Mason stood in Ben and Aurelia’s massive kitchen talking with Bodhi and the guys after dinner, while Ben washed the dishes and Zane heckled him. Bodhi nudged Mason’s arm, motioning toward the dining room, where his six-year-old son, Louie, an adorable and inquisitive brown-haired boy, sat on Jonah’s lap, showing Jonah his baseball card collection. At the other end of the table, Flossie sat with Ben’s mother, Roxie, a vivacious curly-haired blonde, and Bodhi’s mother, Alisha, a reserved silver-haired woman, poring over a photo album of Bea that Ben and Aurelia had given Flossie for her birthday. During dinner, Talia and her fiancé, Derek, had announced that they’d decided to have a small wedding around the holidays, so Jonah could attend without the risk of being overwhelmed. Now Remi and the girls were chatting in the living room, looking at wedding dresses on Talia’s phone.
It was a scene out of a big-family movie, and Remi looked like she was in heaven. Everyone had greeted her with tight hugs and concerned questions about the stalker situation. Mason was glad she had so many people who cared about her, but he hadn’t expected the warm embraces he’d received. Apparently the Daltons’ close-knit family extended to those around them, and his association with Remi meant he was now part of their inner circle.
“You don’t have to wash them first,” Zane said to Ben, pulling Mason from his thoughts. “That’s why it’s called a dishwasher.”
“I’m embarrassed to say we practically raised you, Zane,” Dan Dalton, Ben’s father, teased. In his slacks and dress shirt, he looked more like the retired college professor he was than Piper’s partner in their custom-home-building business. “Didn’t we ever teach you how to do dishes?”
“He was too busy scoping out Willow to pay attention,” Ben said, earning a smirk from Zane.
“That’s something I don’t want to think about.” Dan headed into the dining room, joining Roxie at the table.
“What was that about?” Mason asked Bodhi. “Did Zane live with them?”
“Practically. Zane’s parents were less than present when he was a kid,” Bodhi explained. “He spent a lot of time with the Daltons when he was growing up, and he and Willow had a secret tryst.”
“Seems like it worked out well for them.” Mason had noticed that Zane and Willow couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They were always kissing, holding hands, or whispering, like the rest of the couples there tonight.
Except for me and Remi.
Longing washed over him, and he tried to school his expression. Mason had never been a fan of public displays of affection, but he’d give anything to stop pretending there was nothing between them and hold her, kiss her, in front of the people who loved her like family. He wanted them to know that she had someone who adored her just as much as their significant others adored them. Hell, he’d give anything to be able to wink, or blow her a kiss without worry, like they had last night, when they’d cuddled on the couch in the rec room and watched a movie. They’d been making love for days. It was heaven when they were home alone and he was able to openly hold and kiss her. She needed that type of normalcy in her life, and with Remi, he craved it. But since Ben and Aiden were business partners and Remi didn’t want Aiden to get wind of their relationship while he was away, Mason was stuck pretending he was nothing more than her bodyguard.
Derek sauntered into the kitchen. Mason had gotten to know Derek throughout the evening, and although Derek was a handsome guy with longish brown hair and an athletic build, Mason had a hard time reconciling his serious disposition with a guy who danced at Decadence. Mason had nothing but respect for the man who was not only caring for his ailing father but also opening an adult-day-care center to help others in the same type of situation.
Derek placed a cup next to the sink and said, “Found that in the living room. Want me to finish up the dishes?”
“Nah, I’ve got them.” Ben motioned toward Zane and said, “But I’ll pay you to drag his ass out of here before I knock him upside the head.”
Derek took Zane by the arm. “Let’s go. No head knocking on Flossie’s birthday.”
“I prefer headboard knocking anyway, right, Wills?” Zane said loudly as Derek dragged him out of the kitchen. He headed directly to his wife.
“Don’t we all?” Piper chimed in from her perch on the couch beside Remi.
Before dinner, Remi and the girls had been huddled together talking, and they’d glanced over so many times he’d wondered if he was the topic of conversation. Now, as they gushed over wedding dresses, Remi held Ben and Aurelia’s adorable baby, Bea. Every few minutes Remi pressed a kiss to the baby’s cheek, holding her lips there and closing her eyes like she was soaking in the feel of her baby-soft skin. He wondered if Remi had dreams of a white wedding and babies. She sure as hell deserved everything she’d ever dreamed of.
