
“I’m going to throw up,” James muttered, wrinkling his nose. “You’re totally ruining my appetite.”
“And Mandy hasn’t even cooked
yet,” Ally teased, referring to her best friend’s penchant for being a menace in the kitchen. “Then you’ll really be sick.”
“Hey! I’m standing right here,” Mandy said, waving an empty skewer in her best friend’s face.
James snagged the sharp metal stick and carefully placed it back on the counter. “Don’t point things with sharp edges when you’re upset, baby,” James chided. “You could poke someone’s eye out.”
“I’m going to poke you someplace else,” Mandy said, her voice barely audible.
“What’s with you two?” Ally asked, her gaze bouncing between her brother and best friend. “You two have been all lovey-dovey for two weeks. You haven’t fought in that entire time. Now you’re fighting. What gives?”
“We’re not fighting,” James lied. “We had a … misunderstanding.”
“Is this like when you slept with her that first time and then accidentally snuck out of her apartment while she was sleeping?” Ally asked, ducking under Jake’s arm for protection when James took a swipe at her.
“Thank you so much for bringing that up,” James snapped. “I haven’t heard about that in three months … and it was glorious.”
“It’s not like that,” Mandy said. “You really should stop bringing that up. It’s not fair and James has more than paid for what he did.”
“It wasn’t fair to do it to you in the first place,” Ally challenged.
“James knows that,” Mandy said. “He’s sorry and he deserves to move on. He doesn’t bring up the time I freaked out and ran away because I thought he didn’t love me.”
“Yes, but you were on pain medication when that happened and hadn’t been sleeping,” Ally said. “You were certifiably nuts. He knew what he was doing when he let you wake up alone, with nothing but your tears to console you.”
“Okay, I’m going to kill you,” James said, reaching for Ally’s arm as she squealed.
“Jake, make him leave me alone,” Ally ordered.
“I told you a long time ago that I’m not getting involved in your petty squabbles with your brothers,” Jake said. “I meant it. Besides, I happen to be on James’ side this time. You need to stop bringing that up. It’s annoying.”
Deadly Reunion (Hardy Brothers Security Book 20) Page 2