She was set to join them when her husband held her back. “Not you, Double M. Tori made me swear on a stack of first edition comic books that you’d wait to see it until everyone was together.”
“Oh.” Well, pooh.
“Look,” he murmured softly. She gazed into his eyes and everything else faded away. “It’s going to be a long day and there will be one surprise after another. Let’s try and pace ourselves, hmm?”
He was simply the most amazing man in the whole world. Powerful emotions slammed into her. She felt cherished. A protective shield and unlimited support surrounded her. The infinite trust and faith she had for him no longer surprised her. He really was an exceptional human being.
His fingers twined with hers and a small shiver shook her torso.
“This day is for you my love. Relax and enjoy it. Don’t just smell the roses, Meghan. Immerse yourself in this wonderful celebration.”
He put a hand over her belly. “The kids are gonna be so proud of their Mama.” Looking around at the bustling activity and growing crowds, he gave a couple of sharp nods. “Think of it, baby. The twins will grow up with the Double M as part of their world.”
How is it that this sometimes absent-minded mess of a man always managed to say the right thing?
“I love you so much.”
Alex’s beaming smile filled her heart with joy. “Come on lil mama, let’s get you off your feet for a bit. Everyone wants to talk to you so we might as well get comfortable.”
Remy could see it now. Her, sobbing on the witness stand, pleading for mercy from a jury of her peers.
“I couldn’t help it your honor. The man was a swine. A total pig. I had to push him in front of a moving train.” She’d turn to the jury and appeal to the women. “There were groupies. Need I say more?”
Trying extremely hard not to stomp and fuss like one of Jace’s temperamental horses was way more difficult than she liked. Mostly she wanted to drop Beantown with a kick to the nuts because not only was this whole date charade as uncomfortable as her crotch in the sweltering heat, he attracted attention. Lots of attention. Fangirl attention. And it was pissing her off.
So pissed off that she wasn’t sure what she’d do the next time his legion of twits shrieked his name or acted like a bitch in heat—completely ignoring the fact that she was standing right the fuck there.
Just getting from the main street of the family center to the end building where the business end of things happened was like running an estrogen gauntlet. Every fifty feet they were stopped by yet another member of his adoring fan club. And they weren’t all young and on the prowl either. His Beantown Army included a six-year-old, an eighty-two-year-old great grandmother and every age female in between. And yeah, a couple of male admirers, too.
Paddy O’Brien chuckled quietly when two biker chicks forced Finn to take a selfie. He bantered and exchanged a few laughs, shook hands and sent them on their way with a business card for Whiskey Pete’s that was stamped FREE DRINK courtesy of Finn & Barry.
The guy was clever; she’d give him that.
And friendly as fuck. She’d never seen anyone so genuinely affable and full of good-natured fun.
Aw, shit, really? An explosion of silent laughter from her inner child sounded when her mind made a tenuous connection between the hot-bodied saloon owner and a certain ginger-haired English prince. The comparison wasn’t far off.
So not cool, she thought with a frown.
Jamming his hands in his front pockets Finn smirked semi-apologetically, “Sorry. Not sure if I realized what taking over Pete’s would mean to my public profile.”
“Better than a perp walk or rap sheet,” Paddy countered.
“Spoken like a true cop,” Finn chortled.
His loving amusement made an impression on her. She liked the easy way father and son had with each other. Gave her some hope for the snarky jackass.
When Finn and Alex were together she found no outward sign of discord beyond the usual man-speak of bragging and insults that always went on when certain types of men congregated. So why he continued to insist he wasn’t part of all this was more than weird.
Didn’t he see how perfectly his jagged piece of glass fit neatly into the bigger mosaic?
Swinging open the doors to the rustic western façade marked Sherriff, they stepped into a charming nod to Arizona’s Victorian era in what resembled a large parlor with seating and tables scattered around. Each corner of the room had a theater-style window. One was marked Sign Up Here. Another said, Information.