As the girls huddled closer to get a better look at Talia’s phone, Remi pushed to her feet. She looked beautiful in a white tank top and peach capris, with a pair of sexy leather sandals. She smiled at Mason as she snuggled with Bea. Her smile reached all the way up to her eyes, but it didn’t wash away the longing in them. She rolled her lower lip between her teeth, the nervous habit he’d learned she had when she was contemplating dirty thoughts. That made his ache to be closer to her even stronger.
Roxie breezed into the kitchen, her long colorful skirt flowing around her ankles. “Ben, are you just about done? Piper’s getting antsy. I think we should get to the cake.”
Ben wiped his hands on a dish towel. “Just finished.”
“Great. Thanks, honey.” Roxie lovingly patted his shoulder.
An unexpected yearning moved through Mason. He didn’t spend much time around families, and witnessing the love between the Daltons brought feelings he’d thought he’d buried too deep to ever resurface. But in the past two weeks, Remi had unearthed so many other emotions, he shouldn’t be surprised that more were creeping out from the dungeon.
“So, Mason.” Ben leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “This shit storm started with a kiss?”
Mason had liked Ben from the moment they’d met, when Ben had come to him searching for Bea’s mother. He was a brilliant businessman, and it was apparent that his love for his daughter was impenetrable. It was also apparent that Ben could read between the lines, which was why Mason wondered if he’d noticed a look passing between him and Remi. He thought he’d been careful not to give anything away, and now he made a mental note to be even more self-aware.
“No, actually,” Mason said. “The stalking started when Remi first received letters months ago in LA. This seems to be a continuation of the same.”
“Ben, I don’t think you should ever connect a kiss to a shit storm.” Roxie winked at Mason and said, “Remi should be able to kiss whomever she pleases without worrying about what anyone else thinks.”
Mason had to work to keep his agreement under wraps.
Bodhi said, “I think Aiden might have a different opinion.”
“Poor Aiden,” Roxie said thoughtfully. “This stalker business is killing him. He tries so hard to do the right thing by Remi, and he has done an excellent job as a surrogate parent and a big brother. But all the running away Remi has done recently is a cry to be heard.”
Ben pushed away from the counter and said, “I understood why Remi ditched her bodyguards earlier in the summer, although I wasn’t happy that she didn’t tell Aiden where she was. But now that I have Bea, I also understand where Aiden is coming from. If anyone threatened Bea, I’d keep her under lock and key until I tracked the bastard down and either killed him or put him behind bars for good.”
“Oh, honey, I’m not talking about the stalker.” Roxie reached into the cabinet for plates and said, “Obviously Aiden has to do the right thing when it comes to protecting her. But those tight reins were being held long before the stalker came out of the woodwork. If you pen in a tigress too long, eventually she’ll have no choice but to break free.”
She raised her brows in Mason’s directio
n as she set the plates on the counter and said, “Remi is a smart, capable woman, and Aiden has hired the perfect person to watch over her. Now Aiden needs to open that cage and trust the two of them.”
“Remind me not to let you hang out with Bea when she discovers boys. I plan on locking her cage until she’s thirty.” Ben chuckled and headed into the living room.
Roxie sighed. “Why do men act like they were never the boys girls were interested in?”
Mason chuckled.
“Bodhi, your little man is having a ball with Jonah.” Roxie pushed a wayward curl from her cheek.
“They have a special relationship.” Pride shone in Bodhi’s eyes as he glanced at his son.
“I’ll say. The universe brought my grandson a wonderful gift the day Talia met Derek.”
Bodhi nodded. “I think that gift goes both ways, Roxie.”
“I still can’t get over how much your life has changed, Bodhi,” Mason said. “You were the lone wolf for so long. Now you have a little boy, a beautiful wife, and a baby on the way.”
“I’m a lucky guy,” Bodhi said. “I never expected to fall in love, and with Bridgette, there was no turning away.”
Mason wanted to tell him he knew the feeling, but instead he said, “Very lucky, indeed.”
