The same place where her baby could be baptized.
Alex was beyond genius but until he chose to make a reveal, his secret was safe with her.
Calder was oblivious to her deception and she’d already vowed to say yes regardless of where he wanted to have the ceremony because in the end she just wanted to marry the man.
“By January,” he softly teased, “your whole bridal party will be obviously pregnant. Think of the pictures.”
He was right. She’d have Victoria and Meghan at her side.
“Who will you ask?”
“Alex of course. Gotta have my Wolf Pup as Best Man. And Draegyn. Still can’t believe that dickhead will be my son-in-law.”
Wolf Pup. That’s right! He didn’t say it often but she’d heard him refer a few times to his nephew by the childhood name. It fit the Major. She could easily conjure up a younger Alex in his boyhood, idolizing his geeky tech-genius uncle when Calder was at the top of his nerd game.
Her stomach rumbled. His answered with a growl. They both laughed.
“Alright lady. Into the kitchen with you. Sheesh,” he muttered. “What do I tell you about eating more? By the time your stomach makes noises it’s way past time for food.”
He was so cute when he fussed.
“Oh, and while you make me a sandwich, I’ll whip up some of that fresh hummus you’re living on and tell you about something funny that happened at the Justice meeting.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah,” he laughed as he turned her around and marched them from the nursery into the cozy kitchen. “Fingers crossed I’m right because I think Brody is going to fuck with Finn hardcore in a way that’ll go down in history.”
“Calder,” she growled in warning. Her man’s patent dislike of the Boston transplant bordered on the ridiculous and she wouldn’t encourage his attitude.
“What? Come on! If it goes down like I think, we’re talking the mother of all practical jokes. That’s gotta count for something even if it does involve the Irish turd blossom.”
She rolled her eyes and went to the refrigerator to grab the sandwich makings.
Men! Boys! Holy crap-on-a-cracker. Is this what she had to look forward to if they had a son?
Lacey was exhausted. And not just at this very moment. All the time. Butt dragging, bone weary tired.
Standing over a steaming pot, she slowly added homemade chicken broth to a double-portion of creamy risotto. It was one of the few things that didn’t make her want to immediately puke so she was trying to keep a ready-made container on hand in the refrigerator for those times when she just had to eat something.
Cameron was standing on his head looking for ways to entice her flagging appetite. He bought a pizza stone for the outdoor grill and set about creating an array of healthy pizzas that Dylan gobbled up and made easy leftovers for her husband’s lunch. He even tried his hand at cake baking but the disaster he and the baby visited on her normally pristine kitchen as a result hadn’t been worth it.
“Mama,” Dylan cooed from his high chair. Holding a squishy round sphere in his hand he said, “Ball,” with crystal clearness.
She chuckled at him when the ball became a weapon as he pounded it on the high chair’s tray. Dylan loved round things. Balls. Circles. Doughnuts, Pancakes. If it was round, he wanted it.
Her phone rang. Angie was fooling around the other day and changed the ringtone to some ridiculous song. She had to change it immediately. Connecting the call on speaker, she chirped, “Hey Tori,” and almost groaned out loud at how fake her chirpiness came off.
“Mrs. Cameron!” Tori answered with an usually sardonic tone. A clear indication that she suspected or knew Lacey was full of poo. “Read any good books lately?”
It was their standard check-in greeting. An answer was tripping off her tongue when Dylan started to holler. “Toto! Toto!”
She could hear Victoria’s husky chuckle. “Hey little man,” she cooed. “Slap me some five.”
Her son knew the cue and giggled. Slamming his chubby hand onto the tray of his chair, he hit it so hard a pile of Cheerios jumped in the air. “Toto!”
“We should meet up at the playground later. After nap time. Dylan can bring his basket of balls and I’ll pack up that stupid dance and play puppy my husband finds so amusing. Give the boys some face time and us a chance to talk.”
“We might need a new rule. Any toy that powers up, talks or makes noise has to be mom-approved. I threw in the towel and hooked us up with Amazon’s auto-delivery for batteries. It’s insane how many we need and they’re all different of course.”