The pleasant Victorian appeal of the place cleverly concealed the cutting edge technology and systems they’d need to run a place like this. A portrait on the wall of a stately looking woman from the 1800s was actually a touch-screen menu. Sitting on top of a waist high cabinet was a vintage looking easel sign that flashed announcements about upcoming activities. She noted there was a monthly book club and anxiously chewed the inside of her mouth.
Feeling bent by the endless list of hard rules she let into her life, stuff like ‘never join anything’, they grated on her nerves like coarse sandpaper. What harm would hanging out and talking about books lead to?
“You okay?” Finn asked.
Control is all well and cool Remington but where does it say solitary confinement?
More and more her inner voice was hitting it out of the ballpark. Sticking a toe beyond the edge of her comfort zone, she hesitantly cleared her throat and took a genuine stab at giving a real answer.
“Uh, yeah. I’m good.” She pointed at the easel. “There’s a book club. Caught my attention.”
He shoved her playfully with his shoulder and leaned close. “Don’t tell anyone but I have a Kindle.” His quiet confessional, trying-not-to-laugh tone put an honest to god smile on her face. “Got quite a library, too.”
It was too tempting not to answer his shot with an amusing volley. “What do you want? A medal?” Her head shook and she frowned with teasing disappointment. “Ya’ do know I hope that catching cooties from reading is an urban legend.”
Finn’s reaction was mock outrage. “Goddammit, Remington. What’s a guy gotta’ do to win a little approval? Huh? Huh?” he quipped with his elbow poking her side.
She was seeing him through new eyes and right now, what those eyes saw was a boyish charm that flipped a switch inside her.
Up until now he held a slim advantage over her. Doing her a favor and helping make it seem like falling off a fucking cliff and having to be rescued was like tripping over daisies during a walk in the park kinda, sorta, definitely put her in his debt. She wouldn’t be traipsing around a huge public event otherwise. But where did it say she couldn’t get some of her own in return and maybe have a little fun?
“Do you have the Kindle app on your phone?”
He looked at her, his brows bumping together in confusion, and nodded. “Yeah. I do. Why?”
“Let me see your library,” she said with her hand out.
His expression became openly amused. “Ah, I get it. A challenge.” His hand went into a pocket and withdrew a phone. “Gonna watch you eat crow in another minute Ms. Bissett.”
Grinning like an idiot he fired up the device, tapped, scrolled, and handed it to her. “Please note the diversity of titles and subjects. I will await your offering of regret for doubting me.”
This guy might be a giant pain in the ass but he was quick, clever and fun to bicker with. She snatched the phone from his hand with her best unimpressed sneer and started checking out his so-called library.
“Is that sound your brain exploding?” He snickered.
Dammit. He wasn’t kidding. The guy must have a bad case of one-click fever because he had everything. Including the Bible. She kept searching. Eventually something would pop up.
“Did you see that? Huh?” He barked. “Tolkien. The classics. I love that shit.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she waved him off and kept searching. Eventually she hit pay dirt. Holding up his phone, s
he laid it on thick with an eye smirk and snicker. “Debbie Macomber?”
“Hey!” he groused. “Don’t be hatin’. Those stories are golden, Remy. Ever read any of them? Seriously, hon. There must be hundreds.”
“Not really my style.” Pushing the phone back into his hands, she rubbed her palms together and shrugged. “Don’t have much of a relationship with happily ever after.”
Paddy rescued her from further comment by grabbing her arm to drag her across the room. Stepping around a wall that opened into a wide space where the business offices were set up she found a mural of uncommon beauty on every wall that nearly stole her breath.
A brilliantly colored and stylized panorama of the red dirt and distinctive scenery around Bendover made for a visual treat she couldn’t have imagined.
Magic was the only way she could describe it.
The artist was incredibly talented. Remy was instantly drawn to the strong use of color and light. Jealous that she’d never been able to capture it in her paintings quite like this, she marveled at the sheer aesthetic beauty.
“Oh my god,” she muttered.
“Come on over here,” Paddy excitedly encouraged. Grabbing her hand, he moved them to a spot on the mural where the faded yellow signpost with the Justice logo on the road to the compound was directly behind them.
