She got out of bed, opened her laptop and researched the memory she’d literally dreamed about. After only a few quick searches, she found what she was looking for and went to wake Reece.
“What’s wrong? Another bad dream?”
“Get up. I need you to call your boss. I remembered.”
“Remembered what?” He rubbed his eyes with the backs of his fists like a little kid.
“Call your boss. I have new information.”
“You want me to call Miles?” he asked, but reached for his phone, cueing up his contact list and selecting one. He flattened back on the bed, looking like he was at least trying to be more alert.
Jessica heard Miles answer with a stern, “What the fuck do you want at this hour?”
“Jessica remembered something she wants to tell you. Be nice.” He handed her the phone.
“Miles.”
“Jessica. What’s up?” he asked, sounding as sleepy as Reece looked.
“I remembered where I know Dixon from.”
“That’s tremendous. Good for you. Can I go back to sleep now?”
“He’s got an exceptional memory.”
“A what?”
“An exceptional memory. Like a savant with the ability to memorize complex things. He won the Exceptional Memory Championships a long time ago. That’s where I know his face from. A kid from my hometown competed. He and his family got to fly to London, England and everything, but Dixon beat him that year. Only back then his name was Brian Bell.”
There was a long silence on the line before Miles spoke again. “Okay. You have my attention. So you suspect that Arthur’s method of keeping his vast files and contacts is his assistant Dixon and his exceptional memory.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you, Jessica. I’ve got to make a few late-night phone calls of my own now. Put Reece back on.”
Jessica handed him the phone. “Yes. Yes, she is awesome. No, you can’t, because I’m marrying her and taking some time off. What? Okay, then can I have the next two weeks off?” He nodded and winked at Jessica. “Excellent. Let us know what happens with Dixon and Arthur.”
He hung up his phone and glanced at the clock. “Even in the wee hours of the night you are a hero. Now climb back in bed with me. You’ve earned the right to sleep in tomorrow.”
Jessica snuggled up to Reece, grateful he loved her the way she wanted him to.
Epilogue
Two weeks later
Reece gripped Jessica’s hand a little harder than usual, which earned him one raised eyebrow and half a smile. She winked at him. He loved this woman so much. They’d married in secret before discovering that she was in fact pregnant from that one time in the front seat of his car sans protection. A fact that they would neglect to share going forward.
Jessica wasn’t convinced it was really happening, but he was. She’d done a drug store home test that was positive. She wanted to schedule an actual doctor’s visit and then wait a minimum of three more months before telling anyone. That was fair, but it didn’t change anything for him. He was so excited about the baby, he could hardly contain himself. Amazing to think how drastically his life had changed in such a short time. But he wouldn’t trade any of it. He was lucky and he knew it. A fact he tried to keep in mind as they climbed the steps to her parents’ home.
He was also lucky that his time undercover as a bouncer hadn’t gone to waste since Dixon a.k.a. Brian Bell had flipped on Travis Arthur in record time. Once they’d outed him as a member of the exceptional memory winner’s club, courtesy of Jessica, he’d made a deal for a reduced sentence.
He’d never seen Miles so happy.
Reece hoped his luck wasn’t about to end today. It was time to face the music, namely her four older brothers and her parents to tell them they’d gotten married. Next stop was Key West and the announcement to his family at the traditional biannual gathering. His mother would be ecstatic to have another daughter-in-law. His brother Zak had beat him down the aisle, but barely. Marriage seemed to agree with Zak and Reece had joined the happily married brother club.
“Are you ready?” Jessica squeezed his fingers.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her like it might be the last embrace they ever shared.
“Relax. It’ll be fine. Trust me. I won’t let them hurt you. Besides, we aren’t telling them about the baby yet, just that we got married. Okay?”
Reece shrugged. “Okay. Whatever you want.”
She grinned. “I like when you say those three words best of all.”
“Do you know what I like best of all?” He hooked an arm around her waist and kissed her mouth.
“Yes,” she whispered, “but don’t expect it to happen while we stay at my parents’ house.”
He pushed out a sigh. “I would never.”
“So back to the baby. I don’t want to tell them until after I see the doctor and know for absolute certainty that it’s true.”
He gave her a mock frown. “Oh, goodie, something else to look forward to.”
“Regrets?”
“Nary a one.”
“It’s not too late to escape and go straight to Key West,” she said, staring at her parents’ front door.
“Yes it is.” He lifted his hand to knock firmly on the door, but it opened wide before he touched it.
A man Reece recognized stood in the doorway. He gave Reece a hard look, squinting in recognition and then shifted his gaze to Jessica.
“Hi, kitten. Heard you were going to be here and didn’t want to miss the chance to catch up. I’d first like to discuss a certain gun battle in a coffee shop a few weeks back.”
“Do not start with me, Jackson.”
“Is that any way to greet your favorite brother?”
Reece turned to Jessica. “FBI Assistant Director Jackson Hayes is your brother?”
