She absently spun her glass, watching condensation roll down the sides. Fixing the pirate wench with a knowing look she murmured, “And I suspect something similar could be said of you. You know, I saw from the beginning how vital Brody was to the core Justice group. I suspect my husband may have known why Brody compartmentalized his life into two completely opposite things but that didn’t mean his absences weren’t weird and off balancing. I told Alex it seemed like his dog guru was one puzzle piece that just didn’t want to be hammered into place. But without it, the picture wasn’t complete.”
Every word she said was true. Brody’s double life had been a mystery. As the newbie on the scene, it never made sense to her. Until Brody whipped Heather out of his motorcycle helmet and shoved her front and center at the wedding. The minute Meghan saw them together she understood.
“He was our puzzle piece and you were his. He couldn’t commit to the future without you. It’s good to remember that, babe, because his first decision, the most important one, happened before Bella arrived. He chose you Heather, and then he brought you here. And guess what? The men aren’t the only colorful puzzle because shugah,” she said in her best imitation of Stephanie, “you fit right into our little circle of Justice ladies. It’s like we had a seat for you just waiting.”
Meghan pointed at Lacey and Cam.
“And look at those two. Oh my god, like seriously. Barbie and Ken? How funny is that? Our Lacey was the first, you know. The first lost soul to turn up at the villa. Talk about a life change! I don’t think she fully appreciates how much we all admire her. Think about it. Abandoned by her only parent, neglected and abused by her uncle, she’s a homeless runaway at a time in her life when you and I were buying prom dresses. When Cameron found her, she was washing her underwear in a restroom sink with soap she siphoned from bathroom hand pumps.”
“I know you’re the number one wife around here but Lacey is kind of the Justice matriarch, isn’t she?”
Meghan stopped. Good heavens. What an insightful way of putting it. “Shit, Heather. I couldn’t say it better, but yes. Sometimes the youngest is the wisest.”She thought about Lacey and her place in the Justice puzzle. “Alex is protective of all of us but particularly her. Do you think that’s because she had no one?”
Heather’s brows went up for a second and then she nodded. “Knowing Alex I’d say it’s a safe bet.” Then she laughed. “Big Daddy indeed.”
“Cameron had no family before a scrappy ponytail smacked him across the face and told him to eff off. For the record? I’ve made Alex confirm that she did say the ‘F” word.”
It was fun to be on a roll and felt damn good to say this stuff out loud so she kept on.
“Continuing with our unusual families discussion, take a look at Stephanie and Calder. To the casual observer neither of them probably seemed lost. Stephanie in particular comes off like the gentle heroine in a Hallmark movie. Widowed young, she picks up the pieces and raises a kid by herself while also rocking a great career. And Calder. Sheesh. His tech-nerdiness is the stuff of Silicon Valley legend. Money, notoriety, intellectually in-demand. All good stuff but he became too used to being alone. Both of them did.”
Meghan’s eyes became slightly misty remembering the poignant and meaningful role Calder played, not only through Alex’s entire life, but for them as a married couple. She found it poignant that her husband’s uncle had accepted a ‘come to Jesus’ moment with Stephanie before the day he stood witness to the vows she and Alex made to each other in private before the spectacle of their public wedding. In the swirling tumbling of her brain at the time, she saw it as a believer in love—a recent convert—sanctioning their vows.
“I cannot believe they are having a baby,” Heather murmured.
Meghan heard the wistfulness in her voice and wished she could make this better for Heather. Being surrounded by an ever-growing number of pregnant females could not be easy for her.
“That’s how their unusual family is coming together,” she quietly agreed. “Their child will be Alex’s cousin.”
“Drae will be what? Stepbrother-in-law to Calder’s kid?”
The threads were becoming tangled, that’s for sure.
“It’s so convoluted, we could sit here all night and it would never fully make sense. Calder’s kid will be Daniel’s aunt or uncle. Or something like that!”
“Convoluted is right,” Heather agreed.
