“Flynn!” She smacked his shoulder.
“What?”
“Women don’t like it when you call them fat.”
“I didn’t call you fat. Plus, any man worth his salt likes a little junk in the trunk.”
She shook her head at him before snuggling in closer. “You’re the reason the kids are wild, you know that, don’t you?”
He wasn’t even going to deign to answer that. Instead, he stroked her silken hair and tried to get his head around the fact he was going to be a father—for the fifth time. On the plus side, Beckham only had four kids. Just one more way he trumped the bastard—virility. The thought perked him up no end, and he couldn’t wait to Instagram the latest proof of his masculinity.
“You’re thinking about David Beckham again, aren’t you?” Abby said.
“What? No.” Maybe he’d call him later, just to catch up…
“You’re not mad about the pregnancy, are you? It wasn’t on purpose. We agreed no more kids, and I meant it. This was just the antibiotics messing with the pill.”
“No, I’m not mad. Just shocked.” And thinking he probably should have worn a condom.
She wriggled in his lap, looking up at him. “Love you,” she said. And there it was, the look in her eye she only got when she looked at him. The one that had him wrapped around her little finger and doing every single thing she ever wanted.
“Love you too.” Loving Abby was like breathing. He needed it to live.
Damn, he should have put that in the card.
With a knowing smile, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. And, just like that, they went up in flames. The kiss became hungry, desperate, and all other thoughts fled from Flynn’s mind. Abby broke the kiss and pressed her forehead to his, letting out a needy little sigh that had him fighting the urge to carry her upstairs and finish what they’d started.
“This is exactly how we got into this situation to begin with,” she said.
And at that moment, Flynn honestly didn’t care. He nuzzled her throat. “Katy’s watching the monsters. Let’s go upstairs and celebrate.” He hoped to get her into a state of total satiation before he told her his news. That way, she would be too worn out to protest.
“I can’t believe I’m pregnant again,” she said.
A grin broke out as the excitement of the situation hit him. “We can cope with another kid. It’s all good.” He felt her body tense, and his stomach clenched. “Abby?”
Big brown eyes looked up at him. “Um, I had a scan. And…” She smiled at him. “Congratulations! It’s twins!”
“Twins!” He shot to his feet, toppling her out of his lap, but making sure he steadied her before glaring down at her. “Twins?”
“It’s not my fault. They run in your family.”
“Twins?!”
“Take a deep breath. Everything will be fine.”
“Six kids? Are we trying to birth our own football team here?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and forced himself to breathe evenly. Nope. It didn’t work. He still felt like his head was about to explode. “Six kids?!”
“Calm down.” Abby folded her arms. “You’re always saying we have plenty of room to expand.”
“With animals! I was talking about animals.”
“Well, now we’re expanding our family too. You just need to act like an adult and deal with it.”
He glared at her. “I adopted an elephant, and I’m not sorry.”
“An elephant?”
“A small one. It’s Indian. Ex-circus.”
“An elephant?!”
“You just need to act like an adult and deal with it.”
“An elephant!”
There may have been steam coming out of her ears, and he had a passing thought that her reaction might not be good for the babies. Then he reminded himself that the word was babies and not baby, and he lost his mind all over again. “I planned to tell you in a sparkly card, but you got pregnant and ruined it.”
“You can’t adopt an elephant.”
“If you can have twins, I can have an elephant.” And he needed to check on it to make sure the girls hadn’t turned it into a princess with pink freaking bows.
“Will you listen to yourself?” Abby strode behind him, the heels of her peekaboo nude pumps tapping on the wooden floor. “The twins are yours too. It takes two to make babies. And you should have worn a damn condom when I told you to.”
Flynn slammed through the back door and out into the garden, where Katy had let the twins and the elephant into the yard. It had pink ribbons tied around its trunk, and a Disney blanket with Dumbo on it draped over its back. It was embarrassing—for Flynn and the elephant.
“I keep telling them the elephant’s a boy, but they don’t care,” Katy said.
“It’s a real elephant,” Abby said behind him.
Flynn rolled his eyes. What had she been expecting? No. Don’t think the word expecting. Don’t think about twins. Don’t think about yet more kids painting his animals.
“Fergus! What the hell?”
“Don’t curse at the children,” Abby snapped. “Oh.” She covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.
Because, painted on the side of the elephant, in wobbly letters, was the word Elifart.
“You were supposed to take his paints,” Flynn said to Katy.
“He threatened to paint me, and I decided you weren’t paying me enough money to deal with that.”
Two ostriches ran past the fence, both wearing sparkly blue bows. Behind Flynn, a three-legged turtle made its way to the rabbit compound, where giant bunnies munched their way through a ton of lettuce. A donkey brayed in the distance before chasing two miniature horses. And the goat was eating the laundry from the line.
He felt Abby’s arm snake around his waist, and he tugged her under his shoulder. If they could cope with this, they could cope with anything. “We can do two more,” he told her.
“Never doubted it,” she said.
“Two more what?” The twins said at the same time.
And Flynn and Abby burst out laughing, which became a little hysterical when a sheep strolled past with a chicken on its back.