“Oh my god, right? That’s a great idea with the auto-delivery. Can never have too many batteries. I always keep a few around. After all, we don’t Mister Wiggly going dead at the wrong ‘O’ moment.”
“Good grief Victoria. My son is listening. And for the record, my husband displays classic alpha jealousy where Mister Wiggly is concerned. He takes a rather dim view of the Energizer Bunny’s staying power.”
They laughed. Some of her exhaustion lifted. Thank goodness.
Dylan’s head swiveled in the direction of the back door. Then he looked at her with toddler seriousness and babbled, “Dada.”
Really? She went and peered out the door and yep. Sure enough. There was Cameron dragging a new deck chair across the wide patio. Draegyn was churning out the heavy wooden chairs at a fairly rapid pace. It was his own design, something he called Desert-Dack, a reworked Adirondack style with convenient drink holders in the wide arms and an extra roomy seat, big enough for oh, say…a man with a wife on his lap.
She missed the sound of a vehicle in the driveway so she was a little surprised to see him. Another side effect of the fatigue wreaking havoc on her energy level and life.
“Looks like I’m on wife duty,” she murmured to Tori. “Cameron is here. I guess that means their meeting broke up early.”
“It did,” Tori explained. “Draegyn called to tell me he was bringing lunch. Ria loaded him up with that no bean chili I can’t get enough of. Anyway, he said Parker was acting strange and Alex adjourned the gathering when he turned all grumpy and suddenly bolted.”
“Uh oh. Angelina?”
Tori snorted. “Most probably. She’s playing with fire now. Somebody needs to sit her down for a talk because if she doesn’t draw her man down off the ledge soon, well… I’m sure whatever happens, it won’t be pretty.”
“Hmm. You have a point. Look, I better run. Dylan needs changing and I’m up to my chin in risotto. Plus I’m pretty sure my husband will demand lunch so I’m outtie. I’ll text you when Dyl gets up from nap and we’ll hit the playground, okay?”
“Love ya’ sweetie. Make sure you eat something for lunch.”
And there ladies and gentleman was the reason for Victoria’s timely call. It was good to have sisters who took the time to ride her about that kind of stuff even when she wanted to snap.
Cameron came bounding through the door like an eager puppy two minutes later. “Ponytail,” he drawled as he kissed her on the forehead. “What the fuck are you wearing?” he asked with a husky laugh.
She looked down and snicker-laughed. “What? Overalls are no bueno?”
“It’s no está bien at all. Where did these things come from? You thinking about taking up farming?”
Okay, so maybe the stretchy tube top that didn’t squish her boobs and the down-on-the-farm baggy overalls wasn’t her best look but it was comfortable.
“Dada, Dada.”
“Another country heard from,” Cameron drawled.
“Would you mind changing him? I’ve got something on the stove.”
He looked at her strangely. She didn’t meet his gaze.
“Lacey.”
She stirred the risotto with her back to him and answered with a murmured, “Hmm?”
The spoon got taken from her hand. He put it aside, turned off the stove and pulled her around by the hips until she faced him.
“I’m sorry.”
She lo
ved the sound of his voice. It was the first thing about him that earned her full attention.
“The overalls are cute and I’m fine with taking up farming.”
He’d tell her the moon was flat and say it with absolute sincerity if he thought it’d make her feel better.
She put a hand along the side of his handsome face and breathed a heavy sigh. “It’s me who’s sorry.” She lay on his chest and sighed again. “I’m so tired. It wasn’t like this with Dylan. I know the doctor says everything is perfectly fine but I feel like shit all the time.”
“Whoa. Did you use a bad word?” He was trying to be cute but knew perfectly well she said the mild swear word for a reason.
She rode right over his teasing and let the words come. He would want to know what was on her mind so she went for it.
“Do you think she knows I’m struggling? I don’t want her to think she’s the reason. Oh, Cameron. I feel dreadful all the time,” she cried against his shoulder. “Everything is so serious. It never lets up. If I don’t have an appetite, then I beat myself up for not eating. Every time I groan or run out of steam, I feel guilty for not being happy. We’re crazy blessed and I know it, but physically? I’m not having an easy time.”