“And let’s not leave out Parker and Angie. For those two, Arizona was home once upon a happier time, and then for a long time, it wasn’t. Years pass until whatever power you wanna give a nod to drops them together here once more and the rest, as they say, is history. I think in everyone’s case what I said before was true. The best part of us ends up out here. Do you hear the message Heather?”
Meghan smiled warmly at her newest Justice friend and sister. Reaching for Heather’s hand, she patted it with her gloved hand. “How did you put it? That you’re not sure how to do this family thing? Sweetie. News flash. You’ve been doing the family thing for a while. First with our hunky dog guru and now with sweet Bella Mia.” She shrugged and sat back. “Family Justice Ms. Clarke. What you need is a dose of the Justice ladies’ theme song. That’ll put all this maudlin shit you’re listening to in your head to rest.”
With an embarrassed glimmer in her eyes, Heather leaned across the table murmuring, “Confession. I was instantly jealous of you when we met. Seems funny now but the reaction woke me up big time. Sure, Brody and I had been a thing for quite some time, but the relationship part was new. And I was still figuring out my life so the repercussions from that territorial thunderbolt shook me up. In a way it could be said that you were instrumental in making me see just how much I was already invested.”
“Fair enough,” Meghan half snickered in a hushed murmur. “I took it as karmic retribution.” She didn’t need a mirror to know her eyes twinkled at the memory. “Alex was a cuh-ray-zee man whenever Brody was around. It was so damn cute,” she whispered. “Did I stoke that alpha fire and nearly provoke a chest-thumping monkey free-for-all? Uh…yeah. Guilty.”
With a hilarious expression of mock remorse, the lady pirate snickered. “Likewise guilty. See this bracelet?” she asked. Rotating her wrist like a jewelry model, Heather displayed a lovely bit of colorful bling. “Bit of manly gamesmanship. Offense. So much easier for them than playing defense. This particular pirate booty came before Bella’s house party. I think he was heading off a potential blow up.”
She couldn’t be serious. A blow-up? Meghan thought they were lightyears past anything like that.
“Have I done something?”
Heather’s expression screamed apology. Meghan sat up and put her hands on her tummy.
“You haven’t done anything except be exactly who you are. And I love you for it double M. But here it is and please don’t be upset.” Heather took a swift inhale and blurted out, “I’m jealous of Bella’s fascination with you.”
Meghan’s head snapped back in shock. Her eyes felt huge as she stared at a clearly embarrassed Heather. “What?”
“I know, right! It sounds crazy but there you have it. It’s one thing for her to prattle on non-stop about Alex. It doesn’t help much that in addition to being the geek-tastic Tony Stark, your husband also has Thor for an uncle. But she all but swoons over you Red. Surely you know that.”
Oh. Yeah. About that. Hmm.
“Talk about family,” Heather groaned. “Suddenly Brody’s daughter has this enormous group of extraordinary people who didn’t hesitate to embrace and take her in.”
A bell went off in Meghan’s head. Her eyes swung to Heather’s face and searched. She couldn’t believe what she just heard. Brody’s daughter? Hold the fuck on. This was huge.
An old, forgotten skill made Meghan interrupt Heather with a short, sharp whistle. Waving her gloved hands like a football referee, she called for a time out. A couple of people around them glanced their way and then went right back to what they were d
oing.
Heather’s face registered how startled she was.
“Heather! Brody’s daughter?” Meghan almost shrieked. “Seriously?”
“Well, she is.”
“That child is your daughter too. Is someone giving you shit about being Bella’s mother, because let me tell you something Heather. Being a teacher gave me an insider’s view of kids and parents. I’m not kidding even a little when I tell you some people shouldn’t have kids. But a good, loving mother—or father—is a treasure that should not be diminished based on how that person comes to the role. You are Bella’s mom. Period. End stop.”
She was ready to annihilate anyone foolish enough to suggest otherwise. This was one of her touchy points. Blood and a piece of god damn paper are not the only avenues to family.
Bella adored Heather. Adored with a capital A and some gel pen flourishes. Meghan was even sure she understood why the little girl referred to Heather as my Heather. It was five-year-old shorthand for my mommy.