“Take a picture, son,” he called to Finn. “Want your Ma to see what a pretty little lady you found three thousand miles from home.”
She very nearly vapor-locked. What? Pretty little lady? Who the fuck was he kidding? And the fear she’d end up on someone’s Facebook page made her shrink inward.
Finn stepped forward and took his dad’s phone. He touched her hand. She took it as reassurance. “No posting, right Dad?”
Paddy snorted. “Fuck no. Sorry Remy,” he murmured apologetically. “Bad language but I hate that shit. Nobody needs to know our business. Want to see a picture of the family at Christmas? Great. Then get your lazy ass into the house for a visit and you can thumb through the photo albums for all I care. That’s everyone’s problem these days. Nothing’s personal anymore. Me? I’m sticking with old school. Ma sees my snapshots. Sometimes she makes prints at Walgreens. Like I said. Old school. You should try it sometime.”
She bit back a smile and met Finn’s eyes. He winked at her. Some part of her wanted to hug him and say thanks. Somehow he knew about her issues. It was freaky. And…curious.
They weren’t the only enthusiastic people jockeying for picture taking position in front of the mural so it took quite a while to make it from start to finish. They switched up who posed and who shot the pic. Finn had a long arm that was put to use with a few group selfies.
It was the first time in forever since she cut up with people and did something touristy and spontaneous like picture taking.
On the way out, she stopped at the information desk and put her name into the computer for the mailing list. It was such a small thing but for a lot of reasons it felt daring.
“I smell bacon,” Paddy hooted loudly when they were outside again. “Don’t know what fun you two want to get into but I’m heading to the canteen. Alex said there’d be every catering option available. Did you know Angelina flew in a team of women who specialize in Hollywood food catering? They can do anything. Greek. Russian. Polynesian. Oscar worthy stuff. She told them old western town and they custom designed a changing menu throughout the day.”
Finn was enthusiastic and gesturing as much as his father. “I know, right? I met the women. Stacey and Lynn. Offered them use of the big grill. Learned a lot by watching them, let me tell you. Handling a large crowd is a real art.”
He looked at her and casually touched her arm. “Are you hungry? Ready to tie the feed bag on?”
Instead of her usual knee jerk of going along so she wouldn’t single herself out, she said what was on her mind.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to check out the craft rooms. I heard there’s a kiln.”
She didn’t expect either man to care about ceramics and pottery so why subject them to a look around?
“Finn here knows all about ceramics, don’t you boy?” Paddy crowed. “Took classes with his mom a couple of years ago when she broke her ankle. Got bored laying around so they took a bunch of classes at the community center near home.”
Remy wondered if this was what the waiting room to hell felt like. Where every single zig was met with an equal zag. Was she never going to catch a break?
“Smooth, Dad. Thanks,” Finn snickered. “Go stuff your face with cholesterol old man and don’t think for a second I’m not telling Ma.”
Paddy hooted with laughter. “Believe me boy, your mom is having a high old time while I’m gone. Aunt Heather had all kinds of plans and I’m sure a bottle or two of Jameson’s will be part of the fun.”
“Some role models you two turned out to be,” Finn teased. “And I swear on all the saints Da, if you say one word about the river dancing, I’ll…”
Remy had to laugh when father and son mugged, laughed and kidded. After Paddy headed off following the aromas wafting in the air, Finn grabbed her arm and started walking.
“I think we’re even.”
She swung her head to look at him. “What do you mean?”
Leading them around a cluster of people, Finn gave her a meaningful look and pulled her to the side—away from the human traffic.
“Now we both know stuff about each other. You’ve uncovered my shameful ceramics compulsion and please don’t ask about the dancing. It’s too embarrassing to discuss. I’d say stumbling on a room full of artwork isn’t all that big of a deal in comparison.”
She almost laughed. Almost.
“And shit Remy, it was good art. No nudes, nothing erotic, no anime porn anywhere in sight. Pretty tame stuff, babe.”
“I keep the dirty stuff under wraps,” she snarked in response.