Her husband’s comforting embrace felt so darn good. Lacey got her strength from him. He was a good man, not nearly as broken as he was when they first met and a lot more grounded. It was a given that he would always take care of her. And their children.
He had his hand inside the loose overalls and was gently stroking up and down her back. What was he thinking? Did he also worry about the effects of stuff on their unborn daughter?
“Honey. Our little girl is safe, healthy and growing stronger every day. That’s what she knows. And I’m sure if she understood how hard this was on you, she’d want to make it better. Don’t be so hard on yourself. I have an idea,” he offered in a gentle tone. “How ’bout we get someone in here to help you out? Just during the day. A mother’s helper who can do the grueling work. Like the laundry and making the beds. You shouldn’t have to do that stuff.”
A brittle laugh shot from her. He must be reading her mind. “Is it wrong that I like that idea?”
“Of course not,” he was fast to assure her. “Shit, Ponytail. If you want a live-in housekeeper, I’m on board. Whatever it takes for you to start enjoying things again.”
Wrapping her hands around his neck, she ran her fingers into his thick hair and gave him a wan smile. “Don’t get carried away Jason Cameron! I like our privacy. Especially siesta,” she purred. “But I won’t martyr myself if a helping hand takes some of the pressure off.”
She instantly noted the flare of triumph that flashed in his eyes. What was he up to?
“Good. I’m glad you’re on board because Betty did the legwork and pinned down a young girl Carmen knows from church. Her name is Amada. Goes to the community college for night classes. Lives with her folks and is looking for a way to finance her schooling. She works with the cleaning crew we hired for Camp Justice.”
Lacey was dumbstruck by this announcement. He had it all figured out without her having to say a single thing. He was just waiting for her to admit she needed help.
He dipped his knees so he could see in her eyes. “Don’t be mad. Everyone is concerned. They all love you, Mrs. Cameron. You’re the best wife and mother I could ever hope for. Everyone agrees. There was a vote. You make me look good,” he teased. “Let us take over some of the burden, okay? You wouldn’t mind just having poopy-pants and me to look after, right?”
“How did you get to be so wonderful?”
Her husband’s look of adoration made everything in her world feel right.
“I rescued a brave, blonde ponytail and gave her my heart. She did the rest.”
“Dada! Mama! Ball!” Boom, boom, thwack.
They turned and looked at their precocious son, their arms around each other’s waists.
“The Camerons,” he announced with delight. “Soon to be a party of four.”
With no prompting from them and without any stammering, Dylan Henry Cameron giggled as though he’d just thought of the funniest thing, and shouted, “Baby!”
“Holy fuck,” Cameron murmured under his breath. “Did he just say what I think he said?”
Lacey patted her tummy and grinned. “That’s right sweetie! Baby sister.”
If there were any angels in heaven trying to sleep, the racket her rambunctious toddler made woke them all up. Happily screaming “Baby!” he pounded on the high chair tray and rocked his fat little butt back and forth. “Baby!”
“Looks like junior has a new word to mark down on the milestone chart.”
Cameron looked her over, patted her belly, gave Dylan a thumbs up and said, “Everything’s fine, Ponytail. We’ve got this.”
She never really had any doubt.
28
“Well, I don’t know Bella Mia. Your birthday shirt is pretty boss little lady. I might be jealous.”
“It says birthday babe,” the exuberant kid crowed as she puffed up her chest so everyone would read the words. “My Heather’s mommy brought it all the way from New York.”
“As if she even knows what New York is,” Captain Sawyer whispered in Meghan’s ear.
She elbowed him playfully, said, “Shhh,” and went back to displaying avid interest in what the birthday girl was saying.
“And the tutu is gold! Look,” she shouted as she twirled around and around.