“Mason? Are you on the market?” Roxie waggled her brows. “I can help you find your one and only true love. I’ve helped lots of people find their forever loves, including Bodhi and Bridgette.”
Mason arched a brow.
“Roxie makes soaps, fragrances, body wash, and other things, and she sells them around town. But she’s famous for her love potions,” Bodhi explained. “I wasn’t a believer until it happened to me.”
Roxie sidled up to Mason and lowered her voice as she said, “Don’t let this get out, but I’ve been sneaking my potions into Piper’s lotion bottles for months. I don’t usually take a sneaky route, but she’s a stubborn one, unlike our Remi. The last time Remi visited we had a long talk about love, and I gave her my special apricot body wash and bubble bath. Did you know that apricots do a lot more than just protect your heart?”
Mason froze. He and Remi had been showering together for days. He loved lathering her up almost as much as he loved the effects his slippery hands had on her. They’d been drenched in apricot at least once or twice every day since they’d first come together.
Roxie put a hand on Mason’s shoulder and said, “A handsome guy like you who helps other people for a living shouldn’t still be single. You must have pretty thick walls around your heart to have fended off women for this long.” She leaned closer and whispered, “Just say the word, and I’ll get you fixed up.” She sniffed, and her eyebrows shot up with a curious—and pleased—look in her eyes. She started humming, picked up the plates, and headed into the dining room.
“You’re in for it now,” Bodhi said with a shake of his head. “Once Roxie gets you in her sights, you haven’t got a chance in hell at dodging her bullet.”
Mason glanced at Remi and said, “Who says I want to dodge anything?”
“Yeah? You got a girlfriend I haven’t heard about?” Bodhi asked.
Before he could respond, Piper burst into the kitchen and said, “Let’s get this show on the road. I’m meeting a friend at Dutch’s and I don’t want to be late.” She picked up the birthday cake from the counter.
As they followed her out of the kitchen, Bodhi said, “That’s code for Piper having a date. She always meets her dates at Dutch’s Pub, which drives the owner, Harley Dutch, crazy.”
Piper glanced over her shoulder and said, “Safety first, right, Mr. Bodyguard? Never meet a first date someplace private and all that?” She set the cake on the table as everyone filed into the dining room.
“More like drive Harley batty so he never knows if he’s coming or going,” Willow said as she sat down at the table.
“He’d like to be coming,” Piper said under her breath, taking a seat beside Willow.
“Piper Dalton,” Roxie snapped. “Watch yourself!”
Piper chuckled.
“I’m sure the girls will hear all the details about your hot date tomorrow morning at their morning gossip session at the bakery,” Talia said as she and Derek sat down by Jonah. “Someone will have to fill me in.”
“Me too. I can’t make it tomorrow,” Aurelia said.
“I wish I could go to the bakery tomorrow!” Louie exclaimed as he jumped down from Jonah’s lap and scrambled into a chair beside Bodhi.
“Another morning, buddy.” Bodhi kissed Louie’s head. “Tomorrow you, me, and Dahlia have a date with Fletch and Molly, remember?”
Dahlia was their Great Dane, and Mason knew Fletch was Ryan “Fletch” Fletcher, who taught at Beckwith University with Talia. His name had come up as someone Remi had spent time with while she was visiting her friends.
“Oh yeah, I forgot! Dahlia loves Molly! Molly’s Fletch’s dog. Do you have a dog, Mason? Maybe you can come with us!” Louie asked excitedly.
“No, I’m sorry to say I don’t, and I need to be with Remi tomorrow morning. But thank you for thinking of me.”
“Okay. Maybe you can get a dog one day. We’re meeting them at Chiffon Park really early,” Louie explained. “Fletch said that’s the best time to let the dogs run wild.”
“I’d like to meet Fletch at Chiffon Park,” Piper said sassily.
“Paws off my friend,” Talia said with a scolding look.
Piper rolled her eyes.
“Now, Talia, you know there’s nothing wrong with your sister pursuing a man,” Flossie said with a wink. “Piper shouldn’t need to wait for an invitation.”