A Glossary of Characters
Lake Benson: Retired English SAS soldier. He has blond hair, blue eyes, and a lip twitch that passes for a smile. He’s known for his shoulder muscles and his taciturn nature. He grew up in a commune with hippy-dippy parents and rebelled by joining the establishment. He's closest to his youngest sister, Rainne, and he’s married to Kirsty. He is the owner and founder of Benson Security—a reputable international security firm.
Kirsty Benson (nee Campbell): Now married to Lake Benson. She’s an ex-lingerie model who runs her own lingerie shop and designs lingerie. She has scars down half her body from a car wreck. Her mum is Margaret Campbell, and her best friend is Caroline McInnes.
Josh McInnes: American singer who croons like Sinatra. He’s married to Caroline, and they have a baby girl. He owns Invertary Castle, where he’s now based. His best friend and manager is Mitch Harris.
Caroline McInnes (nee Patterson): Was the town’s librarian until she met Josh. Now, as well as being a full-time mum, she’s on the town’s unofficial council, the restoration society, and the Christmas market committee.
Jena Donaldson (nee Morgan): Ex-go-go dancer from Atlantic City. She’s accident prone, which hasn’t stopped her taking up a new career as a DIY expert in Invertary. She’s married to Matt Donaldson.
Matt Donaldson: Invertary’s only cop. He has twin younger sisters—Claire and Megan—and he’s cousin to Flynn and Harry Boyle.
Claire Dayton (nee Donaldson): Matt’s younger sister who, along with her twin, Megan, has caused chaos in Invertary for years. She’s a kindergarten teacher, has a fondness for dyeing sheep luminous pink, and is married to Grunt.
Grunt (Samuel Dayton): Grunt got his nickname thanks to his taciturn ways. He’s a huge ex-marine who terrifies the living daylights out of everyone but melts when he’s
around his wife, Claire. He came to Scotland from America on a security job and stayed when he fell for Claire. His best friend, Joe Barone, came with him.
Flynn Boyle: Cousin to Megan, Claire, and Matt. Older brother of Harry. Flynn was a professional football player until an injury ruined his career and sent him home to Invertary. He’s married to Abby, has a stepdaughter, Katy, and twin girls on the way. He’s also a soft touch for unwanted animals and is studying to be a vet.
Abby Boyle (nee McKenzie): The widowed mother of Katy. Abby moved from England with her husband only to be left raising their baby and running a business on her own when he died of a brain tumor. She’s now married to Flynn and pregnant with twins.
Katy McKenzie: She’s five in Bad Boy, and she rules her world.
Harry Boyle: The geeky computer-genius younger brother of Flynn. He’s cousin to Matt, Megan, and Claire. Harry went to university far too young and made only one friend but started a very successful security software company. He returned home to Invertary to win the heart of his childhood crush, Magenta, whom he’s now married. Harry joined forces with security expert Lake Benson to start a new international security company.
Magenta Boyle (nee Fraser) (Maggie to those who hate her): Magenta is the town’s only goth. She’s bad-tempered, sarcastic, and fiercely loyal. She works part time in Kirsty’s lingerie shop, and the rest of the time she runs her own business as a caving guide. She’s an expert on the local mines.
Rainne Benson (Rainbow): Lake’s younger sister, named by the same hippie parents. She grew up in a commune and didn’t have any formal schooling as a child. She’s recently earned a business studies qualification and now works for an insurance firm in Glasgow. She’s engaged to Alastair.
Alastair Stewart: Alastair co-owns Invertary’s hunting and fishing shop with his dad. He’s an expert salmon fisherman who’s won lots of awards. He’s currently living in Glasgow with Rainne, his fiancée.
Megan Raast (nee Donaldson): Twin sister to Claire, younger sister to Matt, cousin of Harry and Flynn. Married to Dimitri. Megan’s been trying to find her way in life for years. She’s worked as a salesperson, a hairdressing apprentice, a kitchen hand, a pastry chef…you name it. She’s now decided her calling is security work and has moved to London to work for the new Benson Security office.
Dimitri Raast: Up until recently, he was a US Army Ranger. He quit to hunt for his missing, presumed kidnapped, sister. He joined forces with Benson Security to bring down the man who took his sister and get her back. He’s married to Megan, and they’re partners at work too.
Reverend Morrison: The Presbyterian vicar is about four hundred years old and doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks of him. He’s one of Betty McLeod’s nemeses—although Betty has hinted on more than one occasion that they’re having a secret affair. He has now retired to Spain.
Betty McLeod: Betty’s in her eighties. She’s never been married and is alienated from her sister who lives in Glasgow. She is known locally as Satan for her evil interference in the lives of Invertary’s townsfolk. She used to run the town’s only underwear shop—until Kirsty opened hers and ruined it. She sold the building to Lake with the proviso that she gets the run of the place. She’s now the mascot for a security firm and is learning interrogation techniques in her free time.
The Domino Boys: A group of men in their 70s and 80s who get together to gossip and play dominoes. Archie, Hamish, James and Findlay helped Caroline organize her wedding. They often fight with Betty.