“And as for me and your daughter,” she drawled with specific emphasis, “is she angling to be Madame President of my fan club? Yeah. Probably, but from a Junior Justice standpoint, I’m okay with that. Gives me some god damn control over the next generation of desert rats.”
“Junior Justice. Holy hell, Red. I never thought of it like that.”
“Well maybe you should start, because Bella is the eldest and will someday be wrangling the whole second generation! And for the record, all she does is talk about you. Hell’s bells, Heather. Talk isn’t the right word. More like rhapsodize. I know way more than I need to about the contents of your make-up kit and why lavender scented bubbles are your favorite after a hard day.”
“Oh my god. Seriously?” Heather asked in a hopeful voice. “I love her so damn much Meghan. Sometimes, when Daddy is late coming home after work, we cuddle together in his big recliner and she tells me the stories in her little head. About Daddy riding in to the rescue and how Cameron gave her a daisy she saw him pick when they were leaving the farm where she stayed after Tracey died. It breaks my heart and gives me hope at the same time.”
“She trusts you. Bella’s ability to share and communicate so freely is because of you Heather. Daddy might have been the white knight who came to her rescue but you were the pretty lady with the fuzzy dog and bathtub full of bubbles who brought her back from the edge of hell.”
“Oh, fuck,” Heather groaned. “The moment I saw her, a little lump cowering behind Brody, my heart nearly exploded. When she looked at me with those big, frightened eyes, some part of me just knew.”
“Knew what?”
Heather swallowed. It looked like she had a bit of a hard time. Meghan wanted to hug the stuffing out of her.
“I knew she and I were supposed to be. Just like with Brody. I just knew. And when she took my hand? Meghan,” Heather sighed, “it was like touching my child for the first time.”
“Families come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. You, your daughter, Brody—all part of Family Justice. She is your child, Heather. That’s how we see it.”
“I envy you and Alex having a baby together.”
She snickered. “Nothing to envy. If we hadn’t been able to do this naturally, believe me, no stone would be overlooked in our desire to make a family together. Including adoption. It’s all good, sweetie. We’re just lucky and this baby isn’t here yet so knock on some damn wood, will ya’?”
“Are you going to find out what you’ve got cooking?”
“We’re not sure. Our first ultrasound is next week so I suppose we’ll have to face the piper then. Hey,” she laughed. “Want to have a bit of fun?”
“Hell yeah. Whatcha’ got up your sleeve or tucked into those bangin’ gloves?”
“When we did that sweep around the room and picked up on what everyone was doing, we left someone out.”
“Alex,” Heather drawled. “Wondered when we’d circle back to him.” She took a hefty slug from her tankard, slammed it on the table as any pirate wench worth her weight in gold would, swiped a hand across her mouth and let out a satisfied, “Ahh.” Then she arched a brow and said, “What’s percolating in your brain little ‘s’?”
Little ‘s’? Meghan narrowed her eyes and growled. Somehow she just knew that admission was going to come back to haunt her.
Pitching forward, she laid her arms on the table and motioned Heather to move in closer until they were face-to-face and just inches apart.
“Justice maneuver, number zero-five-nine. Do not look away. Do not so much as flinch. Anyone watching will think we’re sharing a secret. If you understand, don’t nod—say yes.”
“Yes,” Heather giggle-snorted. “Show me your wise ways double M.”
“We’re going to hang like this for a bit and then you’re going to take out your phone and pretend to show me something. We’ll laugh. When you go to put the phone in your pocket, glance left to the middle of the bar. Got your bearings?”
“Yeah. I think so. We’re faking ‘em out and then I nonchalantly zero in on a targeted spot. Have I got that right? What do I do then? Look away?”
“What I would do is make it seem like a mindless room scan. Don’t focus on any one thing. You won’t need to,” Meghan laughed.
“This is fun. Maybe you can also teach me how to suddenly appear in a doorway without making a single sound.”
“I know exactly what you mean. That shit is warrior-craft. Swear to god it’s something every person in a military uniform learns on day one.”
“Word. So are we making a convincing scene here? Should I take my phone out now?”
