by Cara Carnes
Dylan smiled up at his sister. “Yeah, sis. That’ll help.”
“Pretty amazing plans. You’ve been busy,” Dallas said.
“That happens when I have six big brothers actively avoiding me.”
“Sorry,” Cord offered.
“Things are going to get smoothed out around here so you all can focus on Arsenal business, whatever that is.”
“Nothing is more important than you and Mom, Riley,” Marshall said.
“Damn straight.” Jesse thumped the table. “Don’t take this all on by yourself. We’ll help.”
“I’ll break stuff into small chunks. Divide and conquer. It’s how you eat an elephant.” Riley nodded.
“Speaking of elephant, I’ve got something to throw into the pile while we’re overhauling.” Cord looked around the table. “What do you ladies think about bringing someone in to create a virtual interface simulator?”
“Oh. My.” Mary breathed.
“Wow.” Vi leaned back in her chair. “Like one that’d take HERA’s data?”
“Yep. We could have a couple simulation warehouses to use since we’ll need lots of space.” Cord motioned toward the plans. “Figured I’d mention it in case we want to work them into these blueprints. It might not be a good idea.”
“It’s not a good idea.” Mary crossed her arms. “It’s an excellent idea.”
“Heck yeah it is!” Vi grinned at Cord. “Have you looked into the cost?”
His shoulder’s drooped. “Afraid you don’t want to know.”
“I’m thinking they already know,” Marshall commented.
“Like I said, we’re covered,” Vi said. “And I can always clean the Deep Web.”
“I don’t want you taking risks,” Nolan said.
Vi nodded dismissively. Her mind was already planning how to make it happen. Three-dimensional simulators the teams could use to do practice runs through ops? With real specs fed into it by HERA? It was the wet dream of all wet dreams for geeks. “How the hell did you keep this idea to yourself?”
“Wasn’t sure it’d work.”
“We’ll make it work,” Mary said. “You have an idea who to hire?”
“No. We’ll need to vet whoever it is, obviously.”
“Okay, so nerds are one thing I didn’t even understand.” Riley clapped her hands. “Now. Let’s tackle the last agenda item. Mom. I need help bringing her back to reality. She is out of control with the wedding plans.”
“She is?” Mary paled and looked at Dylan. “What does out of control mean, exactly?”
“Last I heard she had over a thousand people invited. That doesn’t include what she calls Resino proper.” Riley looked at Mary. “I know you and Dylan don’t care. You’d already be married by the JP if you had your say, but this is a big deal for Mom and she’s going overboard in a big way. I can’t talk her down.”
“I’ll have a word,” Dylan commented. He took Mary’s hand. “Thanks for the head’s up.”
“I want to talk to her,” Mary whispered back. She moved Dylan’s hand to her stomach. “I’m thinking we can refocus her on something more important.”
Shock rippled through Vi. Joy exploded in her, across her face as the weight of her best friend’s words struck in the room like a live mortar round. Guffaws, whistles and back slaps filled the room. Dylan’s eyes were saucer wide. Pale, he looked down where his palm was spread across her lower stomach.
“Surprise,” she whispered. “I was going to tell you tonight, but I couldn’t imagine a better way to tell you than while surrounded by our family.”
“Holy shit.” Riley repeated the two words in an endless loop as she collapsed in the nearest chair, which was already occupied by Jesse. “She’s gonna freak. She’s finally getting a grand baby on the heels of finding out about a secret one we’re still looking for. Crap, the rest of you had better get busy or the kid Mary pops out will be spoiled rotten.”
A flicker of remorse settled on Riley’s features as she looked at Dallas.
“It’s okay, little sis. We’re going to find DJ soon. No one can hide from the Quillery Edge for long,” Dallas said. “I’m glad he’ll have a little cousin to play with soon.”
Jud chuckled and nudged Vi. Hot breath fanned her neck as he wrapped a hand around her middle. “I’m not a Mason, but I’m thinking we should get busy with a little rugrat. We need the next generation of the Quillery Edge growing up together.”
Holy cow. Vi couldn’t breathe. Had he just…
“Did you just?” She stared down at the ring on her finger. She’d barely recovered from his proposal and being the future Mrs. Judson Jensen. Or having a future Mr. Viviana Chambers.
“I want our kid raised here, alongside Mary’s. If you’re ready, I sure as hell am. I’ve wasted enough of my life alone to know I’ve got a damn good thing here and I’m ready to go all in.”
Vi smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. “Go big or go home, huh?”
“Damn straight. What do you say?”
“I get dibs on naming the kid. We aren’t having a Judson Jason Jensen Junior.”
Jud’s laughter echoed through the room. Vi joined in. Life was good. For the first time in a long time, she stared through the sight lines of life and knew she’d hit happy center mass.
~THE END~
Thank you for reading Sight Lines. Please consider leaving a review. I’d love to hear what you thought about Vi and Jud’s story.
The Arsenal series continues with Blood Vows, releasing May 2018
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About Cara
Born in small-town Texas, Cara Carnes was a princess, a pirate, fashion model, actress, rock star and Jon Bon Jovi’s wife all before the age of 13.
In reality, her fascination for enthralling worlds took seed somewhere amidst a somewhat dull day job and a wonderful life filled with family and friends. When she’s not cemented to her chair, Cara loves travelling, photography and reading.
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