Knit or Die: A knitting group that gets involved in other activities around town—like breaking into underwear shops and torturing men! They comprise of Kirsty’s mother, Margaret Campbell; Matt’s mother, Heather Donaldson; as well as Jean, Shona, Agnes, and Moira.
Dougal Jamieson: Dougal owns the town’s only pub/hotel. He looks like Father Christmas, dresses like Elton John, and is the unofficial town mayor (unofficial because no one turned out to vote for the town council, but they do the job anyway). He has a booming voice and penchant for gossip. He also has a kind heart.
Mitch Harris: Mitch is Josh’s best friend. They grew up together in Atlantic City. He’s now a trained lawyer who works full time as Josh’s manager. He’s a ruthless negotiator who liked to play the field. He has laughed in the faces of his male friends who settled down. After a life-threatening injury, he questions his way of life. He eventually settles down with Jodie.
Jodie Miller-Harris (nee Miller): Owns a spa in Invertary and runs a top-secret shelter for abused women. She has several martial arts black belts and is married to Mitch.
Joe Barone: Grunt’s best friend. The ex-marine of American-Italian heritage has moved to London to be part of the new Benson Security office. Married to Julia.
Julia Barone (nee Collins): Julia is painfully shy—to the point of phobic behavior. She’s also an organizational genius, and when she lost her previous job, she was snapped up by Lake Benson to work for him. She’s currently office manager for the new London office. Her first task was to fill the building with large plants, so she’d have plenty of places to hide. She’s married to Joe.
Rachel Ford-Talbot: Rachel was Harry’s only friend in university and helped him set up his software business. She lives in London, is a terrible snob who comes from serious money, and a bitch—most of the time. She’s one of the owners of Benson Security.
Ryan Granger: Ex-UK army, Ryan now works for Lake. He’s a bit of a player with a dodgy sense of humor. He moved to London to work in the new Benson Security office but spends most of his free time clubbing.
Helen and Andrew McInnes: Josh’s parents. They rekindled their love in Invertary castle and are now traveling the world. Andrew likes to think he’s an expert on women.
Callum McKay: Ex-SAS soldier, one of the owners of Benson Security, and manager of the London office. He’s bad-tempered, has two prosthetic legs, and adores his family. He’s married to Isobel and has adopted her two kids, Jack and Sophie.
Isobel McKay (nee Sinclair): The eldest of the four Sinclair sisters. She became a single mum at sixteen; then her later marriage, which resulted in another child, crumpled. She lived in a tiny town in the Mull of Kintyre until she met Callum and moved to London. She has two children, Jack (sixteen) and Sophie (three).
Agnes Sinclair: The second oldest of the sisters. She’s been studying part time, while working, to get her degree in hotel management. She’s the most capable and bad-tempered of the sisters.
Donna Stewart (nee Sinclair): The third Sinclair sister. Donna is a gifted illustrator who worked as housekeeper for the artist, Duncan Stewart, who owned Kintyre Mansion for years. She’s now married to Duncan.
Duncan Stewart: A widowed artist who owns Kintyre Mansion and who’s married to Donna.
Mairi McKenzie (nee Sinclair): The youngest Sinclair sister. She runs a matchmaking business that specializes in finding partners for geeky men.
Keir McKenzie: Mechanic who’s engaged to Mairi.
Morag McKay: Invertary local who owns the bakery and makes great pies. She also runs the local morality society and likes to stage protests. She’s one of Betty McLeod’s arch nemeses.
About the Author
I’m a Scot, living in New Zealand and married to a Dutch man. I write contemporary romance with a humorous bent – this is mainly due to the fact I have an odd sense of humour and can’t keep it out of anything I do! If I wasn’t a writer, I’d like to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Indiana Jones. Unfortunately, both these roles have already been filled. Which may be a good thing as I have no fighting skills, wouldn’t know a precious relic if it hit me in the face and have an aversion to blood. When I’m not living in my head, I’m a mother to two kids, several pet sheep, one dog, four cats, three alpacas, two miniature horses, eight guinea pigs and an escape artist chicken.
Also by Janet Elizabeth Henderson
Thank you for reading my work.
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Invertary, Scottish Highlands (Romantic Comedy)
Lingerie Wars, Invertary Book 1
Goody Two Shoes, Invertary Book 2
Magenta Mine, Invertary Book 3
Calamity Jena, Invertary Book 4
Bad Boy, Invertary Book 5
Here comes the Rainne again, Invertary Book 6
Caught, Invertary Book 7
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Benson’s Boys (Romantic Suspense)
Reckless, Book 1
Relentless, Book 2
Rage, Book 3
Ransom, Book 4
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Sinclair Sister Trilogy (Romantic Comedy)
Can’t Tie Me Down! Book 1
Can’t Stop the Feeling, Book 2
Can’t Buy Me Love, Book 3 (due out 2019)
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Red Zone (Paranormal Romance)
Red Zone, Book 1
Red Awakening, Book 2 (due out Oct 19)
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Other Books (Contemporary Romance)
Mad Love, London Book 1
Laura’s Big Break, London Book 2
The Davina Code
A Little Something Extra: Short Stories from the Invertary and Benson Security World Page 18