“Go for it,” she said. Straightening, Meghan reached for her ginger ale, took a sip and pushed the long curling knot of her Belle hairstyle over her shoulder. “Cucumber Cool could be my camp name,” she muttered out loud to Heather’s instant delight.
Calmly scrolling through her phone, they kept up the banter, and then Heather leaned forward and held out her phone like she was showing her something. Meghan played her part and looked down expecting to see nothing only to have her eyes bug out when she instead saw an old photograph of Brody looking like a cover model for professional preppy fashion. Wearing a sweater and glasses, his hair was quite short and he had an air about him that struck Meghan as outrageously funny. She knew that teacher look when she saw it.
Cracking up with laughter she rocked in her seat and barely noticed when Heather very coolly slid the phone back into her pocket and swept the room with a composed glance.
When she made a circuit and returned Meghan’s gaze, her expression might have appeared blasé but she saw the laughter dancing in her eyes.
“Do you wear sunscreen to bed?”
“Huh?”
“Sunscreen, Mrs. Marquez. Do you wear it to bed? I ask because the blazing light in your husband’s eyes nearly blinded me. Shit, Red. Does he never blink? Or look away?”
Aiming one of Heather’s snarkasms right back at her, Meghan gave her best wifely drawl and said, “It’s a big ‘D’ trait.”
Heather’s lips formed a silent, ‘Oh’ and she actually blushed.
“On the count of three you will turn toward the stage. Tell me what your man is doing, okay?”
Heather’s groan was all kinds of funny. “Okay.”
“One. Two. Three, and look,” she said.
Heather’s head swiveled, hesitated, and then she looked back at Meghan.
“Oh my.”
“Uh huh. Maybe you better invest in some sunscreen yourself.”
Meghan sipped her soda and tittered with laughter. Brody Jensen’s alpha streak might be of the laid back type but the ever-watchful, protective alertness she was used to from Alex was something he had no problem showering Heather with.
“Welcome to the family, lady.”
18
Angie started regretting her costume choice within a few minutes of Parker walking away when it was time for the guys to take the stage. Without him standing guard at her side, every d
umb ass in the crowd who was not from Justice started ogling her. And she didn’t just mean the guys.
Thank god the Justice cluster fuck of family closed in around her before anyone was stupid enough to approach. She had visions of Parker in his Han Solo get-up vaulting off the stage to smash some cowboy biker’s face for drooling over her.
“Hey,” she heard Tori bark. “Someone wanna’ go get Brody? I saw him rescuing Remy from a Randy attack. Make sure she hauls it over here too.”
Cameron was chuckling as he lifted Lacey up and helped her sit on top of a table so she could see. Pregnant Barbie kissed her Ken sweetly on the lips and smoothed her cute baby bump with his hand.
Those two were hard to ignore. Sometimes watching them was like watching a PG movie only with a crazy hot husband and an adorably Laura Petrie-ish wife.
Angie shook her head. Laura Petrie was one of those weird pop culture references she owed to her parents. On each anniversary for as long as she could remember, at some point Ashleigh and Cristián Marquez re-enacted the opening sequence of the Dick Van Dyke Show complete with stumble. Her black and white fantasy memory also starred Uncle Matt and Aunt Wendy.
She spied Meghan in her bright yellow gown making her way over to them with a bawdy looking Heather in full lady pirate regalia at her side.
Uncle Calder smacked her playfully on the hip and barked, “Move it, Princess,” as he maneuvered his adorably pregnant beauty queen fiancée through the crowd of people. Copying Cameron’s smart move, he hoisted a laughing Stephanie onto the table next to Lacey, where both pregnant ladies could rock out without being on their feet.
There was no reason for the rush of melancholy that clouded Angie’s thoughts. She looked around and all she found were the faces of people she loved and who loved her. So why the somber thrum deep in her gut?
Drae appeared by her side and threw a brotherly arm around her shoulders. “What’s crappenin’ Leia? You look like someone sensing a disturbance in the force.”
Running her mouth like a pouting kid she exclaimed in a rush, “I miss my parents. And Sophia. They should be here, don’t you think? I mean, now that the blessed prince is having a baby.”
Unforgettable (Family Justice Book 5) Page 20