Bella’s jubilant smile came very, very close to melting Meghan’s heart. They all felt wretched about the child’s past. Knowing this was her first real birthday celebration turned the occasion into a festive family gathering with all the usual Justice suspects in attendance. This was one party that didn’t need to be mandatory. Bella’s fan club was reaching maximum capacity. In the end, the adults were more excited about spoiling Brody’s charming daughter than she was in having a special day.
“That is one fantastic outfit,” Meghan said with a short laugh. And she wasn’t kidding. Jennifer Clarke, Heather’s awesome mom, had thrown down big time with Bella’s special outfit.
A black scoop neck shirt with Birthday Babe in sparkly letters tucked into a glittering gold tutu-style skirt with layers of white tulle underneath that made it adorably poufy and cute. Around her neck was a child’s pearl necklace adorned with small fabric flowers made from the matching gold fabric. A gold headband and sparkly gold Mary Janes with white ruffled socks finished the celebration outfit. She looked like a six-year-old princess.
“Cap’n Sawyer,” the child said with a gasp and a smile. “I made cookies. My Heather helped.”
“Did you, now?”
Meghan smiled at the inscrutable man who was Alex’s long-time, trusted pilot. Of all the stragglers who make up the world of Justice, Sawyer was the one she knew the least about. He and her husband shared a solid friendship and though it was never spoken of, she assumed he was ex-military. He was an affable but closed mouth mystery with a wife and kids. Because the Major held him in high regard that was good enough for her.
Bella, being the most badass of all the Justice ladies, counted Sawyer as one of the first in her growing list of male admirers so it made perfect sense that the little girl made a point to invite him to her party.
“Yeah,” she enthusiastically assured him with a bobbing headshake. “We measure all the time in Kindergarten and you need to measure the ‘gredients. I even cracked the eggs.”
“Is that Bella Mia Jensen I hear bragging about baking cookies?”
Meghan spun around, surprised to hear Finn’s voice coming over her shoulder. And he wasn’t alone. Their father was behind him shaking hands with the group as her husband made introductions.
“Finn!” Bella shrieked with over-the-moon delight. “You came to my party.”
“Of course, little lady. Where else would I be?”
Bella’s joyful manner stuttered to a quick halt and she eye-balled Finn as though using x-ray vi
sion. “What’s a matter with your ear?”
Finn looked confused and said, “Huh?”
Meghan checked out his ears but saw nothing. You could still see some lingering bruising on his face from his idiotic fight club battle but beyond that he looked like he always did.
“Come down,” Bella instructed with a crook of her finger.
Finn dropped to his knee and touched both ears. He seemed genuinely confused. What did Bella see? She gave her brother a look that said, Beats me.
The precocious ‘lil Captain marched right up to him, grabbed Finn firmly by the chin and yanked his head to the side. Sawyer chuckled. Bella Mia’s behavior—all attitude—was pretty funny.
“Finn,” she chided like an adult. “Don’t you know to clean your ears?”
And then she reached up, tugged on his earlobe. When she lowered her hand and held it up, Meghan gaped at the wood object she quickly identified as one of the cheeky coins from Pete’s that was stamped with the words ROUND TUIT.
“You should really get around to it,” Bella scolded.
“Bravo!” Sawyer cheered while enthusiastically applauding.
Meghan was stunned. The saucy six-year-old just balls out challenged Finn to a magic competition. And where the hell did she pull that coin from? Thin air? Shit! She was good. Maybe better than Finn.
Finn took the coin from her hand and offered an enthusiastic high five. “Fudge brownies on me, next time you come to Pete’s.”
Bella smacked his hand and then rushed forward for a hug. Add Finn to her list of gob smacked admirers.
“Bella,” Meghan called out with a bubbly chuckle. She held her hand out for the girl to take. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”
Alex watched as they approached. The happy sparkle in his eyes spoke volumes about the lil’ Captain’s place in the family.
“Major Alex,” the child exclaimed. “Did you bring it?”
“Sure did,” he answered with a laugh. “Later, after cake and presents, I’ll ask Daddy if it’s okay. Poor Georgie’s gonna go crazy.”
Bella giggled and jumped up and down.
Unforgettable (Family Justice Book 5) Page 34