“Didn’t I mention that?”
“No. You did not.”
Jessica put her hands on his chest and kissed his chin. “Would it have changed anything?”
Reece leaned in and kissed her forehead. “No. Not a single thing.” He stared back at her brother and extended his hand. “Jackson. Good to see you again.”
Jackson looked amused, but he shook hands and motioned them inside.
“What are you doing here anyway?” Jessica asked. “Or rather, who told you I’d be here? As if I didn’t know already.”
“I happened to call a friend and he mentioned that you’d been seeing someone. Also that you’d taken some vacation time after a big bust.”
“Is this friend my boss, Martin perchance?”
Jackson shrugged. “No comment.”
Jessica told Reece, “That means yes.”
Reece grinned. “Do I get to call you ‘kitten’?”
“No. You do not.” Jessica scrunched her eyes in that adorable way she had. “Wait. How do you know Jackson?”
“We worked together several years ago.” Reece had helped Jackson out, some would say he’d saved his ass, but he didn’t expect it would translate into much goodwill when the other man found out he’d married his baby sister. Oh, and that he’d already gotten her pregnant.
He didn’t have long to ponder that before a band of giants entered the room and swarmed Jessica. Reece was pushed aside like he was a ninety-pound weakling.
“Our little cat has come home,” said one beefy brother, a sentiment two more echoed. After hugging each one of them, she said, “I’d like you to meet my new husband, Reece Langston.”
Scary silence.
Three Hayes men sized him up like they were figuring the quickest way to tear him limb from limb for daring to invade sacred territory, namely, their only sister. Then Jackson slapped him on the back like they were old friends.
“Don’t worry,” he told his brothers. “I know Reece. We worked together once. Truth is, he saved my ass more than once. Since the four of us could never convince our little kitten to enter a convent, she’s at
least made a good choice in a husband.”
With that endorsement, the three other brothers approached him with smiles and backslaps instead of trauma, hard feelings, and the removal of body parts. Reece gave Jackson a look of gratitude and considered any debt squared. A life for a life, as it were.
From across the room, a female voice said, “Jessica Rachelle Hayes! You got married without telling me?”
“Hi, Mom,” Jessica said and rushed to be swept into the older woman’s arms. The two of them hugged and started whispering, leaving Reece with all her brothers.
“Why do you call her kitten?”
Jackson smiled. “I was eight when she was born. The first day my folks brought her home to meet us, we all crowded around her bassinette. She took one look at the four of us and started crying, but she had this soft little cry. Sounded just like a meow. I told the boys our parents had brought home a kitten. The nickname stuck. She hates it. That means I enjoy using it all the more. Do you have any sisters?”
“Nope. Just a houseful of boys. I have four brothers, too.”
“Well, good. Our little kitten will feel right at home there.”
Reece relaxed, figuring he’d survived round one of meet the family—until her mother shrieked. “What? A baby, too?”
Jackson’s hand clamped down on his shoulder and three more feral, shocked gazes rotated his way. “So. How long have you two been married again?” The feeling in his belly dipped. Jessica stared at him helplessly from across the room.
Reece grinned and winked. She smiled back.
It helped that she felt so protective of him.
Jessica ran across the room, leapt into his arms, wrapped her legs around him and said loudly, “I love him. I carry his child, and if you lay one single finger on him, I’ll never speak to any of you ever again.” She buried her face into his neck and kissed him like she might be pulled from him while the rest of them looked for a lynching rope.
“Relax, kitten. We’ve already established he’s good people,” Jackson said in a soothing tone. “No need to get all worked up in your condition.”
Her head shot up. “Really? You aren’t going to go native on him or anything?”
Jackson shook his head. “He really saved my ass, Jess. I owe him.”
“Paid in full,” Reece said quietly, hugging Jessica close.
When the Hayes patriarch joined them, it was obvious where the men in the family got their looks, though the burly tree trunk of a man quickly proved his daughter had his smile. He was clearly amused when he offered Reece, Jessica still wrapped around him, his hand. “If my daughter is happy then I’m happy.” He turned stern. “Just keep her happy, right?”
“Right.” What else could he say?
Her family was a lot like his—fiercely protective. That was the way it should be, in his opinion.
If this roller coaster ride was indicative of his and Jessica’s coming life together, he couldn’t wait.
~ ~ ~
Key West – a few days later
Reece pulled their two suitcases out of the taxi’s trunk and rolled the luggage to the rear door along the brick sidewalk, checking over his shoulder several times to ensure Jessica was okay.
The weekend visit with her parents and brothers had been less traumatic than he’d expected. Having her eldest brother on his side from the get-go helped not only with the marriage announcement, but also with the unexpected baby news.
They hadn’t killed him yet, so he counted their initial visit a success.
Jessica’s numerous brothers reminded him of his own big family, making him all the more anxious to get to Key West for their biannual gathering.