Flossie was a whirlwind of energy, unlike any other senior citizen Mason had ever met. She stood just shy of five feet tall and had long silver hair and a flair for fashion, as evidenced by her ankle-length black skirt, leopard-print blouse, and bright red lipstick. She wore large pearl earrings and a matching pearl ring. She was warm and outgoing. Mason had overheard her talking throughout the evening, and she had something insightful and wise to say to everyone. When they’d first been introduced, Flossie had taken one look at him, poked him in the chest, and said, “Life is too short for all that tension you’re carrying around. Find the person who helps you breathe, then hold on to her and never let her go.”
He glanced at Remi, still cuddling Bea. She helped him breathe all right . . .
“I agree,” Alisha, Bodhi’s mother, said. “If we women waited for men to make all the right moves, the whole human race could die out.”
Ben, Zane, and Derek spoke over one another, arguing that point, until Roxie clapped her hands and said, “Okay, boys. We get it. You’re macho.”
The girls giggled. Mason chuckled.
“How did we get on this conversation anyway?” Roxie asked. “Oh yes, the bakery. Remi, have you seen the renovations Willow’s made yet?”
“That would be me who made them,” Piper reminded her. “The day Willow wears a tool belt is the day I’ll wear an apron.”
Willow pushed to her feet and said, “Dad? Where’s your tool belt?”
That earned another round of laughs.
“I haven’t seen the renovations yet,” Remi said. “But I hear they look fantastic.” She tickled Bea’s chin, her gaze drifting to Mason. “I forgot to mention that I’d like to go to the bakery with the girls tomorrow. We need to be there by six in the morning, though. Is that okay?”
“You’re the boss—” Mason noticed Roxie watching them and stifled Princess before it came out.
Ben glanced at him and said, “Poor guy. You’ll have to sit through gossip central.”
“I’ll be outside the bakery,” Mason clarified. He was glad Remi was making time for her friends, and he had no intention of suffocating her.
“Be sure to try the Loverboys,” Zane said. “They’re the most delicious éclair/cupcake combo you’ve ever had, and they’re named after me, so you know they’re awesome.” He lifted Willow’s hand and kissed the
back of it. “Although anything made by these talented hands is delicious.”
Zane and Willow kissed, and Ben said, “Get a room.”
As the others settled in around the table, Remi handed Bea to Aurelia.
Mason pulled out a chair for Remi and whispered, “You looked like a natural with that baby in your arms.” He didn’t know where the comment had come from, considering he’d never given a thought to having a family of his own.
When Remi met his gaze, he swore everyone could feel the intensity of their connection.
“I’m pretty sure she could make anyone look like a natural,” she said as they sat down.
The lack of contact was killing him. He brushed his arm against hers. The intimate smile curving her lips should have taken the edge off his need to be closer, but it only drove the need deeper.
“Aurelia? Ben?” Flossie motioned for them to join her at the head of the table.
Ben towered over Flossie. She put her arm around him and Aurelia, and then she kissed Bea’s forehead. “As most of you know, this is my first birthday without my husband, and while not a day passes that I don’t miss him, tonight there’s not much room for loneliness. I’m blessed to be with all of you, and this year we have a lot to celebrate. In addition to all of the newfound love around the table, we have Bridgette and Bodhi’s little one on the way.”
“Uncle Ben and Auntie Aurelia are getting married!” Louie chimed in. “Mommy said ‘It’s about damn time!’”
Everyone laughed.
“Louie, watch your language,” Bridgette said.
“Your mom’s right, Louie, but you’re right, too,” Ben said. “It’s about damn time.”
“Yes, we’re all very happy that our two lovebirds are finally standing on the same branch,” Flossie agreed. “What a joy it is to share this special day with all of you and with the bright new faces around the table—Jonah, who reminds us how precious life is, and our newest little bubbelah.” She tickled Bea’s foot, earning sweet baby giggles. She looked at Remi and said, “Fate was certainly on our side, bringing my faraway girl to us tonight. As you all know—but Mason may not—when Remi escaped her bodyguards earlier this summer, she came straight home.” She put her hand over her chest and said, “Home is where your heart feels safest, and it pleases me to no end, Remi, that you’ve embraced our family as we’ve all embraced you.”
This is Love Page 17