“Your secret is safe with me.”
He said it like he meant it.
Who were these O’Brien men with their clever humor and preference for privacy? She thought only Jace was that way. Like her.
They were walking along, dodging crowds of people and trying not to knock over any kids when she told him, “I can juggle.”
He laughed and took her hand. “We make a great couple, Remy. River Dance and juggling. See? It’s kismet.”
“What the hell is kismet?”
“Oh my god,” he chuckled. “Honey, you’ve got so much to learn. It means destiny. And it’s the title of a great old movie. One of my mom’s favorites. She loves old movie musicals.”
It felt like she was re-learning the whole world. One baby step at a time. Turns out she wasn’t having a shitty time. Discovering that Beantown was more than meets the eye was opening doors inside her she thought were permanently closed.
34
The place was a madhouse. In a good way. From her perspective, all of Bendover had come out to celebrate the Double M grand opening. And they brought the whole family and a bunch of strangers along the way.
Tori was ecstatic. Getting off to a good start would help the outreach center’s mission. They were going to do a lot of good for a lot of people. Being part of this amazing venture was a privilege.
“Oh look,” she told the girl walking beside her. “There they are.” She pointed across the way and laughed.
She was dragging Charlie Wilde through the crowds searching for Alex and Meghan. She found them in the most comical way. Sitting on a hay bale display and posing for pictures with random people. Looked to her like Double M the lady was an overnight Bendover celebrity.
“Guys,” Tori exclaimed as they bore down on the happy, smiling couple. “Look who I found.”
She half-pushed Charlie forward and introduced her to Meghan with a flourish.
“Meghan, this is her. Charlie. The artist I’ve been raving about. We’re here to show you the business center.”
Meghan smiled. She did that a lot. All the time in fact. One of the
reasons why everyone loved her so much.
“Charlie? Short for Charlize?”
“My sisters and I are each burdened with a family name. Long story but it squishes down to this. My grandmother’s name is Brianna Charles. My sisters and I are Brynn, Rhiann and Charlize.”
Meghan clapped her hands and laughed. “I love it! How clever.” She stuck out her hand and warmly welcomed the newcomer. “I’m so happy to finally meet you Charlie. Tori is your number one fangirl and now that I’ve seen what you added to the center’s ambiance I’m asking to join the club. Thank you. I’m overwhelmed.”
“Meghan. It’s me who’s overwhelmed. When Alex explained to Caleb and I what you hoped to do here, we couldn’t wait to get on board. My brother-in-law is a veteran. He benefitted from a support program after his time in the war. The work you’re doing here for vets and families is so needed.”
Draegyn swooped in out of thin air and grabbed her around the middle. “Sorry to interrupt but there’s a whiney crybaby who needs you.”
“Better go cut your husband’s meat for him,” Alex sneered.
Meghan rocked with laughter and fist bumped Charlie.
“Ha ha ha,” she giggled. “You two just wait. Have you heard, Charlie? They’re expecting twins. Double the fun and double the crying.”
“Wow. Congratulations you two. That’s amazing. My sister has a little one. Not even six months old yet. She’s not much of a crier but oh lord, does she ever have her daddy’s number.”
“Personally,” Draegyn quipped with his hands reaching from behind to cover her stomach, “I’m hoping for a little girl’s finger to be wrapped around.”
“Word,” Alex agreed in a quiet murmur.
“Okay you guys. Looks like you’re on your own in the business center. Have a good time. Take plenty of pictures and I’ll catch up with you later. Looks like my boys need me.”
* * *
There was a reason why most of the time he came off like a cocky swaggering superhuman. It’s because with Meghan rocking her sexy curves at his side, that’s how he felt.
The day was turning out even better than he hoped. She was on a cloud and he was soaking up her happy radiance. Delighted didn’t come close to her reactions at the business center. Charlie’s artwork blew Meghan’s mind. And when he escorted her into the fancy executive office he personally designed, she broke down in tears. That’s when their companion diplomatically left them alone.
Unforgettable (Family Justice Book 5) Page 44