He put in the security code and the lock released. He twisted the handle and opened the door. Turning to usher her into the hallway beside the kitchen, he saw Jessica’s worried expression.
“What’s up?”
“This is a pretty nice place. Pricy, right?”
He shrugged. “I guess.”
“Are you a secret billionaire?”
He laughed. “Sorry, no. I’m just a working guy. Problem?”
“No. Besides, you already married me and I don’t remember a prenuptial agreement.”
From inside, he heard his mother’s voice call, “Reece? Is that you?”
“Hey, Mom! We’ll be right in.”
Jessica looked concerned again.
“We?” his mother said, arriving at the door as he propelled Jessica forward.
“Mom, this is Jessica. Jessica, this is my mom, Maura Langston.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Jessica said, sticking her hand out. Reece knew a hug from his mother was forthcoming.
“Great to meet you, too, Jessica. Reece has never brought a girl here before. What’s your last name, honey?” his mother said, enfolding Jessica in her arms.
“Langston?” Jessica’s voice trembled.
He watched his mother’s eyes widen. “Reece? You got married? That’s excellent!” Jessica’s breath huffed out as his mother gave her another enthusiastic squeeze. “Now we have another girl in the family. Come on in. We were just about to sit down and eat. I hope you’re hungry.”
Reece grinned. His mother was happy to know they were married. She’d be over the moon when she found out about the baby.
“Who’s here this time?” Reece asked.
“Full house. You go ahead and say hello to everyone, while I check on things in the kitchen.”
Reece pulled Jessica into the dining room. Zak and his wife were the only ones in there. He heard the twins, Deke and Dalton, in the next room arguing with their eldest brother, Alex, about the best baseball team in the nation.
“Jessica, this is my only other married brother, Zak, and his wife, Kaitlin. This is my new wife Jessica. We eloped a little over two weeks ago.”
Kaitlin cheered and jumped up to give Jessica a hug. “Yay! Another female in the Langston brood. And another elopement. Double, yay!” The two started chatting like they’d known each other since childhood.
“Congrats, bro,” Zak said. “Think we’re starting a fad with all the eloping?”
Reece shrugged. “Not sure. It worked well for us and it was better than a shotgun wedding.” He winked at his brother.
Zak coughed. “Does that mean what I think it does?”
“If you think she’s carrying my child, then yes.”
Zak whistled. “Mom’s going to flip. Wait to tell her when she doesn’t have a dish of food in her hands or it’ll go airborne.”
“Noted.” Reece punched his brother in the shoulder. “You don’t have any announcements to make, do you? I don’t want to step on your news.”
“Not yet. And not for lack of effort.”
Jessica and Kaitlin left to help Maura put food on the table. Minutes later they heard their mother unleash a single squeal of delight. Half a second after that, something crashed to the tile floor and that was followed by lots of laughing from the three women.
Reece entered the kitchen with Zak on his heels. A broken dish and lots of steamed broccoli covered the floor.
He looked into Jessica’s amused eyes. “Can I just say that I love you even more, since I know exactly what you just told my mother and it’s thanks to that I don’t have to pretend to eat broccoli tonight?”
His mother grabbed him, kissed his cheek, hugged him, and kissed his cheek again. “I’m so excited about my first grandchild being on the way. You don’t have to pretend to eat broccoli ever again.”
Zak winked at his wife and said, “If I’d known that, Kaitlin and I might have been trying harder. Live and learn.”
The End
About the Author
Fiona Roarke lives a quiet life with the exception of the characters and stories roaming around in her head. She writes about sexy alpha heroes, using them to launch her series, Bad Boys in Big Trouble.
www.FionaRoarke.com
www.facebook.com/FionaRoarke
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Available now
Biker, Bad Boys in Big Trouble 1
Bouncer, Bad Boys in Big Trouble 2
Coming Soon
Bodyguard, Bad Boys in Big Trouble 3
Nothing’s sexier than a good man gone bad boy.
Here’s a peek at
Bodyguard
Bad Boys in Big Trouble 3
The baseball stadium is torture for Chloe Wakefield, from the noisy stands to the slimy man her colleague set her up with. Too bad she isn’t with the sexy stud seated on her other side. He shares his popcorn. Shields her from the crowd. And, when the kiss cam swings their way, gives her a lip-lock that knocks her socks into the next county.
Goodbye, vile blind date. Hello, gorgeous stranger.
Staying under the radar is pretty much a job requisite for bodyguard Deke Langston, but he can’t resist tasting Chloe’s sweet lips. Nor her sexy invitation into her bed, where the sensuous little virgin proceeds to blow his mind.
But someone doesn’t like how close they are getting. The thought that scares Deke the most is that another woman in his care might be hurt because of his past.
All of Deke’s skills are put to the test as he and Chloe race to solve the puzzle of who is plotting against them.
Chloe’s in danger, and Deke has never had a more precious body to guard.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Bouncer (Bad Boys in Big Trouble Book 2) Page 19